H. Goddard receives his inspiration to develop the first rocket capable of reaching outer space, after viewing his yard from high in a tree and imagining "how wonderful it would be to make some device which had even the possibility of ascending to Mars, and how it would look on a small scale, if sent up from the meadow at my feet." Boer troops commanded by Johannes Kock capture the railway station in the British Natal colony town of Elandslaagte and cut the telegraph line between the British Army headquarters at Ladysmith and the British station at Dundee. October 20 – In the first major clash of the Second Boer War, the Battle of Talana Hill (near Dundee, Natal), the British Army drives the Boers from a hilltop position, but with heavy casualties, including their commanding general Sir Penn Symons. October 21 – The Battle of Elandslaagte is fought in Britain's Natal colony as the British Army recaptures the railway station from Boers, then proceeds toward the fortress of Ladysmith. South African General Jan Kock is fatally wounded in the battle and dies 10 later while imprisoned at Ladysmith. October 22 – In Spain, an advertisement runs in the sports magazine Los Deportes, paid for by Swiss immigrant Hans Gamper, announces that Gamper is seeking to create a soccer football team for Barcelona. The organizational meeting takes place at the Sociedad Los Deportes on November 29, attracting 11 players who form Futbol Club Barcelona. October 23 – The Philippine Independent Church is formed at a conference in Paniqui for the purpose of separating from the Roman Catholic Church. The Empire of Austria holds its first automobile race. It is won in Vienna by Baron Theodor von Liebig, driving an NW Rennzweier car. October 24 – The sinking of the ship Cisneros by the Colombian Navy warship Hércules drowns more than 200 Liberal rebels during the Battle of Magdalena River in northern Colombia. President Steyn of the South African Republic proclaims the annexation of the northern portion of the Cape Colony above the Vaal River. October 25 – José Manuel Pando, a member of the three-member junta that has governed Bolivia since April 12, becomes the new president. Elisara Alaalamua is installed as the new Tui Manuʻa or Paramount Chief of the Samoan island of Taʻū. October 26 – Indirect fire, a shooting technique based on calculating azimuth and inclination to