The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-10-28
20DIH AFRICAN TOWNS
Which Will Figure in the
Present TranSvaaI War.
WHERE THEY ARE LOCATED
Bits of Their History--The
Strategic importance.
WHERE THEY ARE LOCATED

Cape Town. II has cTicke. ground and
a racecourse, a Surrey Hotel" and 9th
ers, English, Dutch, and Wesleyan
churches. and is the headquarters OF the
Bechuana1and Border Police. II is bounC
to be an important base of observation
and supplies, and the Barolong tribe be
ing very friendly to US. their services vii
be readily available and very useful, al
though they are no fighters. From Maj
eking carts run regularly in time of peace
to the Malmani gold fields and the Maricc
valley. where some of the most fruitful
Dutch farms are to be found. From this
neighborhood Mafeking ordinarily draws
considerable supplies. and even its water
comes chiefly from the springs at Roo
Grond in the Transvaal territory. Il IS
believed. however, that the town will not
have 10 run the risk of these wells BE-
ing poisoned. AIafeking is in the hands
| of Col. Baden-PowelTs force, enlisted in
| the Cape Colony itself, and although Il
! is merely town on an open plain. with
! nothing but trenches for defense, it win
! probably render a good account Of Itself
/ in any operations Gen. Cronje may IN
dertake 20 reduce It.
Ramathlabama, where a British camp
is situated, and Pitsani Pothlugo. where
| DR.. Jameson started on his march over
the fat zebra" country INTO the Trans
vaal, are points on the Bschuanaland Rail-
way few miles TO the north of Mafe-
king.
Vryburg about hundred miles south
of Mafegink on the railway to Cape Town,
was the capital of British Bechuanaland
a
the Cape The country around is unduIa-
ting but very bare and sandy, and Vry-
burg itself is by no means an attractive
town, although when 1t was the north
ern terminus of the railway it did consd-
cradle trade with wagons coming from
the interior 1t has two or three thous-
and inhabitants and a number of govern
ment buildings of an unpretentious char
acter. including a hospital
Taungs forty miles south Of Vryburg
on the railway, is an important native
town, where Sir Charles Warren erected
a fort at the time Of his expedition which
squelched the Boer filibuster republics
Stellaland and Land of Goshen. Here re-
sides the chief AIankoroane, whose tribe
is said to number ten thousand.
Fourteen Streams and Warrenton are
points where the railway crosses the Riv-
err Wall The Warrenton Bridge. named
after Sir Charles Warren, is 1880 feet
in length.
Kimberley, CAT miles from Cape Town
and about go miles south of Mafeking on
the railway, is well known as the CEN
ter of the diamond industry. possessing
the great mines known as Kimberley and
Ia nd haip ctic al no
trolling center for the damon industry
OF the world. AT the last census its pop
ulation was about 29,O0O. of whom rather
less than One-haf were whites. 1t has a
number of hotels, as well as a hospital
and a sanatorium, a public library con-
tanning one ofthe best collections OF books
in South Africa, a club. a Masonic tenn
ple. a park with cricket and football
fields; Anglican, Wesleyan, Presbyterian,
and Roman Catholic churches; trans,
CARS, and a couple of daily papers-the
Daily Independent end the Diamond
Fields Advertiser A short distance away
is Beaconsfeld, practically suburb, with !
A population of 1900, half whites, around
the mines Of Du Tots Pan and Button
TEN. At Kimberley the diamond mines
and De Beers offices would offer an ir-
resistible temptation to the Beers. but. (
notwithstanding the Cape governments
endeavor to weaken the volunteer force
there by recalling the civil servants, kim
berley will doubtless prove a hard nut
for the Beers TO crack. Its defenders are
North Lancashires. volunteers. and engi- |
neers-about 300 in aIi-with guns and
Maxims, and the debris heaps and trench |
tifications ready made.
Modder River. Hope Town. and Orange
River are small places on the railway be-
tween Kimberley and the junction OF the |
lines which runs south to Cape Town and
Port Elizabeth respectively, De Asr be- !
ing the name OF the important station at
the apex OF the triangle. just over 80 |
miles from Cape Town. As De Aar Is a
spot touched by the trains running north /
10 Kimberley and northeast 10 Bloem-
fontein, the Orange Free State. and the
TransvaaL II is extremely likely that the
Free State Beers viii do their worst 10
wreck the railways in that quarter. TO
prevent or al least delay the passage Of
troops. In the same vicinity and subject
TO the same consideration are Colesberg
and BurghersdOrp. towns in the Cape Col +
ony near the Orange River and on the
railways that approach the Bosr Republic F.
from Port Elizabeth and East London re- /,
spActiveIy. Colesberg. famous as the birth /
place OF President Kruger. IS a town Of /
some 200 inhabitants. and has two /
b-iagas-the road bridge being 1870 feet /
in length. and The railway bridge C.cor-
vars PonD being Ls-5 feet Burghersdorp &
IT, ~ Z
Roman Catholic and Wesleyan churches /
as well as Dutch. this Orange River ls /.
crossed az Rethpiie REisge. I4ss feet IN .
length AlIwaI North, short distance I.
from BurEhersdorp on a branch line. s. .
an Arportant frontier town n between 7
? GsE and 219 popu}at ton, and faces TIRE .
Frea State across The Orange River xhica .
Is zpauned by the free Bridge. so feet +
IN length. an avenue also from the colony
into Bas8tolaud-
Tire northern Natal t0Tns which s-e
threatened a. enclosed IL the triangular .
space whore tire railway from D1rssn
runs I'D - the Tranxvasl - Way e tHe
pass vel knevn a. Lsinz's N@k or ire
col be:xeen ere mountains ~ WHICH
Naiuba IS one The lzasr groons betnz
n the hands % ;be Beers C11sr1estevrs
in The extreme north o. Natal colony -
miles from the po-t a. Durham sfsu1z
: - Fee above sea isvsl. fssr niIss efs-
tart FROM Nasubs Hi'L Before Pssslesaf
kruger suffere1 the -atiway 20 peEstrats
bis Fer-itory- Cha-,esf0yn was q I1n7or-
tazce as terminus. bat rs sszaE gsory
has departed. ana tAs piece e RON este
!aziEE-1eznt. i-fss soEsT daRn the AElls
~ which che railway climbs Ess Ingaeo
station ciose 70 ;hs srsuias Eoegfs aas-
fIeael1 UaE1E8 FFei~ -. ard stsg soEsr