The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-11-26
HONNAR NENSG|)AES
From the Scene of Operations
in South Africa.
WHICH BEING EXPLAINED
Also Explains Why Such News
is Delayed.
WHICH BEING EXPLAINED

London, Nov. 2.-The London Globe
says: AT tine when there is a feverish
public anxiety 70 know the latest intelIi-
fence from the scenes OF operations in
South Africa, it may be interesting 10
give some particulars as to how the gov
eminent and the country. and indeed
Europe. are served by the Geographic
system, which connects Great Britain
with the Cape and places the COMMANDED
in-chief Of the Natal forces within an
hours distance for purposes Of communi-
cation with Downing street. There has
been no little delay in the sending Of
those descriptions Of battles which come
from the pens OF the war correspondents,
but in the circumstances this has been
inevitable; and, so far as We can gather
from inquiries in official quarters, there
IS no immediate prospect OF any acceler-
alton OF press news Of the war. BY in
ternadonaI convention. first made at ST.
Petersburg in 1876, and revised al the
Budapest conference Of 1895. priority is
always given TO government kilograms
nate-indeed, President Kruger has in
this respect no fnconsiderable facilities.
and It IS only when all government mes
sages and all ordinary messages sent
AT the full rates are well on their way
over the cables that the dispatches OF
war correspondents, II sent at press rates.
have their turn. Of course some ad-
vantage is gained by sending a communi-
cation % Fleet street or the Strand as
an ordinary message, but, whereas the
latter represents q cost of four shillirgs
a word the press telegram now goes Tor
Is 81 a word Che Eastern Telegraph
company having quite lately reduced the
tariff from Is, g.. and when a war CORE
srondent is wiring some thousands OF
words 70 his newspapers the difference
between IS. and Is, Al is not matter
to be lightly ignored.
As 10 the facilities which are at The
service Of the government and the coun-
try. and in a lesser degree Of the news
papers, it may be explained that the
great company over whose system mes
sages are sent to and from South Africa
has two terminal stations there, one at
Cape Town and the other at Durham.
=
White. the commander-in-chief Of the
forces in Natal, goes through Durham
and all communications from Sir Alfred
Miner TO the home government proceed
via the Cape Town station. There are
six wires from Ladysmith, where the
British forces are now massed, 20 the
Natal capital, two OF them following the
course of the railway. These are gov
eminent lines, and are worked by the
officials Of the Natal government, and
messages do not. Of course pass into the
hands Of the Eastern company until they
reach the coast. There is communica-
ton between Durham and Cape Town by
means Of a couple Of wires via PieternaT-
itzburg and East London and across
Pondoland to the capital, and until q few
DAYS ago it would have been possible 10
relieve the intense strain row put on
what IS known as the East Coast route
by sending press messages, for instance,
70 Cape Town and thence by the Nes-
Coast route-St Paul de LOanda, Accra,
Sierra Leone, St. Vincent and Madeira
to this country; but there Is now a block
on the line through Pondoland, and for
tia present it is the East Coast route or
nothing. In The words OF a telegraph
expert ''it IS possible 70 get almost any
amount of work out Of these lines. but
the excessive traffic since the battle Of
Glencoe has passed the ANY amount
limit. and. although the cable is being
worked night and day without cessation
OF operations. the task OF copying with
the press Of business remains a stipend
Gus one
- IT, I'D a
thar quite recently z message from Sir
c. White, at Ladysmith. has been trans
rnitted 10 the government az home in the
space OF half an hour for distance OF
over eoe9 miles-that Is from the term
!nal station al Durham. Let Us follow
the course Of a message. II Is sent as
we have said, by the Natal government
land lines 10 the Eastern Compauy's OH
Gals and thence II goes direct 70 Zanzi-
bar with what IS known as a "humaa
translation" Chat is. the operator re
ceives the MESA &c and retransmits It as
he hears Il without committing the words
tn paper. at Mozambique. From Zanzi-
bar the dispatch goes 20 Alden and next
70 Suez the capacity II The company be-
tween these two points being ample fo-
ali emergencies and any amount OF work
for there are no fewer than four cables
al its command After Suez the next
transmitting station Is Alexandria. then
Gibraltar. and so on 10 2-hcurnow f.
Cornwall. the distance between Lands
Ems aa5 london being il need hardly be
sid covered b. land lines Considering
that the average time expended in re-
esivins and transmitting message Is
eight minutes. ans having regard ~ the
number q stations az which a ts,sg-an
% compelled 20 raft n cover the whole
distance in & ut,ie more than haif al
hour S a noteworthy feat Transmitting
stations means an scc1le-a-scn - speed
a~ reason q re shortening - .1e 6.s-
taare over which q message has 10
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