| Show n 1 at f 9 I 1 I 1 1 1 1 l aj I 1 T I 1 Y PRETORIA ALMOST impregnable D 64 6 4 nature and art have mode made it so in condition to withstand a long siege its fortifications I 1 the most important place in south africa a present la Is pretoria the capital ot of iu ao transvaal where oom paul haa has made the mood elaborate tion to withstand a siege and where ih the s batra mar inar be b idled upon to make a moat stubborn resistance reali tance the place la to defended by nature and art na as few at other her towns in the world and aud haa has been described by some military writers aa as being impregnable on three aides sides of Pr the mountain ranges rim to letitio levi tio of I 1 and mud 2000 2 feet above the streets of ho the city which itself Is 4 feet abene a sealevel sea 11 level but I 1 1100 feet lower than the site alte of johannesburg to the bouth on the fourth aide alde the south and facing the approach from johannesburg the ranee range flattens attena fl away to a rait vast level plateau treeless desolate exposed at aery very point to tho the sap of any kline that may command it 11 the town Is 1 11 I 1 miles from cape town W U from johannesburg on the map it MO ai As easy pasy of at approach an a prairie village in nebraska hut the map topographer falla falls to present the lofty barren hills that face the south era in plateau the precipitous banks of apples riter river the narrow gorges so few la in num berthe innumerable aplon or lookout kopjes 4 that seem to leap from the bosom of tit the plain and sullenly silently op oppose pose access to th the 11 tal eity pity th civil ez air rr 1 who 1 I cat out the ralla rai from johannesburg to pretoria fou found n a uch such problems of crade grade and mountain mounta lui resistance offered them that the 1 finally was visa forced to enter the city on a llna the curves and twists of a teat rest boa constrictor you look up to the mountain frontu fronts ts as your train struggles to ind its ray wily into pretoria Pret cria and wherever the eye ruts alore appears to be the lines of a IL fort ft a redoubt the front of masked batteries batt erlea or the domes of boom pr proof 0 0 f rifle ride and cannon pita to the th no north rt h ait east west and south these theme eng itolle the city they command the few very few narrow entrances entrance a to pretoria they vatch like great docs dogs the dusty sun rotted over which any english limps coming from the south roust must pass they their blink at the one railroad to johannesburg and the one to iou lou renco ration marques their location has been with purpose capt now an english prisoner constructed the one at Das from plans obtained in berlin he brought special assistants krom berlin to aid him in ill the work amsterdam engineers built othear of the defenses tenses dt after them came caine french engineers and then those of italy so that the completed structures depre sent the genius of four nations there are serin of at these forts and in external appearance appo arance they look alike they havo have masonry bacs with earth work which covers their fronts to 0 a great depth in this they conform with plans and suggestions to be found in U much studied work the future of at war I 1 pile upon pile of aana bags are stacked ed up wherever shells from the enemy might strike there are many bidden hidden recesses se cret passages complete telephone con not only with each other but with the government buildings in pretoria searchlights are mounted in each structure ao so aa as to command the surrounding Burro anding country at night the are underground and are reported to be mined report has it also that the near approaches are mined and that the electrical construe tion la Is uch such that considerable portions ot of an army might be blown into eternity before surrender came for food in the event erent of siege enor quantities of at maize malze hare hays been accumulated enough it la in said to feed the army and the population of pro pre I 1 toria torta for five years the supply of ammunition Is calculated to be sual dent clent tor for two yelm how many guna guns are mounted or will be it Is to difficult dIRl cult to estimate the total artillery force i ot at the borra doers at present Is estimated at guna cans by the english the guns a IgI Igla ally nally placed in the forts were 15 centimeter Creus but their number la Is not definitely known M L bloch haa has estimated that it will re to aulis bat but men to each of these forts each force supplied with ten modern guns to keep the english at bay forever right or wrong be maintains that occupying a besieging po altion devoid of sustenance the eng ilah will be in greater danger of at uon tion than the doer doers and that convoy conco supplies cannot be brought in will with uch much rapidity and success as to mak make the siege successful the fountains or water supply of lIn pretoria toria Is within the radius of corteo the westernmost fort Is on the rang range of hills behind pretoria and ilea at a distance of 31 feet from the city a center there la to a powerful redoubt to 0 the southwest on the range of hill hills through which the transport tra road to t johannesburg pass this comp atos with various 4 arth batteries the circle of the larger work works fending do the th doer capital behind the th groat redoubt are fir the principal mx axin 0 excavated out ont of 0 the th ald ltd rock with a bombproof bomp proof roof root and the other built into the kloop alo also bombproof bomb communication between the redoubt and the lut last montio neol magazine I 1 IS by of at a covered way coir alet all three fort forts with the capital and thy they hare have pipes laid for water an a well as a electric lights for or the search arch lights an english lew few of what mn ran be dooe done with th the pretoria fortifications ie to I 1 ei X av V 1 I 1 2 ra I 1 r 1 0 11 raj I 1 11 0 Is il I 1 of a 0 1 y r 1 I e 4 I 1 k I 1 5 r 4 11 aw pr 1 4 J v A a a Z 1 berle I 1 P J in mc w ga i S I 1 R it ik P ua 1 4 ft 1 aw ii Q n V I 1 so iv 1 R I 1 P I 1 I 1 r ef I 1 R I 1 11 V pa 0 O V I 1 en ai k i I 1 4 A i in I 1 al I 1 I 1 t se 44 4 4 CA ir I 1 9 I 1 I 1 I 1 j ai afo nhat AW r A ar e zar it wt v 4 wa waa 6 4 1 f ko j ap I 1 ftak 4 Q PP 11 iz N ab J t 1 I ah 11 t ia a 0 r e 1 t T 0 ao 0 o 1111 A rl 1 1 I joe I 1 ft 1 zv U 0 10 0 K I 1 0 O J ri 4 A w 0 1 41 I 1 CITY OF PRETORIA 1 SHOWING DE DEFENSES C J in the following description of 0 tit th liege en route from england this Is 1 the sio aarond cond train of at I 1 ita is kind bent clit out from roro angland during the last forty six years the lait last occasion was when sixty five havy guns and mor tara tars were ere lent sent from woolwich for or the alexe siege of at sebastopol here where with fifty ship gum guns they took purt part in the bom bar dment ot of that city in connection with the rench lege siege train the train now on iti its way out from england com prizes thirty fourteen four teet eai of at 8 inch caliber eight of 5 inch and eight of 4 inch it Is in calculated that the in vestment of 0 pretoria will require british troop troops leaving the remainder of the army to guard the forti ortenca fica eions occupy certain points and operate against that part of the doer army not required for the defense of pretoria Pre torl thia this part of at the doer army la in expected to fall tall back into the north in the mountains which tho doer doers are reported to intend to make their stronghold and where the they Y exit to carry on the war against england indefinitely |
