1904 in South Africa

The following lists events that happened during 1904 in South Africa.

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.
• 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)
• 14 July – Paul Kruger, exiled president of the South African Republic, dies in Clarens, Switzerland, at the age of 78.
• 1 November – Willem Eduard Bok, politician (b. 1846)

Railways

Railway lines opened

• 1 February – Cape Western – Maitland to Ottery, .
• 1 March – Cape Midland – Le Roux to Oudtshoorn, .
• 7 June – Cape Western – Paarl to Franschhoek, .
• 15 June – Free State – Thaba 'Nchu to Modderpoort, .
• 17 August – Cape Eastern – Indwe to Xalanga, .
• 1 September – Free State – Hamilton to Tempe, .
• 7 September – Cape Eastern – Amabele to Komga, .
• 17 October – Cape Eastern – Middledrift to Adelaide, .
• 3 November – Natal – Pietermaritzburg to Elandskop, .
• December – Cape Western – Artois to Ceres Road, .
• 15 December – Transvaal – Langlaagte to Vereeniging, .

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 by the South African Railways (SAR).
• Four Karoo Class Pacific passenger steam locomotives. In 1912 they will be designated by the SAR.
• The last eight 8th Class 2-8-0 Consolidation type locomotives. In 1912 they will be designated Class 8Z on the SAR.
• The final batch of ten 8th Class Mastodon type locomotives. In 1912 they will be designated Class 8F on the SAR.
• Six "Type B" 4-6-0 steam locomotives enter service on the Avontuur narrow gauge line in the Langkloof.
• 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.

Natal

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

Transvaal

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

References