The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-10-30
B0ERS SILENCED.
British Guns at Ladysmith
Succeed II Stopping
the Fire.
May BE DECISIVE BATTLE
Unless Kruger Wins With
Overwhelming Force He
Cannot Withstand Re-
inforcements.
MAY BE DECISIVE BATTLE
[By Cable to The Associated Press.l

BY Cable to The Associated Press
LADYsMITH, Oct 80, 1899. II 80 A. M.
Firing commenced a $50 this morning,
the Beers shelling Ladysmith with forty
pounders After seven shots the British
guns succeeded in silencing the Boer fire
A force of Beers is now advancing on the
British left flank
EBy Cable to The Associated Press
LONDON. Oct. 30. 1sss.-The despatch of
The Associated Press from Ladysmith,
this morning, which was sent at express
rate, came through in the remarkable
time of two hours. 1t shows the crisis
which the present stage of the war opera
tions has reached and that the expected
attack on Ladysmith by the Joint Boer
forces has opened
A despatch from Durham, timed $3.50 this
morning, supplements The Associated
Press despatch with the information that
the Boer shells were chiefly directed at
the station and that no damage was done
INTO the time the message from Durham
was forwarded.
That the heavy guns OF the Boers,
from which so much was expected, should
be silenced so speedily as indicated in the
Associated Press despatch from Lady
smith, is matter Of great surprise, but
the subsequent advance of the Burgner
force on the British left flank shows the
attackers were in no way dismayed there
by and were still full of the same sell
confidence and daring they have already
exhibited on various occasions. Ap-
parently, the Beers have concentrated for
a supreme effort at Ladysmith- They
have withdrawn their forces from other
points which they considered momentarily
10 be of less importance. The ease with
which they reorganized the German Corps
which was almost annihilated at Glands
laagte. and General Lucas Mayors col
umn. shattered at Talana Hfll show how
great are their recuperative powers and
their fertility of resource.
The perseverance the Beers have shown
in transporting heavy ordnance and post
ing it in commanding position has forced
admiration even from their enemies. I'm
less the present attack is merely feint
to occupy the British while the invaders
are cutting off communication southwark,
the battle which opened this morning may
decide the issue Of the war. so far as
fighting In the open IS concerned, as. un-
less the eighteen or twenty thousand
|Boers about Lady smith are able to de-
stroy the twelve thousand British there,
they can hardly hope to cope with General
Buffers Army Corps; so it may be ex-
pected the Beers will return to the attack
of Ladysmith, after they are beaten off,
SO long as they have a gun in position
and men willing to face the British, for
they must be fully cognizant that the
news of their success will bring thousands
of sympa thizers and adventurers to their
standard.
The active operations of the last few
days have shown cavalry, under modern
conditions, armed with long-range weap-
ons, In an entirely new light, proving
them able to work as infantry, both alone
and in conjunction with foot-soldiers
Those cavalrymen have shown themselves
able to hold infantry positions against
mounted infantry, which, under previous
conditions, they would have been forced
to relinquish, while the actual assault on
Elandslaagte was led by dismounted cav
airy.
Another eminent civilian, DR. Frederick
Treves, surgeon-in-ord to the Duke
Of York and surgeon of the London Hos
pital. has been appointed Consulting sur
reon with the troops in South Africa
He starts Immediately. The true inward
ness of these appointments seems to be
the recognition by the authorities that
the senior military medical officers are
behind the times, and, as the latter would
consider it mira dig to call in consulta-
tion junior officers more conversant with
modern practice, the difficulty has been
overcome by the appointment OF civilians
at an enormous cost.