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1904
in
South Africa

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Decades:

Incumbents

Governor of the Cape of Good Hope and High Commissioner for Southern Africa:Walter Hely-Hutchinson.
Governor of the Colony of Natal: Henry Edward McCallum.
Prime Minister of the Cape of Good Hope: John Gordon Sprigg (until 22 February), Leander Starr Jameson (starting 22 February).
Prime Minister of the Orange River Colony: Alfred Milner.
Prime Minister of the Colony of Natal: George Morris Sutton.

Events

February

Pneumonic plague breaks out in Johannesburg.

June

22 – The first of 62,000 Chinese labourers arrive in South Africa to relieve the shortage of unskilled mine workers.

Unknown date

Der shtral, a Yiddish-language newspaper is founded.^[1]
The Social Democratic Federation (SDF) is established in Cape Town.

Births

16 February – Philip Rabinowitz, South African record-breaking sprinter (d. 2008)

Deaths

3 June – Vincent Tancred, South African cricketer (b. 1875)^[2]
14 July – Paul Kruger, exiled president of the South African Republic, dies in Clarens, Switzerland, at the age of 78.^[3]^[4]^[5]
1 November – Willem Eduard Bok, politician (b. 1846)

Railways

NGR Class B

Railway lines opened

1 February – Cape Western – Maitland to Ottery, 7 miles (11.3 kilometres).^[6]
1 March – Cape Midland – Le Roux to Oudtshoorn, 16 miles 41 chains (26.6 kilometres).^[7]
7 June – Cape Western – Paarl to Franschhoek, 17 miles 10 chains (27.6 kilometres).^[7]
15 June – Free State – Thaba 'Nchu to Modderpoort, 45 miles 73 chains (73.9 kilometres).^[6]
17 August – Cape Eastern – Indwe to Xalanga, 31 miles 3 chains (50.0 kilometres).^[7]
1 September – Free State – Hamilton to Tempe, 4 miles (6.4 kilometres).^[6]
7 September – Cape Eastern – Amabele to Komga, 27 miles (43.5 kilometres).^[7]
17 October – Cape Eastern – Middledrift to Adelaide, 56 miles 64 chains (91.4 kilometres).^[7]
3 November – Natal – Pietermaritzburg to Elandskop, 35 miles 39 chains (57.1 kilometres).^[6]
December – Cape Western – Artois to Ceres Road, 4 miles 38 chains (7.2 kilometres).^[6]
15 December – Transvaal – Langlaagte to Vereeniging, 44 miles 56 chains (71.9 kilometres).^[6]

Locomotives

Cape

Four new Cape gauge locomotive types enter service on the Cape Government Railways (CGR):
- Two experimental superheated 6th Class 4-6-0 locomotives. In 1912 they will be designated Class 6L by the South African Railways (SAR).^[8]^[9]
- Four Karoo Class 4-6-2 Pacific passenger steam locomotives. In 1912 they will be designated Class 5B by the SAR.^[8]^[9]
- The last eight 8th Class 2-8-0 Consolidation type locomotives. In 1912 they will be designated Class 8Z on the SAR.^[8]^[10]
- The final batch of ten 8th Class 4-8-0 Mastodon type locomotives. In 1912 they will be designated Class 8F on the SAR.^[8]^[9]
Six "Type B" 4-6-0 steam locomotives enter service on the Avontuur narrow gauge line in the Langkloof.^[9]
A single 0-4-2 inverted saddle-tank locomotive named Caledonia is placed in service by the Cape Copper Company as a shunting engine at O'okiep in the Cape Colony.^[11]

Natal

Two new Cape gauge locomotive types enter service on the Natal Government Railways (NGR):
- Twenty-five Class E 4-8-2 Mountain type tank locomotives. In 1912 they will become the Class G on the SAR.^[8]^[12]
- Fifty Class B 4-8-0 Mastodon type mainline steam locomotives. In 1912 they will be designated Class 1 on the SAR.^[8]^[9]
The Natal Harbours Department places a single 0-6-0 saddle-tank locomotive named Sir Albert in service as dock shunter in Durban Harbour.^[13]

Transvaal

Five new Cape gauge locomotive types enter service on the Central South African Railways (CSAR):
- Five Class 9 4-6-2 Pacific type locomotives.^[9]
- Fifteen Class 10 4-6-2 Pacific passenger locomotives.^[9]
- Thirty-six Class 11 2-8-2 Mikado type locomotives.^[9]
- Eight Class F 4-6-4T Baltic type tank locomotives in suburban service between Springs and Randfontein.^[8]
- A single experimental 0-6-0+0-6-0 Class M Kitson-Meyer type articulated steam locomotive.^[9]^[13]
The CSAR rebuilds most of its Reid Tenwheeler 4-10-2T tank locomotives to 4-8-0TT tank-and-tender locomotives. In 1912 these converted locomotives will be designated Class 13 on the SAR.^[9]

References

^ Poliva, Joseph Abraham. A Short History of the Jewish Press and Literature of South Africa from Its Earliest Days Until the Present Time. Johannesburg: Prompt Printing Co, 1961. p. 62
^ Hall, B. T.; Schulze, H. (2000). "The Cricketing Brothers Tancred, Part 2". The Cricket Statistician. Cardiff: Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians (112): 7–14.
^ "LATE HEAD OF THE BOER REPUBLIC PASSES AWAY IN HIS HAVEN IN SWITZERLAND Close of Patriot's Remarkable Career Marks the End of an Epoch in South African History". San Francisco Call. Vol. XCVI, no. 44. 14 July 1904. Page 1, columns 5-7; page 3, columns 5-6. Retrieved 20 December 2022 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
^
"BOERS MOURN CHIEF'S DEATH Flags on All Government Buildings in Pretoria Are Placed at Half-Mast SORROW OF BURGHERS Memorial Services Will Be Held in Dutch Churches Throughout the Transvaal". San Francisco Call. Vol. XCVI, no. 45. 15 July 1904. Page 4, column 2. Retrieved 16 December 2022 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
- "DEATH GRIEVES FRANCE. Passing of the Boer Patriarch Arouses Widespread Regret". San Francisco Call. Vol. XCVI, no. 45. 15 July 1904. Page 4, column 2. Retrieved 16 December 2022 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
- "LAST HOURS OF KRUGER. Unconscious for Three Days Before Death Gave Relief". San Francisco Call. Vol. XCVI, no. 45. 15 July 1904. Page 4, column 2. Retrieved 16 December 2022 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
^ "1904 Arlington Journal" (PDF). Arlington, Texas. p. 108. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Statement Showing, in Chronological Order, the Date of Opening and the Mileage of Each Section of Railway, Statement No. 19, p. 185, ref. no. 200954-13
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Report for year ending 31 December 1909, Cape Government Railways, Section VIII - Dates of Opening and the Length of the different Sections in the Cape Colony, from the Year 1873 to 31st December, 1909.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Holland, D.F. (1971). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways. Vol. 1: 1859–1910 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, England: David & Charles. pp. 54, 56, 64–67, 71–72, 99–101, 127–129. ISBN 978-0-7153-5382-0.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. pp. 10–11, 32, 34–35, 39, 44, 48–49, 51–52, 54, 56, 84, 104, 113. ISBN 0869772112.
^ Classification of S.A.R. Engines with Renumbering Lists, issued by the Chief Mechanical Engineer’s Office, Pretoria, January 1912, pp. 9, 12, 15, 36 (Reprinted in April 1987 by SATS Museum, R.3125-6/9/11-1000)
^ Bagshawe, Peter (2012). Locomotives of the Namaqualand Railway and Copper Mines (1st ed.). Stenvalls. pp. 25–27, 40. ISBN 978-91-7266-179-0.
^ South African Railways and Harbours Locomotive Diagram Book, 2’0" & 3’6" Gauge Steam Locomotives, 15 August 1941, pp21 & 21A, as amended
^ ^a ^b Holland, D. F. (1972). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways. Vol. 2: 1910-1955 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, England: David & Charles. pp. 110, 130–131, 140. ISBN 978-0-7153-5427-8.

v t e 1904 in Africa
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States with limited recognition	Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic Somaliland
Dependencies and other territories	Canary Islands / Ceuta / Melilla (Spain) Madeira (Portugal) Mayotte / Réunion (France) Saint Helena / Ascension Island / Tristan da Cunha (United Kingdom)