EVENTS IN AFRICA

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2268, 30 September 1914, Page 6

EVENTS IN AFRICA

INVASION OF THE UNION

GERMAN RESOURCES

WAR IN THE WILDERNESS

• Some dptails -regarding the incursion of a party of , . German raiders, from German South-West Africa, into South African territory a-few weeks ago," are given in the "Cape Times", of August' 23. No information regarding the ultimate fate of. the'raiding party has yet come over .the cables, but it was.mentioned the other day that a Union force had occupied Luderitz Bay on tho'German coasWine,. and it is quite jdbvious that' unless they have already roiTcated into their own territory the. Uorrnans are in the position of being taken, in the fear by a presumably superior -force apart i from the reception that awaits 'them'on Union ground. Froin.tho particulars given ,below'if appears that the Germans orbssed.the frontier 150 miles or :nore from tfio coast at a point where, the; boundary of the German district of. Warnbad meet? that of Caps Oolouy. Tlie .German- military establishment in : South-West Africa, though small, consisting of less than three thousand regular troops and about as many α-eservists, appears,to be well organised and equipped; It "is furnished with artillery and even with a couple ; of aeroplanes.:. The regular troops in.clude a camel corps and a force of laaicers , .' ~ , • ,-■ ■ ■ ;

Locality of the Invaelon. Nakob, the point at which' the German forces invaded the Uniony.is about "ineteen hours bj road from UpingJon, the postal route from Upington to Warmbad cutting, the German border ftt Nakpb. German and British police stations face one another at the point, and t'hero ure usually four or five South African mounted police at the British station. •, ; ; , : ■'.''■

■ Some little distance west from Nakob and in German territory lies Ukamas, where for someHiino. past the Germans have maintained a strong military post. Six mouths ago-they are known to lave had from dve to. sis hundred regular cavalry at.this point, the nßighbourhood beiug , used as a .remount camp.' Ilie. post was under the command of a Major of the German Army.:.-; ;'. .' The road from Nakob. to Upington is little more than a sand track, the going being very heavy practically all the way,'arid in the past year or two more than ono white" man has been lost in the desert in trying to make the journey. Nakob. itself is absolutely in the wilderness. At Ukamas the Germans have six or seven good artesian wells'. The neareet railway point to Ukamas is Kalkfontein, l-early at the terminus of the lino running from I/Uderitzbucht via Windhuk, in the direction of Warmbad. ■ Fairly .good roads arc understood to. connect Ukamas with Keetmanshoop, the headquarters of the mili--tary statf, and with Warmbad,' where there is a military post of perhaps three hundred .men. ■ . ■

• A few facts may. bo added as to the railway and road communications connecting Nakob with the chief centres in Gerjnan South-West Africa. Nakob, ns already explained, is tho pjjint at which tho postal road from Upington to Ukanias cuts tho border. From Ukamas a good read runs duo north t<> Hasuur, a Gorman Customs station and police post facing Rietfontein. Ukamas is also connected by a military read with Kalkfontein, which is understood to bo the railhead not far north of "Warmbad. The telegraph and telephono connections between tbeso points are 'understood to bo very complete. Kalkfontein is connected by rail with Koetmanshoop, an important military centre, whenco tho , rai'way brandies due? west to Ludoritzbucht. Kcotmanshoop is also connected by rail with Windhuk, tho capital of flip territory, whence a railway line runs to $wakopniund. Returning to tho south,- Warmbad is connected by a good road with Kalkfontein, the railhead to the north, and with Ramansdrift, on the Cape Border, to tho south. Tho telegraph lino to Capo Town from. Warmbad and Windhuk crosses tho border near Ramansdrift.

Cerman Possessions. Ukamas, tho nearest considerable settlement on the German side to Nakob, is situato in the bozirk or district of Warmbad. According; to tho most re-

cent directory of G.S.W.A., Ukamae ie a post station, and two companies are staiiouod there under Captain Cruse. Two commercial houses carry on business there , . ' '

Warmbad, the chief town of the bezirk, is said to have a white population of 850. It contains a Rheuish Mission Church, built in 1890. In 1894 the. first military, post was estabashed t.,ere.' The first school was opened in 1908. member for the district in tho Landerat is Farmer Frieduiami, of Ultamas. ' ' ' ;

Ihe nearest point by rail to Nakob is Ivalktontein. Tho railway from LuderiUbucht runs to Kecthianshoop (220 miles), and from t|je latter place is a branch running south 'to Kalkfontein (80 miles). The main Hue continues from Keetmanshoop *t 0 'Narib (176 miles), and thence to Windhuk (130 miles). From Windhuk the line goes to Jiaribib (llq miles). Up to , this point tho railways are- all constructed according -to the standard colonial gauge. The last length between Karib)b and Swakopmund (17 miles) is a narrow gauge line. A Prosperous. Colony. A gentleman who recently made a tour of the territory by rail informed a "Cape Times" representative that he found business in a flourishing condition, and plenty of evidence of progress in the principal towns. The commercial , houses were practically all in the hands of Germans. Tho farms generally appeared to be in a good condition, and up-to-date methods seemed to be commonly employed. He noticed that a good number of farmers were, engaged in the ostrich industry. In the northern part of the territory ho saw. a few English farmers. At Swakopmund there was formerly in existence: an old jetty, but this had been washed away, and at the time of our informant's visit a fine steelwork jetty was in course of construction. Steanie-rs were unable to come alongside, and- the. cargo was transported by means of lighters and tugs. The authorities possessed some good/powerful tugs. ■•'; '■

Our informant stated that he had ao. definite means of knowing what the population of the territory was, but he thoughtit was in the neighbourhood of 9000. From what he was able to ascertain, he would say that about 2000 regular troops were stationed there, but it was difficult to form a precise estimate, as the troops were usually on patrol.... There was also a considerable force of police, who were on a military footing. Keetmanshoop struck inm as .an important military centre, though, from a commercial point of view, it was a place of no significance.; - : . '