The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1899-11-16
LADYSMITH SIEGE
A Scarcity Of Food, it is Said,
May Cause the Beers
to Raise 1t.
B0ERS ARE DEFEATED At LADYSMlTH
There Are Signs Of Greatly Increased
BOer Activity in Natal and Oh
the Western Frontier.
Tho yos-' bomb ,rdmsnt of Ladysmith
Rss Be~n to somo Extent Effective
The British Have Plenty OF
Lyddlto ammunition.

LoNDoS. Nov. II. "A special dispatch |
from purDan. Natal. dated Thursday, !
November O. evening, says:
Native runners who have just ar
rived here from tue Drakensberg dis
trict report that tho Bocrs suffered
severe defeat at Ladysmith this morn
ing. The Boer guns were silenced
after four hours fighting, during which
the Boer losses were heavy. No details
have been received
There are signs " greatly increased
Boer activity in Natal and along the
western frontier. All the dispatches
tend to show that the British are hold
ing ably. Col. Baden-Powetl reports
that all was we'll at Mafcliing on No
vember G. Ladysmith's latest date
is November 8. While nothing averse
is heard from the latter point, and
con fidence is felt in Gen. Whites abill-
ty, previous experience having shown
that the Bocr artillery is not very CT
fective, it is beginning TO prove that
the ACQUISITION of artillery which has
destroyed the former MOBILITY OF the
Boer forces. has also failed to give
them any compensatinr advantage
On the contrary the reverse Is jhe case.
1t is held here thai, if the Beers had
not been hampcrrd bv the transport OF
heavy gnn, and ,he.r rt'cuc from uEh'
places, Gen. JouUcrt might ere tnlS'
have been in PictcrinarilzburS. II n
less the Bocr heavy artillery
/ iu>tifies Itself by reducing
Laovsmith it will again hamper hlm
; i'm the evcntua, retreat from Nata'
+ when Gen. Butler sends the relieving
force. 1t is believed that the Boer re
treat will be made over the Drakens
burg range into the Zoutpansberg DIS
trict, where every preparation for pro
visioning and maintaining the hoer'
is said TO have been made for the las
stand. and where it will be difficult u
dislodge them. Already II is rumore'
that they are III straits for food aroun'
Ladysrith, and may, therefore, o
Obliged to abandon the siege
DISPATCHES from Estcourt say 1t ma
been ascertained that the British hav
laid concrete beds for firing tn
lydditc naval guns showing that ther
is no foundation for the fear that tn
lydditc ammunition at Ladysmith ha
been exhausted. 1t is also reporte
from the same quarter that some fire
have been seen in Ladvsmith. indica'
=, inc that the Boer bombardment ma
hsep 70 some extent effective.
!" special dispatch from Cape Town COZ
firms the earlier report that 1t wa
Con. Butler who ordered the Britis
evacuation OF Stormberg and Nsauv
d MORT as he considered the fronti'
line too weak and too much EXTENDED
II is understood. however, tn;
Naauwpoort will be occupied again
soon as the advance from Queens'ow
= ia ordered. Strong bids arc BEN
made by the Beers for the support
the Cape Dutch, but without much su
cess although it is believed that II
butch farmers, especially in Picq ue
hsrc district, are armed with Mause
t. and are watching the course OF even
before Joining the Beers. From Stor'
berg it is reported that the Free Sta
6. forces are working slowly towa
L. Dordrecht with view of attacki'
~ Queenstown and cutting off the tow
al in the northern districts of cape u
d. ony. The wounded are recovering
p, remarkable manner. The Maus
Il wounds are small and heal rapid
h. MANY of the wounded apply for p
4 ,nission 10 return TO the front
ne The fact that the latest two ONO
h. disnatches were received from Gen.
~. Forester Walker. and not from Ut
ne Butler, seems to indicate that the
ID. ter NAV have airesdy left Cape Low
no A Brussel, telegram asserts that
81 has actually reached Durham. Ihi'
Ice certainly premature, but he may M
ct. started.
rc. An unofficial statement is publish
ed that the troop ship Gascon, soon al
he her arrival at Cape Town, left Tor u
ban and Delsgoa bay.