Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-21
BOER LOSS IS SMALL
British Wounded at Tugela Taken TO
BstCourt and PetermartSburg,
ENEMY PLACE GUNS IN NEW POSITIONS
Colonel Devons with Three Officers and
Forty 're Captured
NEWSPAPER RoASt. - n I, OFFICE
Times Denounces it for Not ful.
Modern Artillery,
INTELLIGENCE DEPARTMENT is BLAMED
Butler in Ignorance of Position ard
strength of Bocrs on Tugcia
RiNcr-Latcst from
. Mafcking.

Copyright, 1899, by Press Publishing CoD
CHIEVELY CAMP, Dec. 16.--9:25 a. M
(New York World Cablegram-Special Tee-
gram 1.-The ambulance train is taking the
British wounded in yesterdays battle 10
Estcourt and Pietermaritzburg. An armistce
has been asked for until midnight to bury
the dead. The Beers state their loss is
small. They can be seen today placing guns
in fresh positions commanding our camp.
The heat is intense, but the troops are well.
There was heavy firing at Ladysmith this
morning. Colonel Devon, with three office s
and forty men, were surrounded and taken
prisoners. The Beers are flying a flag Of
truce looking for their wounded.
LONDON, Dec. 2O.-Further accounts of
the Tugela river battle emphasize the igno-
rance of the British Intelligence department
in regard to the disposition of the Boer
forces. The British were not aware that the
Beers were entrenched along a series of low
lying hills Immediately northward of
Colenso bridge until a staggering fire COM
PEELED them to retreat, when the attack
seemed about to succeed. The Beers were
also in greater strength than anticipated. 1t
becomes clearer also that the British guns
were lost in attempting to get within eff
fective range of the Boer artillery, showing
that the latter out-ranged the British
pihldh'C, WHICH IN splle Oh nuntTlCdi Su-
periority was wholly inadequate to reply to
the long range Boer guns.
The British War Office comes in for scath-
ing denunciations from the Times today for
not providing effective artillery. 1t is
pointed out, in this connection, that the
longer ranged naval guns participating in
the same attack escaped.
There was no news this morning to en-
Tighten the general situation. The War Of
flee reported that General French reconnOi-
tered northward of Arundel Monday, De-
cember IS. After shelling Jasfontein farm,
three miles eastward of the Boer position,
the New Zealanders advanced and occupied
the farm. The Boer guns then opened and
the Beers advanced to the attack so General
French ordered retirement
The latest news from Mafeking, dated De-
cember 8, has just been received. 1t says a
desutory bombardment was continuing and
that the sharpshooters were engaged in a
smart duel mornings and evenings.
The dispatch also describes a novel
method of sending a message, adopted by
some Boer, December 1. five-p FOUNDER
shell fired into the town that day did not
explode. 1t was opened and found to con-
tain a letter, as follows:
Dear Powell Colonel Baden PowelD:
Excuse iron messenger. No other means of
communicating. Please tell Mrs. - moth
cr and family all we'll. Don't drink all the
whisky. Leave scme for us when we get in"
The sender's signature was torn off.
Revised lists of the British casualties at
the battle of Coenso show that 1877 non
commissioned officers and men were killed.
At a meeting of the corporation today the
lord mayor, a. j. Newton, announced that
$4,000 had been subscribed by the large
city firms which are contributing the money
TO defray the necessary expenses of "A force
of 1000 volunteers among the city corps.
The lord mayor also said that General Lord
Wolseey, the commander chief, had ac-
ceptod the offer OF the services of these vol
unteers