Sister Esther [11183]

  General Notes:

JULIUS JOTTINGS. No 1
Jan 1900
Extract from a letter written by SISTER ESTHER (All Saints, Margaret Street), now Sister in New Somerset Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.
15 th October, 1899
We are in a terrible state ; not in danger of any fighting here in Cape Town, but the whole country is in such a ferment, and the trains have been bringiqg such swarms of refugees from the Orange Free States and the Transvaal, that the town is like a beehive full of drones! Idle men at every street corner, and hanging about the railway station, their wives and children no doubt located wherever the Relief Committee can find room for them. 1 believe the Feather Market, a large building by the side of the railway, is to be turned into lodgings for these poor destitutes. All Britishers were to be sent out of the Orange Free States by 6 o'clock last night, so I fear to-morrow's and Tuesday's trains will bring a fresh influx. You will have seen the account of the armoured train being overturned by the destruction of the line. Col. Nesbitt and the fifteen soldiers with him, besides the workmen, are suffered to be all taken prisoners, and I am sure they are to be pitied in the clutches of the Boers, for they have no sense of mercy in them, not to speak of honour. . . . They turn the passengers out of trains under pretence of searching them, and then just take whatever money they may have with them. One man was shot in the leg, and while disabled his belt was taken away in which he had sewn up £140 . . . You can imagine the terrible anxiety and suspense of the poor wives who were sent away with their children, leaving their husbands behind. To many men it would mean utter ruin to throw up their appoint-ments ; but now we think all who do not take the oath of allegiance to Paul Kruger will be compelled to leave. There is a ludicrous side to the Dutch arrogance and bravado, which comes out now and then. "Oom Paul" is supposed to have announced that when he has conquered the English here, he will go and "take London"! The only line-of-battleship available being an old man-of-war\emdash Portuguese, I think\emdash which is to be sold for old iron ! Paul is said to be sending round the hat for subscriptions to repair the said ship, so as to be ready in good time. I have had three patients - men, who travelled from Johannesberg\emdash one part of the way, the others the whole way, standing in coal trucks, so crowded they could neither sit nor lie. The brother-in-law of one of our nurses was one of the . . . . a coal truck the other day, 18 hours late, which means a jourmy four days and four nights\emdash standing\emdash sometimes in pouring rain, and only one meal the whole time. I asked my men what they did for food ; one said he was too ill to care whether food was to be had or not. All had very short commons. As you may suppose tip yofirehipila et stations were not prepared for such crowds, and only the very strong could fight their way through to the counters and refreshment The Archdeacon was here this morning, to see Dr. Anderson about the refugees. I don't know whether he wants us to take any in, but he told me that 600 more were expected to-day from Norral's Pont, and there is not a single nook to be had in Cape Town so what is to be done remains to he seen. Sad to say, the refugees who are being provided with food and lodging free of expense by the relief Committee, are proving most troublesome and ungrateful grumbling at the food, and declining to clean even their own room, saying they have never done such work before. It is rather disheartening, but we are quite used to such a spirit in hospital patients ; many for whom we do the most, and who pay little or nothing, grumble at everything and abuse us right and left and then perhaps someone we have hardly taken notice of, because there is nothing much to do for them, loads us with thanks for our kindness, and says how happy he or she has been. We were much cheered yesterday evening by the news that the Boers have been repulsed both from Mafeking and Kimberley, considering that neither place was at all sufficiently defended (the main body of troops being on the Natal frontier, where the attacks were expected); it promises well for the future, when we hope to have plenty of reinforcements.

Esther is unplaced in this tree