Item 01: John D. Wilson diary, 18 May-27 July 1916 - Page 53

[Page 53]

mount called the Devils Peak. The wharves in the docks are variously constructed, some are of wood and others of stone and concrete. On the wharves there are at least a dozen huge Portable iron cranes on rails which can be moved along to where wanted. The scenery around the city beggars description. In the far distance there are ranges of mountains, whose tops are among the clouds. There is snow on the tops & they glisten in the Sun whenever the clouds are lifted. The harbour is as still as a mill pond. The city circles around the bay between the shore and the foot of the mounts for a distance of 18 miles. There are some magnificent buildings, the finest being the Union Houses of Parliament. As one comes ashore he is at once struck by the absence of a white Africa Policy. The wharves swarm with Kaffirs who appear to do all the hard menial work. They are chiefly employed as coal lumpers, and on shore they drive cabs,