The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-04-20

the Soer line covering Pretoria, may lie
the key to the situation. Once over
the RiqSarsburg and through Laings-
mex the British may advance up the
valley to the great plain of Hooge yeldt
stretching to the border of Swaziland
and crossed by the railway to Delagoa
Bay and the main resource of the
Beers for foreign supplies.
The railroad from Delagoa Bay to
Pretoria is we'll situated for Roer de-
Tense for 100 miles from the border,
being there sheltered by mountain
ranges trending east and west parallel
to the road. 1t, however, runs across
the veldt for 100 miles before entering
the hills near Pretoria, and it is this
open country the British raiders would
seek IN order to cut the road. But
that calamity would not be fatal to the
Beers defending their capital. There
is another railway route to Delagoa
Bay on line branching off east of the
mountains and running northwest to
Leydsdorp, in the northeastern Trans
vaal. Petersburg, so miles west Of
Leydsburg, is the northern terminus of
a road to Pretoria, and the Beers
would have only an 80 mile haul by
wagon to run needed supplies to the
capital. The advantages of attack
from the east depend upon the British
forcing the Biggarsburg and Laingsnek
passes.
But it is the region south of Pretoria
already described, the southern border
of the Transyaal and the mountains
just beyond, in the Orange Free State
and the Transvaal, which constitutes
the first line of defense and which is
now threatened by the British under
Roberts and Butler. After that comes
Pretoria itself.
The line now held by the Boer forces
along the Vaal and parallel mountain
ranges is in the form of curve open
to the south. with kroonstad inclosed
as in pocket and protected by ranges
on the southern or open side toward
the British advance. For the supply
of the troops at the front and for the
rapid shifting of commands the Beers
have line of railway from Laingsnek
on the extreme left to point only
few miles from Bloemhof on the ex-
IRENE right, and the road is every
where protected from raids by noun
tain ranges. BY means of this road the
Boer right or left could be REINFORCED
from the center in the course Of few
hours. Beers fighting Roberts in front
of Kroonstad one day could go by rail
eastward and fight Butler on the Big
garsburg next day. Meanwhile the
British armies. until the Drakenberg
| passes are forced, would be completely
isolated one from the other. All the
movements or preparation for move
ments since Roberts reached Bloem-
fontein point to Il plan to unite these
| forces below the Naal or north of it in
| the southeast Transyaal After that
! Pretoria.
The conditions for the defense of
| Pretoria are vastly superior to those
at Bloemfontein. In fact, it is quite
evident that the Beers never intended
to make strong defense of the capital
of the Orange Free State The heart
of the Boer country is far to the north
| of that point.
| 1t might be said that Pretoria is the
| heart of the Transyaal, and with it's
| downfall all goes. The preparations
made for it's defense indicate that in
| terest or pride has declared that it
| shall be fought for as the last ditch
The hills surrounding the capital on
all sides have been crowned with sew
l>,,sJ+ I,
engineers. The best modern guns are
mounted in the forts, and none was
taken away for siege operations south
The guns command every approach TO
the town. and each fort is provided
with its own magazine vault, holding
enough shells to feed the guns two
years.
Pretoria's forts are of masonry, fac
ed with earth, and this facing is pro-
tected by sand bags piled level with
the walls. Telephones, searchlights
and underground passages of commu-
nication as well as skillfully laid
mines give evidence that the Beers
lack nothing in the way of equipment
for Staggering humanity" when it
comes to the last ditch. Their food
storehouses are kept filed with i'm
perishable supplies. and if fought out
with the usual spirit and execution of
the Beers on the defensive the siege
of Pretoria. when it comes, should be
| the most desperate in modern times.
How many men the Beers have I'M
der arms is still unknown, but it is
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