The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-02-09 00:00:00

COMPLETE DEFEAT OF BAKER

?ASHA.

A fresh disaster has happened to the Egyptian
forces. Baker Pasha's Eygptian troops broke and fled
when attacked by a force numerically inferior, and
rushing on the still steady negro troops threw them
Into hopeless confusion. Two thousand men are
missing, as well as four Krupp guns and two Gatling;
and Baker Pasha is returning to Trinkitat with the
remnant of the army. The special correspondent of
the Daily News, in a telegram dated Trinkitat, Feb.
5, gives a description of the battle, from which we
extract the following:

The battle of Teb has been fought and lost, and
2000 men of our army have been annihilated.
At 6.30 yesterday morning we marched with 3500
men from our advanced fort three miles distant from
this place. Our formation was as follows: Three
Infantry battalions in echelon, and marching in
columns of companies; the artillery and cavalry on
the front and flanks, and cavalry vedettes extending
all round at points at a mile distance from the main
body.
About nine o'clock shots were heard from the ve-
dettes on our left front where a number of the enemy
were soon visible. The enemy were dispersed by
three rounds of Krupp& Bands of rebels then ap-
peared on the ridges in front and towards the right. In
the latter direction a small body of the rebel cavalry
suddenly name in eight.
Clearly the enemy's intention was to rush upon us
on all sides. Major Giles, commanding the Turkish
cavalry, received orders to charge the Arab horse,
which he did in capital style, but was nearly caught
In a trap; for after a pursuit of upwards of half a
mile he was confronted by spearmen, who jumped out
of the brushwood. Here the enemy had the best of
the tactics. Major Giles then retreated towards our
front, and a musketry fire from the rebels was opened
on all sides, the rear excepted.
By the time the cavalry returned the battle was
raging. We had been taken by surprise' but warn-
ings of the coming catastrophe might have been
detected previously. The vedettes on our left had
for some time been drawing closer to the main body.
They were getting out of order, and seemed as if the
responsible officers had forgotten their very existence
Meanwhile also the infantry had been gradually re-
forming for the purpose of getting into a single large
square in front and on the left flank, as also on part of
the right, but in the remaining part and along the
whole of what was intended to be the rear side of the
square the companies were a noisy, confused rabble.
The sight filled one with dismay.
This was the state of things when the enemy, num.
bers of whom, in spite of the vigilance of the cavalry
vedettes and scouts, had concealed themselves in the
brushwood, rushed down with loud yells, delivering
their chief attack upon the left side of the square and
the left portion of the front line.
The frantic efforts of the Egyptians to get into
proper formation, the confused din of orders, and the
chaos in the rear, where 300 camels, with the whole
of the transport and commissariat, were struggling to
force their way inside the square, defies description.
As a matter of fact, what should have been the rear
side was an irregular out-bulging mass of horses,
mules, camels, and men tightly wedged together, and
extending towards the centre of the square. The
Boudani blacks, who composed both the left side of the
square and a portion of the front, stood well for a
short time, but were son demoralised by the inrush
of fellow-soldiers and the camel men behind.

The Egyptian cavalry were the first to run. One of
their native officers at full gallop struck against my
horse. He was thrown, and doubtless butchered, as
most were when once dismounted. The Egyptian
cavalry, with many riderless horses, rushed past in a
stream. They were wild with terror. In their
panic the infantry in their srcalled square fired
anywhere and anyhow. Baker Pasha, outside the
square narrewly eEcaped being shot by his own men.
An Egyptian soldier within three yards of me fell
by a shot from his own comrades, Captain
Cavalieri was killed in the same way. Finally
the scene became one of pure savage massacre. The
Egyptian infantry, throwing their weapons away,
knelt down, raised their clasped hands, and prayed
for mercy. The Arabs seized them by the neck,
speared them through the back and then cut their
throats, and this frightful carnage lasted moat part of
the pursuit, upwards of five miles, to the fort which
we left early in the morning. The yells of the Arabs
and the cries of their Egyptian victims were appalling.
In eight minutes from the beginning of the Arab
rush the whole force was in hopeless flight. Of the
Soudani regiment of four hundred from Sanheet, on
the Abyssinian frontier, only seventy returned. Of
the Turkish battalion only thirty are known to sur-
vive. The European company of thirty- six was all
but destroyed.
Baker Pasha was the last to return to Trinkitat.
M ore than once an Arab spearman was within a foot
of him. He, with his Chief of Staff, Colonel Hay,
escaped death by charging through a group of them,
who intercepted his way to the last remnants of the
square. Baker Pasha tried to rally at the base fort
already named, and draw a cordon across the path to
Trinkitat with the object of stopping the fugitives,
but the attempt was fruitless. The Egyptians reach-
ing th 3 beach of Trinkitat made for the boats, which
might have been sunk were it not that the English
officara fired theilrevolvers at the crowd following.

Six Englishmen are missing, among them being
Morice Bey, Doctor Leslie, Major Watirins (who had
newly arrived from home), and Lieutenant Carroll.
The first four were standing inside the left front corner
of the square beside the guns, where I left them a few
moments before. They were out a from the main
body by the inrush of the Arabs, and were defending
themselves with their revolvers and swords.
By midday the rebels were in possession of the base
fort. All last night they prowled about our camp
here, but fortunately for us did not attack. During
the night our men and horses were being shipped, but
no Egyptian officers assisted.
A later telegram from the same correspondent, dated
Souakitn, Feb. 5, says: I have arrived with 500 troops
on board. Baker Pasha, with the rest of the force,
follows. He fears an Arab rush upon Souaklm. Our
defeat near the wells of Teb, the scene of Consul
Moncrieft's massacre, may possibly incite the Mabdi's
followers to attack Upper Egypt. Eastern Soudan is
now severed from the Egyptian dominions. The rebels
between Trinkitat and Tokar and Sincat are now well
supplied with the spoils of yesterday's fighting, 'mind.
ing five Runs, with 36,000 pounds of cannon ammuni-
tion, besides a large quantity of rifle cartridges. This
morning we could clearly see them removing the booty
from the front. They must also have picked up 3000
rifles, which our troops in their flight threw away.

The January return of the Cleveland Ironmasters
Association shows the following as the month's makes
of pig iron: 159,000 tons of Cleveland iron, and 70,000
tons of other kinds; a total of 229,000 tons, or 3000
tons less than in December. There are 118 furnaces
blowing, 82 of which are making Cleveland pig iron.
Stocks increased 33, 000 tons in January.
Forum DEAD.—On Saturday morning, as two boys
named Harness and Green, were walking on the sands,
about two miles north of Skegness Per, they found
the body of a youth without either heal or hands.
The only clothing on the body was a pair of eerge
drawers and elastic side boots. The deceased is sup.
posed to be one of the two youths, lost in a smack,
which drifted out of the Grimsby Roads in December
last, while the remainder of the crew were ashore.
SO GOOD OF HIM, YOU KNOW !—Squire. So you
are going to dispose of the horse after all, Ryan?
Ryan. Well, thin, it goes to me heart, but shure an'
I'm obleeged to do it to get a little money to buy some
fodher for the poor baste.—Judy.
POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY. British Workman to
French Workmen. You don't look happy, mates.
Haven't you got a Republic, and plenty of peasant
proprietors; manhood suffrage, and no House of
Lords; all the blessings of Mr. Chamberlain and Mr.
Ger,2.e put together ? and yet, blow'd if I'd change
with vr,”.—J,idu.

A terrible aocident happened at Garforth Colliery,
near Leeds, on Tuesday. The pit has been stopped
for eighteen months owing to flooding. Two men
engaged in pumping operations were being let down
the shaft in a cradle, when it broke, and the men fell
to the bottom of the shaft, a distance of sixty feet.
Both were instantly killed.
Lord Lansdowne has received an address from the
Legislature of British Columbia asking the Dominion
Parliament to restrict Chinese immigration.

The Queen has intimated her willingness to became
a member of the Royal and Central Bucks Agricul-
tural Association, and her Majesty's name has accord-
ingly been enrolled-
THE RABBIT PEST IN AUSTRALIA —Endeavours to
exterminate the rabbit in certain districts in Australia
appear, from accounts recently received, to be vigor-
ously carried on. In the Riverina district special
efforts are being made to get rid of the "pests."
Snl phi Is of carbon is largely used in their destruction.
Unfortunately, however, the druggists who manu-
facture it are not able to make it in sufficient quanti-
ties to keep pace with the demand. Another experi-
ment which is being tried is looked forward to with
much interest. The Government have lent a number
of mongooes to the Riverina runholders. The mon-
gooes are to be turned out on a piece of land which is
infested by rabbit's, and Is almost entirely surrounded
by water. The result of this latter experiment is
looked forward to with great interest.
THE AGE OF Siisme.—The age of sheep may be
known by examining the front teeth. They are eight
in number, and appear during the first year all of a
small size. In the second year the two middle ones fall
out, and their place is supplied by two new teeth,
which are easily distinguished by being of a larger
size. In the third year two other small teeth, one
from each side, drop out, and are replaced by two
larger ones, so that there are now four large teeth in
the middle and four pointed ones on each side. In the
fourth year the large teeth are six in number, and
only two small ones remain, one at each end of the
range. In the fifth year the remaining small teeth
are lost and the whole front teeth are large. In the
sixth year the whole begin to be worn, and in tho
seventh, sometimes sooner, some fall out. It will be
seen by the shove that there is no difficulty in telling
the age of sheep—at leett up to the seventh year of
r their age.—Land and Water.

SHOD V. UNSHOD HORSES.—It was found in the
trials at ths Illinois Indu-triat University that a pair
of unusually powerful and well-shod farm horses drew
at a "dead pull" 1000 and 1025 pounds each, horses
weighing respectively about 12501 b. and 14001 b.
Another horse of similar appearance, but uu•shod,only
drew 6751 b. In each else the bai.d was tight, so that
the et:aightening of the traces gave the horses the
benefit of their own weight. With a loose band the
first two drew 3001bs less. Emit' of the three horses
were hitched to the end of u 159!t. rope, thus having
the benefit of the stretching of it.
CANADIAN SPORT —lt is calculated that there are in
Canaria from 10,000 to 15.000 lacrosse players, 5500
curlers, 4000 snow shoers, 3000 or 4000 cricketers,
2000 footbAl pla”re, VICO rowing men, 1000 base.
ballasts, and 1000 bicyclists. Span; is iociek:,,i
national charactf rii.tic in the Diminion. E4cli village
has ite lacrosse club, and generally its skating rink;
each city has its scores of both and of other similar
Institutions.