Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-12-13
BOOMING AWAY
Another All-Day Battle Near Mod
der River In Which Beers Held
Their Position.
BRITISH ADMIT HEAVY LOSS
The British Commander Is Making Trench.
es and Expects More Fighting With
a Force of $4,000 of the
Enemy.

Pretoria, December l3.-An official re
beoan yesterday with cannon firing
heavy fighting proceedin" from 3:3t
o'clock in the morning until $3.50 O'Clock
with cannon, Maxims and rifles. The
bombardment began at 4:30, and fight
ing still continues. balloon has just
arisen above the British positions
where it remained ten minutes and de
scended. There were heavy rains dur
ing the night. At 8 o'clock this morn
ing another report was received from
the Modder river. A dispatch rider
brought word that all the Boer posi-
tons have been maintained, and forty
one British prisoners taken. 1t $3.50
o'clock it was reported that the heavy
cannon fire had somewhat abated. The
British are constantly using their bal
loon. Fighting was still going on at
noon.
London, December 13.-General Me-
thueRs report from the Modder river
shows that he met a serious check Mon
day and suffered great losses.
A dispatch from Frere camp, dated
December -, says: This morning the
union brigade, consisting of English,
Scottish, Irish and Welsh Fusileers, un-
der General Barton, with several naval
guns, advanced and took up a strong
position three miles from Colenso
meeting NO opposition.
London, December 13.-The war office
has received the following dispatch
from General Methuen, dated December
u Our artillery shelled a very strong
position held by the enemy in a long,
high kopje from o'clock until dusk
Sunday. 1t rained hard last night. The
Highland brigade attacked at day
break Monday at the south end of the
kopje. The attack was properly timed,
but failed. The guards were ordered to
protect the Hghlanders' right and rear.
The cavalry and mounted infantry
with howitZer and artillery battery at
tackled the enemy on the left and the
guards on the right, supported by the
field artillery and howitzer artillery
They shelled the position from daybreak
and at LIS I sent Gordon to support the
Highland brigade. The troops held their
own in front Of the enemys intrench-
ments until DUSK the position extending
and including the kopje, a distance Of
six miles to the Modder river. To-day
am holding my position and ntrenching
myself. I had to face. at least 10000
men. Our loss was great.
Pretoria, December 11.-kimberly is
still quiet.
London, December 13.--General Me-
thuen, as expected, followed up his ar"
tilery attack with general assault on
the Boer positions Monday, and his re-
port shows the anxiety of the public
regarding the result, occasioned by the
ominous silence of the war office, was
amply justified. The Highlanders it is
believed, must have stormed the BOer
position more than once, while the fact
that the guards We're ordered to support
the Highlanders rear looks as if the
Beers may even have outflanked their
attackers. One report says General
Cronje attacked the British. The only
compensation the British have been
able to discover in the disheartening
story is in General Methuen's statement