The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-05-03

NV DUCTS NAY D6 T0lleu upon TO make
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 impregnable. On three sides Of
Pretoria the mountain ranges rise to
elevations Of 1000 and 2,0OO>feet above
the streets OF the city, which itself is
5000 feet above sealevel, but 1,10O feet
lower than the site of johannesburg.
70 the south. On the fourth; side the;
south and facing the approach from
Johannesburg the range flattens
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 1880 miles from Cape
!. Town, 90 from johannesburg. On the
map 1t seems as easy OF approach as
prairie village in Nebraska. But the
map topographer fails to present the
lofty, barren hills that face the south
ern plateau, the precipitous banks of
Aapies river. the narrow gorges-so
lev in number-the innumerable
spion" or lookout kopjes that seem
literally to leap from the bosom of
the plain and sullenly, silently oppose
access to the capital city. The civil
engineers who laid out the railway
from johannesburg to Pretoria found;
such problems Of grade and mountain
resistance offered them that the road
finally was forced to enter the city on
q line resembling the curves and twists
OF great boa constructor.
You look up to the mountain fronts
as your train struggles to and It's way
anto Pretoria. and wherever the eye
rests there appears to be the lines of
q fort, redoubt, the front of masked
batteries or the domes of boom-proof
rife and cannon pits. To the north,
east, west and south these engirdIe the
city. They command the few-very few
marrow entrances to Pretoria. They
watch like great dogs the dusty, sun
rotted veldt over which any English
troops coming from the south must
pass. They blink at the one railroad
to Johannesburg and the one to Lou
renco Marques. Their location has been
with purpose. Capt. Schiel, now an
English prisoner, constructed the one,
at Daspoort from plans obtained in.
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,
rhey have masonry faces. With earth.
york which coyers W.
deptd. In this they conform
with plans and suggestions to be found
In N. Bloch's much-studied work. ..The
r 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-n 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 f.,
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 surrender came.
For food, in the event Of siege. enor-
NOUS quantities of maize have been
accumulated enough, it is said, to feed
the army and the population of Pre-
toria for five years. The supply Of
ammunition is calculated to be suff-
Gent for two years. How many guns
are mounted or will be it is difficult
to estimate. The total artillery force
OF the Beers at present is estimated at
$50 guns by the English.
The guns originally placed in, the
forts were 15-centimeter Creusots. but
their number Is not definitely known.
M. Bloch has estimated that it will re-
quire but 500 men to each of these
forts, each force supplied with ten
modern guns. to keep the English at
bay forever. Right or wrong, he main
tains that occupying besieging po-
sition, devoid of sustenance. the Eng
lish will be in greater danger of starva-
ton than the Beers. and that convoy
supplies cannot be brought in with
such repidity and success as to make
the siege successful.
The fountains. or water supply, OF
Pretoria is within the radius of forts.
The westernmost fort is on the range
OF hills behind Pretoria, and lies at a
distance Of 81 900 feet from the city,s
center. There is powerful redoubt
TO the southwest on the range OF hills
through which the transport road to
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