The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1899-11-16
BRITISH SUCCESS
Cape Town Report Has It That
British Have Scored a =
Victory,
And Inflicted Heavy Loss on
the Beers, Capturing Two
Thousand.
Cessation of HOstilities From Fri
day to ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Still Safe.


a cable dispatch from Cape Town,
dated Sunday, Nov. s, morning, that
the British have been victorious in an
engagement at Ladysmith, and that
the Boer loss was very heavy, including
1000 prisoners.
EsTCoURT, Natal, 10 a. M, Sunday,
Nov. 5.-An armored train went over
the Tugela bridge yesterday, found
Colenso intact, and also.found the road
and railway bridges strong. An Orange
Free State force was sighted six miles
from Colenso, on the Ladysmith side.
1t was supposed to have been engaged
with the British forces from Ladysmith
Thursday. The Beers suffered heavily.
It is rumored that the Natal Dutch took
part in the engagement, siding with the
invading Beers.
LONDON, Nov. S.-Such scanty intel
ligence as is fltering from the front is
generally accepted here as reassuring,
although the later reports agree that
the fighting outside Ladysmiths on
Thursday and Friday was much more
severe than indicated by the official &C
counts. There is no longer such a dis
position to Jump at the conclusion that
a crushing blow has been inflicted on
the Beers as was shown before. Brit
ish contempt for the burghers has been
modified by defeat. The best Informed
are inclined to discount the stories of
the cutting up of the Beers, until
further confirmation is received. But
the mere fact that General White was
enabled to undertake series of success
full "Reminiscences, is taken as an indi-
cation that the Boer investment has
been relaxed by a withdrawal of por-
ton of General Joubert's force south
ward. While, however, the anxiety in
regard to the immediate stress of Lady
smith Is alleviated, there is a wide
spread fear that the
Authorities Are Badly laundering
and may tlc3 too late that the main ex-
petition will prove too weak to COM
plete it's task with safety and dispatch.
as the Natal force has already admit
teddy failed to perform what was ex-
pected of it. The confession Of General
Lord Wolseley, the commander-in-
chief, that the Beers were more pow
erful and more numerous than had
been anticipated, sufficiently explains
the present happenings, and the war
Office will hereafter have awkward
questions to answer in regard to its ap-
parent colossal ignorance of the Boer
strength, which both in numbers of
men and excellence of artillery, is ap-
parently complete surprise to the
British military authorities. Mail news
from South Africa shows how inaccu-
rate have been the estimates of the in.
telligence department and the govern
mental experts. It is CLEANED therefrom
that fair estimate of the Boer force is
as follows:
As to isoer Strength.
Around Ladysmith $4,000, traversing
Zululand 1000, advancing on Burghers.
dorp 5000, Colesburg 5000, Kimberley
1000, Mafeking 900, and on the North.
ern Transvaal border 1000. Exact
information about the Boer artillery is
lacking, but it is known that General
Joubert's detachment, before it was re.
inforced, consisted of l6 Krupp field
pieces of the latest pattern and two
heavy Creuzot siege guns, which, but
for the opportune arrival of the British
naval brigade, would have rendered
Ladysmith untenable.
A Cape Town dispatch says that ad-
vices from I.adysmith say that on
Thursday afternoon the British cavalry
charged the Beers while the latter were
manoeuvesing south OF the town and
cut their way through them. A ''Long
Tom" posted on Bullwin hill shelled the
town, but little damage was done. The
naval gunners put the big gun situated
on Hepworth's hill ont of action.
The enemy at Grobler's Kloof engaged
q company of tho Royal Irish Fusiliers
and brisk firing occurred on both sides.
An armored train with 90 infantrymen
on board drew the enemy's fire, en-
abling the volunteers to make head
quarters safely. The military are
eulogized for their timely help to the
volunteers.