El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-12-11
BRITAIN
WARNED
A Hint That Her Flag May
Trail In African
Dust.
GA7ACRE I SURPRISED
And Forced To Retreat Be-
fore The Beers While
Attacking Storm
borg.

MoLTENo, Dec. 1O-(Delayed in
transmission)- )-General Gatacre was
com pletely surprised By the Beers at
Storm borg today, but his column did
not falter under fire. The Royal Irish
rifles and the Northumbe rland
Fusileers charged the Kopje where the
Beers we're located and reached the
top. They found Beers on three
sides, however, and we're forced down
| the hill. The British artillery then
monopolized action until it was seen to
One shell landed in a group Of fifteen
horses, blowing them to atoms.
UNDERSTANDING THE BoER FORCES
LONDON, Dec. 1.-THE reverse
suffered by Genera. Gatacre at Storm
borg is regarded as another case OF
under-estimstion of the enemy's forces
and ability which has air eady cost the
British so much. The many long
forced marches by which Gatacre
reached Storm borg is characteristic of
this com snder, whom his men call
"Backacher" This sort OF marching
against Indian and Egyptian troops
was usually crowned with sharp and
brilliant successes, but in the case of
fighting the Beers, it is different.
Gatacre's troops were not only sur
prised but we're evidently too fatigued
to Withstand the terrific fire which
poured over them.
sgMAY LOSE PART OF THE EMPIRE.
The military expert of the Morning
Post who has followed the Boer war
critically and dispassionasely, warns
England of the danger of losing part of
the empire through the parsimony
which is displayed in the inefficient
forces with which che attacks the
Boers. This warning is the 6rst hint
in any British paper of even a probs-
bility of final defeat for England in
South Africa.
JOUBERT INJURED AGAIN.
LONDON, Dec. 11.-A message from
Durham says that Joubert is SO badly
injured that he will not be able to
again take the field. The Boer gen.
eral, it is said. was severely wounded
in the thigh and his horse was shot
from under him, the falling from his
mount resulting : in q bad injury to
his spine.
THE CASUALTIES.
LONDON, Dec. 1I.-Gen. Walker says
that Gatacre's casualty list is not COM
plete and in view of the Beers heavy
fire the list will doubtless place the
fatalities at q much higher figure. The
known casualties are as follows:
Roya Irish rifles, six wounded.
Suffolk. one officer and ten men
wounded; missing, three officers and
29O men.
Seventy-fourth field battery. one
officer and five men wounded.
Seventy-ffth field battery, one officer
killed and one man wounded.
Northumberland fusileers, six Off
GERS and 3O6 men missing.
BoERs STRONGLY ENTRENCHED.
MODDER RIVER station, Dec. 10
The Beers are strongly entrenchei on
two ranges of hills, north of Modder
river, and have also lateral shelter
trenches for convenience of retr& ating.
Part of The Canadian contingent has
arrived aud a majority of these have
been set TO work relaying railroad
tracks.
The naval contingent which oper-
ated with big gun north of here yes
terday chalked "Joe Chamberlain"
around the muzzle of the gun.
PARIS WILD WITH GLEE.
PARIS, De-. 11.-Paris papers are
wild with glee over the British disas-
ter at St)rmgorg esterday. The
Offices Of the yellow journals a,e deco
rat I'd with Boer flags.
Metal Market.
NEW YORK. Dec 1l-Conner 81 I 90