Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-11-03
NO NEWS FROM WHITE
Ominous Silence Regarding British
Army at Ladysmith.
MANY RUMORS AFLOAH In LONDON
Signal Victories Reported for Both
Beers and British.
WAR OFFICES STATEMENT

LONDON. November 3.-The war office
this afternoon. replying to inquiries, said
no information had been received there of
fresh Boer movements at Colenso or else
where and. it was added, the officials were
not aware if the railroad to Ladysmith
was intact or not.
Belated dispatches from the British camp
at Ladysmith. Natal, add little informa
tion regarding Mondays fight, except the
estimates of the BOer losses, which are
now said to be ninety-five killed and 200
wounded mostly victims of the artillery
shells. which have wrought such great
havoc that it is said General Joubert, the
BOer commauder-in-Chief. has written
letter to General White. the British COM
mander. protesting against the use of
lyddite. According to all accounts. the pres
ence at Ladysmith of the long-range naval
guns and the splendid shooting of the blue
Jackets have materially improved the posi-
tion of the British. \ temporary armistice
was declared Monday evening to allow of
the collection of the dead and wounded.
Situation Mt kimberley.
a dispatch from Kimberley. dated Octo-
Der % said all the wounded were doing
well Small bodies of Beers, about 400
strong. were then frequently seen. They
apparently came from Mafeking. for the
purpose either of assisting in the attack
on Kimberley or to resist the advance of
reinforcements. The absence of water out
side the place causes the Beers TO continu-
ally move their camps.
While the wires to Ladysmith are cut,
the optimism of the war office officials yes
terday evening In refusing to believe that
Ladysmith was completely invested or that
Colenso was captured appears to be justi-
fed. as this morning it was asserted that
the railroad Is still open. though traffic has
been conducted with the greatest caution.
What. however, was only a rumor yester-
day evening may, It is claimed, be reality
at any moment. as General Joubert, with
a large and wonderfully mobile force is
expected 10 detaCh A force of several
thousand men and make dash at the rail-
road.
RumOrs of All Kinds Afoat.
Rumors Of all kinds are springing up
here. II IS even asserted that General
White has been compelled to fall back on
Pietermaritzhurg. leaving his wounded be-
hind Probably such rumors have their
origin IN the recollection Of the orninous
silence which preceded the evacuation of
Dundee But. on the other hand. it is as
serted that the conditions are altered and
the British guns now seem more than equal
TO the artillery Of the Beers. thus enhancing
the difficulty Of any assault on the British
lines.
A Cape Town dispatch reports repulse
Of the Beers by the British yesterday.
While there is q habit here to assume
that news Of the Boer victories emanatiug
from the continent cannot be true, because
of the censorship, the fact is forgotten that
foreign governments are fully privileged to
send and receive cipher messages to and
from their representatives in South Africa.
The list of casualties among the non
commissioned officers and men at Far
quhars Farm shows the Gloucesters lost
thirty killed and dfty-three wounded the
FusiIiers. ten killed and forty-one wounded
and the 10-h Mountain Battery, two
wounded before they surrendered. The
captured, who are given under the head
OF missing, are divided as follows: Glou-
cesters. 10 officers and $50 men; 10th Noun
tain Battery. > officers and 81 men: Fusi-
Hers, not yet reported.
As matter of fact, the rumors of the
capture Of the Hussars, the occupation of
dundee and the disaster of Monday came
first from Berlin. from which city also
came the first news of the Jameson raid
So tidings Of any British reverses are as
likely 10 come from there as from any,
where Gen. Whites position is acknowl-
edged TO be SO precarious that the landing
of big naval brigade to go 10 his assist
ance IS being advocated