New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-02-28
GERMAN MILITARY OPERATIONS IN AFRICA
U.4R WITH THE N4TTVES IN THE SOUTHWEST OF
DARK CONTTNENT-C1USE OF REVOLT

OF land Almost the whole tribe consisting OF
eighty thousand men. women and children. became
so impoverished that they decided their only
course was 10 take 10 arms and drive out their
prosecutors. The German colonial newspaper the
south African Gazette" also speaks OF the ''ra
pacity OF the trader as the cause Of the outbreak
and adds that the climax was reached when some
German officers. the result Of a quarrel. shot
one Of the natives In cold blood.
While the Hcreros were planning their revenge
the Hotteutots OF the southern end OF the colony
took up arms and began pillaEing the farms OF the
settlers in order put down this rising. Colonel
Leutwein, the governor Of tne province, withdrew
most Of the trops from Windhoek. the capital. and
marched south. The absence Of the soldiery gave
the Hereros courage and they swooped down on
the RAILROAD which connects Windhoek and the port
OF SwakOpmund with two hundred and fifty mile
track. up the rails and burned the ties. capt
urod the farmers who had settled farms near
the railroad. butcherei whole families with
namable tortures and carried or their herds OF cat
tie. Governor Leutwe.n finally put down the re-
beon Of the Hereros. but It took him twenty days
TO get his troops back TO Win6hoek. BY that time
all Damaraland the central zone OF the colony
/ Is called ahaIne with revolt
The regular standing army Of German Southwest
Africa numbers eight hundred soldiers. who have
now been reinforced by twelve hundred men, landed
from German ships at Swakopmund. The Colonial
Cdlca IS also preparing 70 send more troops TO
Africa from tho standing army at home. Before
the outbreaks il estimated that the blacks
numbered the whites fifty The native popu-
lation is about two hundred thousand. among
whom not more than four thousand whites have
made their homes. OF these twenty-five hundred
are German emigrants the remainder being BOer
refugees from the TransvaaI. who had exiled them
selves from their homeland after the triumph OF
the British.
Not more than fifteen thousand natives are
armed suficiently TO combat the modern weapons
o. the Germans. and. although some Of them are
oaptained by German and Boer deserters they are
almost invariably overwhelmed in open conflict
In one report, Colonel Leutwein states that num-
Der OF Ovambes under Captain Nechale. attacked
the police post at Amatoni and were repulsed with
q loss OF sixty men. The principal German forces
recently gathered at OkahandJa to await rein
forcements before undertaking a general move
ment against the Hereros. OtjosonGard and Water
berg apparently the centres Of the Hereros-
The German transport officers buying large
numbers OF oxen In Cape Town. FOR the is 20 the
South African what the camel Is 20 the Arab or
the mule 10 the desert inhabitants Of America
German engineers are also at work repairing the
railroad 20 Windhoek IN order 70 keep up commu-
nication between the capital ana the Atlantic.
Germany's experience in Southwest Africa is
only another blow TO her colonial policy which she
launched in the time OF Bisnarck's pre-emineuCe.
In spite OF the fact that she has acquired IN South
Africa and the South Seas more than one million
square miles q land, she has found these pos
sessions more OF burden than help. In all
this territory only BIS Germans are to be found.
77s artisans and isborers and 100 agricuIturists
But IN order spread out this extremely thin
veneer the empire has spent SO 10000 since 1854
The Import and export business OF the coonists
! 1902 with She German Customs Union was hardly
one-third OF their total trade.
German East Africa which is larger and mora
valuable than the mUtinous colony on the Atlantic
Coast cost the government IN 1901 nearly $500 OO
! and returned only $1,000. German Southwest
/ Africa needed S2c13400 from Berlin n the name
rear TO meet its total expenditures OF 500 Its
/ chief exports are guano from the coast. cattle.
/ skins. hides. ivory and ostrich feathers.
/ Though far distant geograp hicaIly. American
army officers have taken special interest in Ger
many's military movements in Southwest Africa
The Germans have adopted a new uniform pat
termed after the khaki dress Of the American Army
II Is said that the Kaiser himself recommended
me change on seeing some United States officers
who were dressed IN khaki jackets and leVg1nrs
Inc yellow, greenish color caught his eye
Just the thing" he said. for soldiers On tba
VelcL Dressed IN such a uniform. they viii be al
most Invisible IN the V1thered stubble and III.
humuocls Of sand"