The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-16
BOERs ALL ABOUT ~KIMBERLEv.
WHICH Is NOW COMPLETELY
ISOLATED
An ATTACK UPON NAFEKING
EXPECTED HOURLY, THOUGH DEF
INITE NEWS FROM THAT
POINT IS LACKING
ENGLISH ON THE DEFENSIVE

May Be In the Hands of the
Burghers - No Official News no
Fighting Received at London.
| LONDON, Oct. 16.-The Daily Mails
Cape Town correspondent, telegraphing
Sunday evening says
Kimberley is besieged and the Beers
are massing in force. No details, how
ever, are obtainable.
1.-THE Beers have cut the railway at
Belmont, have seized the Spyfontein rail-
way station and constructed fortified
earthworks. There are strong defending
forces at Modor bridge and the Orange
river bridge
1.-The object of these operations is be-
lieved to be the capture of Cecil Rhodes.
Kimberley is now isolated, both railway
and telegraphic communications being
cut"
The Cape Town correspondent Of the
Morning Leader, telegraphing Sunday
night, sayps: 1T is reported that fighting
began at Kimberley this morning. Tha
railway has been cut at Belmont
There is ar urconfirmed rumor that
the imperial forces intercepted a body of
Transvaal Beers who were attempting to
join the Poer forces at Modder river and
that heavy engagement occurred at
Spytsfontein station, south of Kimberley.
LITTLE ACTUAL NEWS.
So far as actual news is concerned,
very little change in the situation is to be
noted. The state of affairs Mt Mafeking
can only be coniectured The occupation
Of Newcastle by the Beers was prepared
for and expected, the place having been
abandoned by the British.
Very heavy rains and SHOWS are re-
ported, which hamper the Boer move
rnents, and they are finding that they
began too late to easily obtain the initial
successes counted upon. They evidently
f1nd the advance upon Ladysmith difficult
either from :he north or west, as Gen.
Sir George Stewart Whites reconnois-
sance seems to have sufficed to deter them
: for the present.
The peaks of the Drakesburg range are
snow-covered, and the storms which
have occurred must have caused the
Beers great discomfort, which probably
explains their failure to attack Gen.
White Mastery inactivity characteriZes
the operations of both sides. Persistent
rumors are in circulation that the
Schreiner ministry of Cape Colony has
been dismissed and that Mr.. Rose Innes
has been asked to form csbinet. These
rumors, however, are without founda-
ticn.
Sir Alfred Miner has wired to Mr..
Chamberlain the text Of an infaulmatory
circular which Field Cornet Viljoen cir
culated in Johannesburg some weeks ago.
with a view of incensing the Afrikanders
on both sides of the Orange river against
England.
The government has received no news
of fighting in South Africa. and does not
expect any. No battle Is probable, except
at Mafeking, communication with which
place has been cut, and for which con-
siderable anxiety is felt Elsewhere, how
ever, it is believed, the British will re-
main on the defensive.
Lord Salisbury has issued summons for
a cabinet meeting tomorrow.
The government has secured the steam
er Arawa, which was to have sailed from
Avcnmouth tomorrow for Montreal with
1000 passengers. The Australian govern
ment has secured the White Star line
steamer Medic, now at Melbourne, to
convey the Australian contingent to
South Africa.
NEWCASTLE TAKEN.
The Daily Mails Glencoe camp corre-
spondent, under date of Sunday, says
"a force under Commandant Nil1oen,
from Spitzkep, occupied Newcastle Satuf-
day afternoon and after entering planted
their flag on the town hall. 1t is rumored
that the Beers have captured police
petrol of six mer at De Jagers' drift on
the Buffalo river
NO RELIABLE NEWS.
CAPE TOWN. Oct. 15.-There is still no
reliable news from either Ladysmith or
Glencoe except that a patrol from the
latter place exchanged shots with small
body of Beers on the road to Help
m&kour. All reports agee that the Beers
now occupy Newcastle. Boer tents have
been discovered eight miles southeast of
Kimberley. Great clouds of dust seen ten
miles to the eastward of Kimberley this
morning seem to indicate the movement
of a large body of troops with wagons.
Two imperial officers at midday also dis
covered a column of 400 Beers going in the
direction of Modor river bridge from
Johannesburg.
Small parties of Beers evidently on a
communicating expedition have passed
Kaffir river. There are large commands
on either side of the railway.
The burghers say they will have 1000
men. They probably intend to join the
other force In camp seven miles from the
Cape Colony border.
BOERS ADVANCING.
Five hundred Boer troops occupy Eor-
der Siding. northward of Fourteen
Streams, with cannon, where they are
awaiting orders to destroy tie line or at
tack Fourteen Streams. . The railway
telegraph officials have abandoned Mari
bogo The nearest British point of COM
munication to Mafeking therefore is un-
derstood to he Setla go'it, sixty miles
away.
While 1t Is the general belief that the
Beers are at Mafeking there is still no
confirmation OF the reports. II the Beers
had made such an. advance 1t would not
be known. as tho only telegraphlc COM
munication is in the hands Of the burSh-
ers The absence of news, therefore, is
regarded as a good sign.
Ccnyngham Greene, from Pretoria, and