Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-28
IT'S ONLY NATURAL HARBOR
DELAGOA BAY ENJOYS THAT DIS
TINCTION IN SOUTH AFRICA.
Geographical Features and History of
the Portuguese POssessiOn-BOer
Supplies Landed There.
From the London Mail.

From the London Mail.
Delagoa bay is the key to the Transvaal.
1t is the only natural harbor in South Afri-
ca. not even excepting Cape Town, which is
only partially natural and it affords the
| only access from the seaboard to the whole
subcontinent north of the twenty-ninth de-
gree of latitude.
From Pretoria to Delagoa bay Uourenco
Marques is exactly $40 miles: from johann
nesburg it is 395 miles and from Barberton
136 miles. The bay itself is seventy-eight
miles long and twenty miles wide There
| is the usual shifting bar of sand, but when
this is at it's lowest the largest vessels can
enter the harbor. The outer bay is divided
from the roadstead by several shoals and a
bar about half a mile wide, with a mini
mum depth of thirteen and a half feet,
separates the outer from the inner har-
Dor. Behind the Inyack peninsula, on which
stands Fort Melville, there is minimum
depth of twenty-five feet.
Between Reuben and Mawnome points, a
distance of about three miles, the inner
harbOr measures seven miles by one mile
| in breadth Three rivers discharge into the
sea at this point-the Matola the Tembe
and the Umbolosi The anchorage is good
and amply protected. afording space for
any number of vessels to lie in safety.
Ships of 5000 tons ard over can come
within a few hundred yards of the shore.
There are three PIERS known the GUS
TOMS the Portuguese and the railway None
of them Is adequate for the quick dis
charge of large cargoes.
The town of Lourenco, Marques is of a
semi-oriental. semi European nature. Moor
ish architecture and galvanized iron struc-
lures jostle each other sin the narrow
streets. The popula ton is very mixed and
totals about 5000 souls of which, roughly
speaking. 1.GD0 are Portuguese, $50 English
I IN,Ir,
2,SOO are natives =
The Portuguese have done their best to
| make DeagOa bay Il habitable and pleas
ant spot, but their best does not amount to
very much. There is a large seaborne trade
with all parts of the world. There are no.
tells, churches, clubs and places of enter
tainment, but the town, nevertheless, re-
tains something of haif-baked, unfinished
appearance. which is not wholly attribute
bic to the untfdness of its streets and the
semi-tropicality of its climate.
The Transyaal would dearly have liked to
possess Delagoa bay as a seaport. being
itself entirely land-locked country: and
it is record that Portugal has been ap-
preached on more than one occasion with
this object But it was not to be. Ever
since 1891 England has had pre-emptive
rights over the port, and before long 1t
may confidently be expected that events
will so turn as to render these rights OPP
erative and valid.
About 1893 the South African republic.
always anxious to qualify as maritime
power. obtained certain option over a
three-mile strip of land through Amatonga-
land to kosi bay. which is good seaport.
or, at any rate could be made such at no
very great outlay. The intention was to
lay railway through this three-mile strip.
crossing the Lebombo mountain, and thus
gain access to the sea. However, the in
ternal governmental Squabble at Pretoria
over the division of the spoils in the shape
of commission and share of plumber be-
came so acute that the period for the ex-
ercise OF the option passed before anything
definite was done, and SO another chance
was lost
The Delagoa Bay railway has been the
subject of much tribulation and litigation.
Originally in. the year 1879 the Transvaal
entered into an agreement with Portugal
for the construction of road from Delagoa
bay to Pretoria. Before that date there
had been nothing but a hunters path
through thick underground The scheme
insured that If Portugal would build road
from the bay to the "fransvaal frontier
(some fifty-six miles, the Transvaal en-
gagged to continue it from that point to Pre-
toria. So far good.
In the year 1883 the Portuguese govern
ment granted to Col McMurdo, an
American, the concession for railway from
Lourenco Marques to the Transvaal from
tier. This concession was for a period Of
ninety-nine years, and during that time
Portugal agreed not to permit the con-
structon of any other railway for a dis
lance of seventy miles on either side of
the line This concession conferred upon
the lucky McMurdo monopoly of the in
land carrying trade from Deegoa bay, and,
in addition to the implied benefits. he re-
ceived various land and other grants of
enormous value.
The concession was f1oated first locally
and then in London, with q capital of $780,
600; various further emissions of debentureS
were made. and during 1886 and 1887 the
railway was completed under the direction
neer.
Then the trouble began. Apparently
without rhyme or reason the Portuguese
government began.tdiassert itself in various
unpleasant ways. 1t insisted that the line
must be built some iidstahce further and
that it must be finished Before impossi-
bly, early date. These conditions could not
be complied with for obvious reasons; so in
June, 1889, the Portuguese government re-
voked the concession and confiscated the
entire railway, which Il has ever since
then controlled and managed for it's own
very handsome benefit ana profit.
During this time Colonel McMurdo died.
but his case was taken up by the English
and the American experiments, who prose-
cuted his interests with certain amount
of vigor. After endless negotiations and
fruitless endeavors To settle the matter, 1t
was at last decided 70 submit the question
OF compensa ton to sCotonel McMurdo's
government and in September, 1890, three
of its most eminent Jurists, Messrs Blaesi,
Heusler and Goldaus xepa appointed as ar
bitrators. The amount in dispute is up
ward of FL. 100000, and the decision Of the
court of arbitration is expected within a
few weeks. This is, therefore. the present
lamenfable state Of the unfortunate Della
goa Bay railway.
Until Delagoa bay is British territory
there will be no assurance for peace in the
northern Transvaal Access thereto is too
easy. and the government of Pretoria only
too prone to make use of the ready facilities
offered to them within sixty miles of their
own border. Obviously 1t is quite impossi-
BILE for the Transvaal to take Delagoa bay.
The position would doubtless be much
easier for US were this to be done. but Pre-
toria is too wary. There remains only one
thing. therefore; England must own Della
goa bay. And the sooner the better.
waking Delegate-''We have just made
terrible discovery about Bryan"
Workman-"WhatT'