and Stormberg
junction--a distance of 547 m. From Sterkstroom junction on the eastern
main line a branch railway goes through the Transkei to connect at
Riverside, the frontier station, with the Natal railways. It runs via
the Indwe coal-mines (66 m. from Sterkstroom), Maclear (173 m.) and
Kokstad. From Kokstad to Durban is 232 m. The eastern system is also
connected with the Transkei by another railway. From Amabele, a station
51 m. from East London, a line goes east to Umtata (180 m. distant).
Thence the line is continued to Port St Johns (307 m. from East London),
whence another line 142 m. long goes to Kokstad.

Besides the main lines there are many smaller lines. Thus all the towns
within a 50 m. radius of Cape Town are linked to it by railway. Longer
branches run from the capital S.E. to Caledon (87 m.) and N.W. via
Malmesbury (47 m.), and Piquetberg (107 m.) to Graaf Water (176 m.). A
line runs N.W. across the veld from Hutchinson on the western main line
via Victoria West to Carnarvon (86 m.). From De Aar junction, a line
(111 m.) goes N.W. via Britstown to Prieska on the Orange river. From
Port Elizabeth a line (35 m.) runs east to Grahamstown, whence another
line (43 m.) goes south-east to Port Alfred at the mouth of the Kowie
river. Another line (179 m.) on a two-foot gauge runs N.W. from Port
Elizabeth via Humansdorp to Avontuur.

A line, unconnected with any other in the colony, runs from Port
Nolloth on the west coast to the O'okiep copper mines (92 m.). It has a
gauge of 2 ft. 6 in.

The railways going north have to cross, within a comparatively short
distance of the coast, the mountains which lead to the Karroo. The
steepest gradient is on the western main line. Having entered the hilly
district at Tulbagh Road, where the railway ascends 500 ft. in 9 m., the
Hex River Pass is reached soon after leaving Worcester, 794 ft. above
the sea. In the next 36 m. the line rises 2400 ft., over 20 m. of that
distance being at gradients of 1 in 40 to 1 in 45. The eastern line is
the most continuously steep in the colony. In the first 18 m. from East
London the railway rises 1000 ft.; at Kei Road, 46 m. from its
starting-point, it has reached an altitude of 2332 ft., at Cathcart (109
m.) it is 3906 ft. above the sea, and at Cyphergat, where it pierces the
Stormberg, 204 m. from East London, the rails are 5450 ft. above the
sea. From Sterkstroom to Cyphergat, 15 m., the line rises 1044 ft. The
highest railway statio