The map above is of considerable interest as it shows the principal route of travel to South Africa and from the principal ports inland. By 1889 the railway had reached Kimberley from the coastal ports of Cape Town and Port Elizabeth and East London; and in Natal the railway went as far as Ladysmith. The Lorenco Marques railway connection went inland as far as Komatipoort. From the terminal points the traveller proceeded by coach. This was the heyday of coach travel through the Orange Free State and the South African Republic. The economy of South Africa is indicated in what was produced where - wool, ostriches, mohair and wheat were the principal agricultural products. Diamonds drew hopeful immigrants to Kimberley and in the ZAR there was the lure of minerals - gold, lead, coal and iron were the magnets. Gold is labelled in a vague way 14 times. This signals that gold fever had really taken hold. To the left of the map are listed the fleet of the Castle Line and the tonnage of each steam ship – it was a fleet of 20. The right hand border lists the possible destinations from London to Mozambique and connection with other ships moving on to India, China and Australia. A box within the borders of the map shows distances from Cape Town to Johannesburg and Barberton, in miles and hours. In 1889 the journey from Cape Town to the Witwatersrand via train and then by mail or passenger coach took a hopeful 85 hours, approximately 4 days.
Donald Currie and company’s offices were at 3...
