The Red Cloud chief., 1900-04-20
Nature and Art Have Made 1t So-In Condition to Withstol
a Long Siege-Its Notifications.

The most important place in South
Africa at present is Pretoria. the cap
ital OF the Transvaal. whore Dom Paul
has made the most elaborate prepara-
tons to Withstand a siege and where
the Beers may be relied upon to make
a most stubborn resistance. The place
Is defended by nature and art as few
other towns In the world. and has been
described by some military writer's as
being im%pregnable. On three sides OF
Pretoria the mountain ranges rise 20
elevations OF ! 900 and 1000 feet above
the streets OF the city, which Itself Is
$500 feet above sealevel. but LOO feet
lower than the site OF johannesburg.
TO the south. On the fourth side-the
south and facing the approach from
Johannesburg - the range fattens
away to a vast level plateau. treeless,
desolate. exposed at every point To the
sweep OF any guns that may command
IT. The town is ! $50 miles from Cape
Town. so from johannesburg. On the
map II seems as easy Of approach as
a prairie village In Nebraska. Bat the
map topographer fails to present the
lofty. barren hills that face the south
ern plateau. the PERCEPTIONS banks OF
Aapies river. the narrow gorges-so
few in number-the innumerable
"spion" or lookout kopjes that seem
literally TO leap from the bosom Of
the plain and sullenly, silently oppose
apnpga IN thA a.pt,,l H.. nj lit
engineers who laid out the railway
from johannesburg TO Pretoria found
such problems OF grade and mountain
resistance offered them that the road
hnally was forced to enter the city on
a line resembling the curves and twists
OF a great boa constructor.
You look up to the mountain fronts
as your train struggles TO find It's way
into Pretoria. and wherever the eve
rests There appears to be the lines OF
o tort. n redOubt, the front OF masked
batteries or the domes Of boom proof
rifle and cannon pits. To the north.
east. west and south these cngirdle the
city. They command the few-very few
narrow entrances to Pretoria. They
watch like great dogs the dusty. sun
rotted ycldt ever which any English
troops coming from the south must
pass. They blink at the one railroad
20 Johannesburg and the one to Lon
renco Marques. Their location has been
with purpose. Capt. Schlel. O an
English prisoner, constructed the one
nj IHGnnnff frnnN nluna .L.I- T.
Berlin. He brought special assistants
from Berlin to aid him in the work.
Amsterdam engineers built others OF
the defenses. After them came French
engineers, and then those OF Italy. so
that the completed structures repre-
sent the genius OF four nations.
There are seven of these forts. and
In external appearance they look alike.
They have masonry faces, with earth
work which covers their fronts to a
great depth. In this they conform
with plans and suggestions to be found
In NJ. Bloch's much-studled work, THE
Future OF War Pile upon pile OF
sand bags are stacked up wherever
shells from the enemy might strike.
There are many hidden recesses Sc
cret passages, complete telephone con-
nections-not only with each other, but
with the government buildings In Pre-
toria. Searchlights are mounted in
each structure SO as to command the
surrounding country at night. The
magazines are underground, and are
reported to be mined. Report has II
also, that the near approaches are
mined and that the electrical construc-
ton Is such that considerable portions
OF an enemy's army might be blown
into eternity before sur. ender came.
Fol food, In the event OF siege. enor-
quantities of maize have been
accumulated-enough. il Is said. to feed
the army and the population OF Pre-
toria for five years. The supply of
ammunition Is calculated to be sufn-
Client for two years. How many guns
are mounted or will be 1t Is difficult
20 estimate. The total artillery force
OF the Beers at present is estimated at
45O guns by the English.
The guns originally placed In. the
forts were l5-centimctcr Creusots. bur
their number is not definitely known.
M. Bloch has estimated that IL will re-
quire but 500 men TO each of these
forts, each force supplied with ten
modern guns, to keep the English at