Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-03
METHUEN IS NOT ADVANCING
Delay Due TO the Necessity of Repairing
Bridge Over the Modder River.
FORCE TO PROTECT COMMUNICATION
Uncertainty as TO Movements I'm
Ngtnl-Whcrcabouts of General
CIcry's Force Unknown
in London.

LONDON, Dec. 2.-As surmised, the Brit
ish dead and wounded at the hard-fought
battle of Modder river number hundreds. Ur
to o'clock this afternoon only the bare to-
tal-43S-of which number seventy three
were killed, had been given out So 1t Is
impossible to deduct from "the butchers
bill such information regarding the nature
of the fight as details as to losses of the dif-
ferent units generally Indicate
From General Forester Walkers dispatch
it is proved that all reports of General Me h
uen's advance after the battle of Modder
river were premature, though, with the rail-
road working, he should not be long in con-
structing a temporary bridge His enforced
delay doubtless will be of considerable
service in giving his hard pushed column
needful rest and in allowing the arrival Of
reinforCements, of which he must be sorely
in need after three such fights, placing hors
de combat upward of thousand men out OF
less than 1000.
General Forester Walkers announcement
that the Canadian marksmen and other re-
Inducements have been pushed forward to
the neighborhood of the Orange river to pro-
tect General Methuens line Of communica .
tions has relieved much anxiety here, where
it was fully expected the Beers would az
tempt to attack the vulnerable points of the
line of communication
Movements in Natal.
The latest news from Natal indicates that
the bulk Of the Ladysmth relief force has
arrived at Frere, though there is considera-
BILE conjecture as to the whereabouts of Gem
eral Clery, whose movements have not been
chronicled recently.
1t is surmised in some quarters that he
may reappear in totally unexpected quar-
ter, on the flank or rear of General Joubert' g
force, which is supposed to be concentrated
at Grobelaar's kloof north of the Tugela
river. AS General Hildyard's advance guard
was in touch with the Beers as long ago as
Tuesday last developments should not be
long delayed
Dundonald's mounted force November 2S,
accompanied by four guns went in pursuit
of a body OF Beers returning to Colenso.
They followed the Beers to within two and
one half miles of Colenso. when the Beers
replied to the British shells with long range
guns. There were no casualties.
Colenso bridge, it is added, was afterward
blown up.
Another detachment of 5000 British troops
sailed for South Africa today.
Owing to the phenomenal sale of the news
papers consequent upon the war a paper
famine is threatened. 1t is reported that
the American supplies have failed tenn
porarily.
The revised list of Modder river casual
ties, non commissioned officers and men, is
as follows: Ninth Lancers, one wounded;
Second engineers, two wounded; artillery,
three killed, twenty-five wounded; Second
Coldstreams, ten killed, fifty-six wounded; ;
Third grenadiers nine killed, thirty eight
wounded. four missing; Scotch guards, ten
killed, thirty-seven wounded, one missing;
Northumberland Fusileers, eleven killed,
thirty-on wounded; First Northumberlands.
thirty five wounded; Second Yorkshire, nine
killed, forty-four wounded; First North
Lancashire, three killed, fourteen wounded;
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, fifteen
killed, nnety-fve wounded, two missing;
First Coldstreams. twenty wounded; South
African reserve, one wounded; medical corps,
one wounded.
An official ratification of the list of Modder
river casualties, including the commanding
officers and men, makes the total loss of the
North. Lancashire three killed and sixteen
wounded; Of the Northumberland Fusieers,
eleven killed and twenty-f four wounded, and
CT the Argyles, eighteen killed and ninety one
wounded. 1t also adds to the list the Rem
ington Guides, three men wounded. The
aggregate of casualties among the nom
commissioned officers and men is 452.