The San Francisco call., 1899-12-13

now completely destroyed, but the
ROAD bridge is still standing
Although there is the Cape Town rumor
that hghting was proceeding all day Mon
day in the direction of Modder River we
are still without further definite news of
Lord Methuen's advance He is con-
fronted with a very powerful Boer force.
the defeat Of which must tax the energies
OF his column TO the utmost. He is also
IN some danger from Boer attacks upon
the right flank and his line OF communica-
ton. 1t Is now certain that the forces
which he dislodged from their positions at
Belmont and Modder River are by no
means shattered in morale.
The British defeat at Stormberg has
increased the risk OF operations against
his rear, since it would be perfectly pos
sible for the Beers to dispatch men by
rail- from Stormberg and Fauresmith.
which are only about sixty miles from
Gras Pan and Belmont Besides. II is
more than probable that a consldera BILE
body OF men has been moved from Lady
smith across the Free State to Jacobs
dahl.
The Beers will make most desperate eff
forts TO crush the Kimberley relief force
In military circles. however. there exists
a firm belief that the skill. general dis
cipline and bravery Of the troops will ex-
tricate them from their difficult position
and inflict a crushing defeat upon the
Beers
While the firing heard on Monday might
be from great battle. II is more likely TO
be an artillery reconnaissance No doubt
the enemy's trenhces will be thoroughly
bombarded before they are attacked.
General Methuen is likely TO clear his
flank and rear before he commits himself
to-a pitched battle with Cronje's COM
mandos.
Gatacre's detailed explanation of his
reverse, as given out by the War Office,
last evening. has caused considerable as
tonishment and evoked .chary criticism.
He said that the operation. which ended
in lamentable failure, seemed to promise
certain success. but the distance was un-
derestimated by both himself and the To-
cal guides. 1t seems incomprehensible
that general should not be supplied with
good maps. and yet there is hardly an
other explanation. That the palpable
moral of the Franco-German war in this
respect should have been overlooked
comes with a shocii. In that death strug-
gle the French officers could not obtain
maps nf their frontier provinces. while
the Germans knew almost every road and
lane between the Rhin. and Paris.
II Is lamentable that this disaster should
have occurred on British soil because the
British commander underestimated the
distance between his camp and that OF
the Beers. The fact that General Gatacre
himself had not reconnoitered the Beers
position was evidently due to his weak
ness in cavalry, which prevented a recon
noissance In any force. such as would
compel the Beers TO unmask their artil-
lery
One result of the reverse is the growing
conviction that the strength of the Beers
has been underestimated: that In all d.
rections the British are confronted by SUI
perior numbers. and that II is the duty of
the nation and the Government to rush
out more reinforcements
The last units of the Sixth Division en-
bark within day or So and II IS now
urged that the Seventh Division should
be mobilized at once and sent to the front
Mafeking Is on reduced rations and Is
being heavily bomoarded. but Colonel
Baden-Powell will give the Beers a great
deal more trouble. His relief from Rho
desia reached Gaberoaes on December 2.
200 miles 10 the north. from which place
the Beers had retired.
1t 10 not impossible that tho Beers are
trying a flank movement against General