Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1899-12-29
HORSES ARE SICK.
GlRnders Attack Animals I'm British
and Boer Armies-Boer Account
of TugeIn River Fight.


London, Dec. 26.-Nothing has ar.
rived from South Africa that would in
dicate any change in the military situ-
alton there. The war office is issuing
lists of further deaths and wounded, as
well as accounts of sickness. The most
serious report of the last class is that
horse sickness has broken out in both
British and Boer camps in Natal. Four
hundred British cavalry horses, it is
said, have already been shot, owing to
the occurrence of glanders. The dis
ease is likely to spread with much
greater rapidity among the British
horses than among the hardy Boer
ponies, and this may mean a consider
able prolongation of the campaign.
Horse sickness in South Africa gen.
orally appears during the latter part
of January, and lasts three months.
The present outbreak is unusually
early.
A dispatch from Chieveley, dated
Tuesday, December 10, says: The Brit
ish naval guns have destroyed the Co.
lenso foot bridge, thus preventing the
Beers holding any position south of the
Tugela river. The enemy are taking
up fresh positions on the eastern side,
nearer the British camp. The British
position at Frere is being strengthened.
The Tugela river is rising and there is
prospect of heavy rains. A two-hour
bombardment of Ladysmith has been
heard from here. According TO reliable
native reports the Beers had 200 killed
in the fight at Colenso.
The news that the Colenso foot bridge
has been destroyed seems to show that
Gen. Butler is more anxious to keep the
enemy at bay than to attempt further
advance.
The mails are just arriving from
Ladysmith. All the correspondents
comment bitterly upon the superiority
of the Boer artillery. The Times corre-
spondent says: 1t is impossible to
evade the opinion that if British gun
ners were in the Boer positions the loss
of life and damage to property in Lady
smith would be ten times greater.
The first batch of Boer prisoners has
arrived in England. 1t is announced
that the government has accepted an
other offer of a squadron of Canadian
rough riders.
Pretoria, Sunday, Dec. 17.-Over 500
British prisoners, captured at the bat
tie of Stormberg, have arrived here.
They have been taken to Waterfall to
join the other prisoners.
An official account of the Boer casual
ties at the battle of Tugela river says
l.;
Gen. Schalkberger's report of the bat
tie, dispatched from the head laager,
December 16, says:
Friday. at dawn, the day long-expected
arrived. The Pretoria detachment of artil-
lery gave the alarm. Gen. Buffers Lady
smith relief column was in battle array,
advancing on the Boer positions, close to
the Tugela and Colenso. The center con-
sisted of an immense crowd of infantry,
flanked on each side by two batteries, with
strong bodies of cavalry supporting The
Boer artillery preserved absolute silence,
not disclosing its position. Two batteries
came within rifle distance of our foremost
position, and the Beers then opened fire
with deadly effect. Our artillery also COM
menced and, apparently, absolutely con-
fused the enemy, who were allowed to
think the bridge was open for them to cross.
Their right flank in the meantime attacked
the Boer southernmost position, but the
mauser rifle fire was so tremendous that
they were rolled back like spent wave,
leaving ridges and ridges of dead and dy-
ing humanity behind. Again the British
advanced to the attack, but again fell back.
swelling the heaps of dead. The cavalry
charged to the river, where the Ermolo
commando delivered such murderous fire
that two batteries of cannon had to be
abandoned, which the Beers are going to
bring here. Twice the British essayed to
bring horses to remove them. The first
time they succeeded in hitching onto one
cannon, and on the second trial the horses
and men fell in a heap.
Then the British were in full retreat to
their camp, whence they sent a heavy
shrapnel fire on Bulwer bridge across the
Tugela, to prevent the burghers from BE-
covering the cannon. The French attache,
Villebois and the German attache, Braun,
say the fight could not have been improved
upon by the armies of Europe. Gems Botha
and Trichart We're always at the most dam
gerous points of the fighting. Eleven am
balances removed the English dead and
wounded. Such a tremendous cannonade
has seldom been heard. The veldt, for
miles, was covered with dead and wound
ed. 1t was most crushing British de-
feat. Nine of the cannon have since been
brought across the river. The British
asked for and We're granted a 24-hour ar
mistice."
Pretoria, Sunday, Dec. 17.-The gov
ernment is much concerned about the
escape of Winston Churchill, and the
officials are doing their utmost to dis
cover how he got away. The officials
have instituted house-to-house search
for discriminating papers. The Volk-
stem asserts that he escaped disguised
as a woman.