The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1900-03-14
IN TUE TOWN OF LaDYsMIrH
IL VIII be known on History's Pages
as The Scene Of the Greatest Hero
ism OF MO0ern TImcs.

y,
u as The Scene Of the Greatest Hero
. ism OF Modern Times.
=. While walking along the street no
iOng ago your correspondent accident
ally heard u young man say to hi
, eiderly companion. 1t is q good thinl
/ that these wars break out occasion
ally they make people read more anC
then learu facts about foreign coun
tries, that they had never heard OF be
fore"
This is true, to q certain extent, o
Ladysmith, Natal, for there is prob
ably no city in the world the name O
which is so frequently seen in the col
umns of the daily newspapers, yet
ABOUT which there Is so little knowr
outside OF the fact that .or the pas,
lew months it has been the base o
General Whites operations ia South
africa. We hear Of Kimberly because
OF It's mines, and OF Durham because II
Is an important African seaport but
until recently little has been writer n
about Ladysmith
There is a pretty bit OF romance at
tached to the origin of the name Lady
smith. One evening, many years ago,
curing the Peninsular war, two young
English cilicers were visited by two
young and beautiful Spanish girls Of
| eO'o lo'blly WIN UtRRCu projection
from the dangers to which war exposed
them.
rhe officers, being naturally gallant.
which accomplishment was probably
! qulckened by the extraordinary beauty
OF the two refugees, secured them the
protedtion and shortly afterward Sir
Harry smith, one OF the officers, fell
/ desperately in love with one Of the
young ladies and made her his wife.
SuDso quent events made Sir Harry
figure conspicuously in the affairs of
the growing little town ana when it
came time for the place to te officially
recorded the village was called Lady
Smith in honor Of tho wife of the gal
liant Sir Harry Smith.
Ladysmith is one OF the most impor
tant towns in Natal. 1t is situated in
the midst OF rich wool district aud
mas dry and bracing air that Is very
delightful. Its elevation is several
thousand feet above the level OF the sea,
AND the border OF beautiful hills which
partly surrounds the city shelters it to
q great extent from severe winds that
unobstructed, might do irrcparab bic
damage to the city.
Inc greatest danger that befalls the
district from C limatic conditions comes
during the rainy season. Ladysmith
Is situated, AS it were, on q tongue of
land which protrudes into the River
KIP, small inravigable body OF water,
which frequently overhows, leaving
ruin and disaster behiEd. These over
flows are usually accompanied by ter
rllic thunderstorms and generally oc-
cur during the summer. Some idea of
the disastrous results OF these storms
can Sa CLEANED when it is mentioned
that they are in striking similarity to
the thundcrstorms and hurricanes
which visit the coast OF the West India
Islands almost annually.
The citizens of Ladysmith, in times
OF peace, are an Industrious people and
the city boasts many public buildings
ana business interests, the latter of
which are connected with the govern.
mcnt railway which bas extensive re-
pair shops at Ladysmith. The inhab
itants, as is generally supposed, are
not all Dutch or descendants from the
early Hollander settlers, but are com
posed almost equally OF descendants OF
the French Huguenots, the remaining
lew being East India merchants and
natives. But there are, however, very
few natives in the immediate city.
The nearest seaport town to Ladv-
smith is Durham, and 1t is here that
most OF the freight for the eastern
pi.rt OF the two Dutch Republics is
landed. From Durham the freight can
reach its destination only by passing
through Ladysmith, thus making the |
city quite commercial center. The |
western branch of the government rail. |
way crosses the Free State border oplv
thirly-sevcn miles from Ladysmith. |
while the southern branch passes
through Newcastle and Lang's Mex, |
where the British suffered so terribly
in 1881.
The most important of the public
buildings OF Ladysmith Is the Town
Hall, which is a pretentious and sub.
stantial structure OF Doric style. Il Is
constructed OF the blue whin stone and
white freestone typical OF the districts
surrounding Ladysmith, and sdrmount-
Ing the hall is Il tower fitted with a
clock. This clock strikes every hour, |
and the tones OF the bell are SO clear
and silvery that they can be heard
on a perfectly still day by people labor.
Ing In districts several miles from the
city.
Another building, probably less in.
teresting to violatOrs of the law, Is the
prison, which adjoins the fort, then
there are the post Office, public H.
brary. court house and several
churches of the Catholic, Lutheran
Dutch Reformed, Wesleyan and Con.
gregatiOnal denominations.
At present the picturesque beauty of
the broad level plain In the vicinity OF
Lsdysmith, between the hills and the
town proper, Is marred by the presence
OF thousands OF white tents, and an la.
teresting feature OF General Whites
stay at Lad Jsmith has been the active
drilling, 'Larching and countermarch.
ing thai nave taken place daily in the
camps surrounding his headquarters.
The town hall and churches are to.
day used as hospitals, to which are
brought the soldiers wounded during
the frequent skirmishes which take
place In the vicinity.
Although the streets OF the city are
paved, the pavings now are In dan.
gerous condition and it Is very difficult
to make ones way through the once
beautiful avenues. The waterworks
system, which was introduced into
Ladysmith several years ago at cost
OF 10000, has been cut off, and opera.
tions In the more recently erected gas
works have been suspended
There are only three hotels In the
town, and these too are used as hos.
pitfalls, though in times of peacs very
satisfactory accommodations can be
obtained at these hostelries There
are many beautiful spots surrounding