Mossel Bay and Oudtshoorn: mercantile selfinterest and the communication debate of the later 19th century.

Abstract

• Opsomming: Teen 1882 het die spoorlynverbinding wat in Kaapstad, Port Elizabeth en Oos-Londen begin is, Gestrek tot by Beaufort W es, Graaff-Reinet, Cradock en Queenstown onderskeidelik. Die uiteindelike doelwit was om die binneland met die hawens te verbind. Kleiner hawens soos Port Alfred en Mosselbaai het alles in die stryd gewerp om deel van die spoorlyn ontwikkeling te wees. Dit was veral Mosselbaai as klein hawe en vanweë sy geografiese ligging, wat agterweë gelaat is. Oudtshoorn, daarenteen, het dit duidelik gestel dat dit meer lewensvatbaar is om Mosselbaai nie in die Suidelike Kaapse Streek in te sluit me. Dit het hewige teenkanting van Mosselbaai tot gevolg gehad.

• Summary: By 1882 the railway lines being built from Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and East London had reached Beaufort West, Graaff-Reinet and Cradock, and Queenstown respectively. The obvious intention was to bridge the interior and these ports. The lesser ports of Port Alfred and Mossel Bay fought to become part of this greater railway development. Mossel Bay in particular however was left suckling the hind teat. When it became apparent to Oudtshoorn that it would be more feasible and possibly viable to make an area, instead of a Southern Cape regional, bid, she largely cut Mossel Bay adrift, this to the chagrin of her southern neighbourly port.