The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-10-25
IRVING 10 EXPLAIN
10 Summary of the Situation
in Natal. 6
GENERAL JULES RETIREMENT
petrFibed As a Change Of Position
46r Tactical Reasons : Resembles
pain's statements When Preparing
tho People for News of Santiago
Disaster.

LONDON. Oct. 24.-The war ONCE
here this morning has been attempting
% explain the summary Of the situation
q Natal furnished by the commander
in.chIef Of the forces. Field Marshal
l.ord wolselsy. to the house OF COM
mons yesterday. His statement is now
said to have created unnecessary alarm
and 1t is asserted what the official note
called General Yule's retirement"
would be more accurately described as
"A change Of position for tactical rea-
Sons" and that the alarm for the safety
81 the wounded is not jusdhable. It is
further explained that the wounded
could not be moved; but the fact that
they had to be left to their fate while
the British forces made strategic
movement to the rear shows the sus-
penSe Of the public at the absence Of
subsequent news is amply 1ustltled and
hat the heavy lighting on Friday and
berhaps Saturday is only a prelude to
,tiI Steiner work. In some quarters
Inc view Is taken that the second at
:aclt Of the Beers has actually occurred
and was so successful that General
Rule, far from retreating. has in reality
advanced to meet the attack threaten
ng Glencoe. leaving Dundee behind,
Iafely sheltered from Boer assault
IN the absence Of authentic news
there are a number of contradictory
.tinors afoat. but the most reasonable
Interpretation of the various reports
seems to indicate that there was some
artillery practice at Glencoe Saturday
md Sunday, but no fighting at close
luarters. AS, however. communication
between Glencoe and LadYsmIth. which
were thought to have been restored by
the British victory at EIandslaate, has
again been broken by the destruction
Of the railway bridge at waschbank,
north Of Ladysmlth and between
Elandslaagte and Glencoe. the dlficul-
lies Of the British commander In Natal.
General Sir George Stewart White, in
reinforcing Glencoe have been enor-
mously Increased. and until the British
forces at Ladysmith and Glencoe are
united and the main body Of the Beers
Is broken. the situation must remain
dIsquietlng for the British.
Z The afternoon papers here sharply
criticize Lord wolseley's summary Of
the Natal situation. They say 1t has a
distinct resemblance to the statements
Of the spanish ministry when preparing
their countrymen for news of the dis
aster at Santiago. This, however is
probably an overstrained view. There
Is no denying, however, the great sus-
parse aad anxiety existing, which has
been Increased BY the report in clFcula-
tioM purportIns TO emcnate from OH
cial quarters TO the effect that the Beers
have secured the services OF $4,000 ma
tives.
Tho vague and varied estimeies Of
the Boer losses and the absence OF any
thing ofIicial on the subject are also
arousing mlsgivings as to whether the
beaten enemy suffered proportIonNtely
TO the disastrous losses of the vletors.
One of the most dIsquieting stories
comes from LadysmIth. 1t is to the ef-
feet that an Engiishman who arrived
there from Dundee on Sunday evening,
after escaping through the Bocr lines
on the previous night, reported that the
enemy was then Smelling the camp and
town with heavy guns while the shells
OF the British were unable to reach the
enemys batteries. Consequently. the
man is said to have added, the camp
was shifted a mile or so, in order to be
out of reach of the Beers, who were flr-
ing on the magazine in the town.