The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-09-12

Copyright. 1896, by the Associated Press)
CAIRO, Egypt. Sept. ll.-Dispatches
Just received from the from, cay that the
North staftordshre regiment, number
Ing about 900 men, arrived at Koehccamp
the southernmost fortified camp on the
Nile. yesterday. and will be pushed for
ward to AbRarat to-day. Tho Third
brigade has reached Absarrat safely and
the main body OF cavalry Is arriving
there.
The cavalry scouts report the dervlsh-
es etill In View south OF Duglp, but the
enemy retreats at the slightest sign OF
forward movement. The Anglo Egyp-
tan scouts, feeling the way for the nd
vance guard. are steadily pushing on TO
kasbsr. fourteen miles further south,
which Will be the nsxt place occupied.
The troops, black and white, are full
| OF enthusiasm and anxious for O brush
with the enemy. The weather is hot In
the extreme. but the soldiers are benefit
ting from being on the move.
an the trnOrs taking part In the expo
dition are now on the mach towards
| Dongola.
Duglo. hitherto held by a small force
- - " ttilik bbi UNIV uluth
10 the string OF depots connected the ex-
peditIon with wady lialta, the real base
OF supplies
The intelligence department reports
the dervlshes gathering in force north OF
| Dongnla.
Clashes between the dcrvlshes and the
Anglo-Egyptian scouts are expected at
any moment.
Thus the advance OF the Brltlsh-Egyp-
tan expedition up the river Nile. with
Dongola. II not khartoum, as lts objcc-
tive point. Is now In full swing. after
months Of struggling with terrific heat
and ,cholera, during which the work OF
| railroad building and passing gunboats
In sections up the river and over the cat
| arnctS has been carried on necessarily
| under the direction OF British officers, a
| number OF whom have already given UP
their lives as a sacrifice 10 the task.
The operations began In March last.
| when troops were hurried up the Nile
to Wady-lialfa- the southcrnmoSt post,
| although the railroad ran 10 Sarras,
about forty miles south from Wady Hall
IA. Since that time the rallroRd. q des-
| ert campaign line. has peen extended
TO Aknsheh fifty miles. from the latter
| place to koskeh, and thence to Absarrat,
about 75 miles.
In the first seven days OF the campaign
over 1000 men in every way fully equip
ped. were moved southwark, in spite OF
the great difficulties OF transportation,
\ and now some 1900 mon, not Including
| natives employed In the transport SER
| Vice, are moving south with iiOtilla OF
about fifteen stern wheel gun b0nts.
some OF them towing over 200 other
boats und barges loaded with supplies,
| ammunition. etc.
This feet Will keep up constant COM
munication with. .Abs1rrnt, now the base
| from which the army ls operating. At
| every station between AbEarrat and
| Wady Halfa hospitals for the care OF
| the wounded and sick have been estnb-
| lished. The slrrlar. or commander NJ the
| nglo-EGyptinn expedition, Sir Herbert
Fl. Kitchener, has lett nothing undone to
| promote the success Of the campaign
| against the sultan OF the So0dnn, Abb
dullnh FL Tan!shn, otherwise Abdullah
| FL Khnllfa, who claims 10 be the success
sor OF the famous mahdl who caused the
British so much trouble years ago.
| 1t IL looked upon as More than proba-
| BILE that the gunboats will play an impor-
tant part in the campaign. They are
| from 100 to 175 feet long, have 20 10 81
feet beam. only draw about two feet OF
wafer when fully loaded. and nre able
to make about II miles an hour, carrying
large number Of men. md tow barges,
etc, carrying many more men.
Each gunbuat carries u l2-poundcr
| qulck-fring Maxim gun, able to dis
charge shot every three seconds,
mounted forward on IN armorcd Gtadel
| deck. Amidships there ia coming.
| tower and hn electric ecarchlight, and
another lighter Maxim gun from seven
TO twenty feet above the water line and
the armament OF these deadly boats Is
completed with two QuIck-n firing six
FOUNDERS and six 10 eight more Mnxims.
| Besides these guns some OF the larger
| gunboats carry 2i-poundcr Armstrongs
capable OF delivering a very effective IRE
at long range.
| The hulls Of the glinbnnts are con-
structed In sections enabling them TO
he taken anart Hnd 10 be put together
ngain In very short time. Finally. the
soldiers on board stand In the shallow
hull. well protected by the hatches.
which are capable OF being folded. md
which form IN admirable portable breast
| work.
II will be seen from these preparations
that the advice given to Hicks Pasha
when he left for Khartoum In 1859 with
| 10000 men. to keep close 10 the Nile" IL
| to be closely followed In this campaign.
| Hicks dlsrcearded the recommendation
and perishcd with his entire command
In the Kordofan district.
| nEpNACv