The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-30

has reported that his provisions are good
and ample and has asserted he could hold
the town until February or March.
The position of Ladysmith was a most
unfortunate choice for encampment- The
military man who selected ii could hardly
have exhibited such poor judgment had he
been paid servant of the Boer govern
ment.
The town is about thirty miles from the
foot of the Drakensberg range of noun
tains and about $50 miles north of Durham
on the Natal Government railway, which
at Ladysmith divides into branches to the
Orange Free State and the Transvaal re-
spectively. Ladysmith stands on the fiat
ground which slopes down to the Kip river
tributary of the Tugela river 1t is the
Kip river which the Free State Beers have
tried to divert by engineering work at its
sources in the Drakensberg, with the OBJ
ject. possibly, Of cutting off the towns
water supply and also of rendering easier
the passage of the river at any point where
the Boer wagons may require TO ford IT,
The town of Ladysmith ranks third in Ma
tai next to Pietermaritzburg), although
apart from the military camp its inhabi-
tants do not number more than 1000 or
5000. The local directory. however, shows
that nearly all the residents of sufficient
Importance to be included in such work
bear English, Scotch, Welsh or Irish
names.
Arriving at the town by rail from Dur
ban. high rocky ridge of hills, fringed
on their tops with mimosa trees is seen on
the right of the line. These hills inclose
Ladysmith in a rough semi-circle. protect
ing it from the severe, winds in the dry
winter. but rendering the town rather op-
pressively hot in the summer. In Natal. 1t
may be here remarked, the summer begins
IN Octooer anu enos IN Marcn; the SUM
mer Is the rainy season. and at midsummer
the sun rises at and sets at o'clock The
town. which has n pleasant, home-like ap-
pearance, is in the main center of Kip
river county. There are thirteen streets.
"a NHrall Ia nd a ma mn n
lie building are the town hall, built at a
cost of some $4,000. a market Office, court
house. prison and fort, government school.
postoffice, public library and reading room,
branches of the Natal and Standard banks,
a Roman Catholic sanatorium and school;
and among places of worship, churches of
the Dutch Reformed, Church of South At
RIGA Tor Anglican). Wesleyan and Congre-
gational communities. The streets are not
well paved, but progress has been made of
late in drainage, gasworks and water
works scheme costing 426,OG0.
POPULATION OF LADYSMITH.
The population includes. besides white
people, some 1900 natives and nearly as
many Hindus and other Indians, who have
immigrated via Durham and act coolies.
walters, servants, etc. At present, howey-
er, Ladysmith's resident population is
chiefly swollen by its military defenders.
Since 1897 some thousands of imperial
troops have been stationed here, and the
number is now, of course, very largely
augmented. The camp is situated near the
water works, about two miles from the
town: it includes a barracks, hospital
church and permanent stabling for some
l,5O0 horses. The government railway de-
partment has also large repairing and other
workshops at Ladysmith
To the north of Ladysmith the railway
runs mile or so to Orange Free State
w fha line hi rrel
main route bearing east to Glands Laagte,
Glencoe, Newcastle and the Transvaal,
while the Free State line branches off due
west toward Van Reenen's pass and the
Drakensberg mountains. For some time
after leaving Ladysmith the country re-
mains open dotted with low, stony hillocks
and scanned with stone dykes, but some
fairly pretty scenery opens up after half
an hours ride on the main route, mimOsa
trees decorating the broad alluvial valleys
and farm homesteads peeping out of dense
groves of blue gum trees, until at sixteen
miles north the train approaches the bleak
and lonely uplands of the coal district,
which commences at Glands Laagte, where
the battle was fought. In the westerly
direction, after leaving the junction al
ready mentioned, the Free State line
sweeps to the west toward Olivier's Hook,
and after traversing an open bare country
a short distance northwest of Ladysmth,
again crosses the Kip river and passes
by Walkers Hook, Besters, Colworth and
Brakwal stations to the mountain pass A
few miles northwest of Ladysmith on this
route a magnificent mountain panorama
opens out, the Drakensberg range in this
neighborhood, containing rugged. mighty
peaks, from 11,00O feet downward. II. H.
Smith and other enterprising farmers have
excellent farms in the neighborhood. and
there are large grazing farms at Besters
Station. Between Besters and Brakwal
there are high stony kopjes (hills), with a
wide prospect of hill and vale to the east
ward In the thirty miles between Lady
smith and Brakwal the train rises 1850
feet, although Ladysmith itself is 1885
feet above sea level.
To the southwark of Ladysmith the sta
tions on the railway going in the direc-
ton of Maritzburg and Durham are in the
following order: Nelthorpe (six and one
fourth miles from Ladysmith), Peters mine
and one-fourth miles,. Colenso (sixteen
and one-fourth miles), Cheveley twenty
three and one-fourth miles,, Frere, En-
nersdale and Estcourt, where the line
crosses the Weenen road, forty-three and
one-fourth miles south of Ladysmith.
Nelthorpe and Peters are lonely out-sta-
tons of Lady smith. chiefly remarkable for
the number of native kraals in the vicin-
ity. At Colenso, which is a village, the rail-
way crosses the River Tugela, the longest
river in Natal, and a very rapid, rocky
torrent, just now full. so that the bridge
is of much strategical Importance.