The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-10-25

The Generals Summing Up of the Sit
uation i'm Natal.


The Generals Summing Up of the Sit
uatiOn i'm Natal.
LONDON, Oct. 2.-The parliamentary
secretary for the War Office, George Wynd-
ham, in the House of Commons to-day an
nounced that Field Marshal Lord Wolseley,
the commander-in-chief of the forces. had
summed up the situation in Natal to-day as
follows:
General Yule has fallen back to effect
a junction with Sir George Stewart White.
He camped yesterday evening about sixteen
miles south of Dundee, without seeing any
thing of the enemy during the march, and
it has been reported that all's well on the
Welschbank river.
General White fought a successful battle
with an Orange Free State force to-day on
the road between Ladysmith and Newcastle,
and should join hands with General Yue
this evening. General Yule reports that his
wounded are doing well. The Boer wounded
on our hands are treated just as our own,
and L have every reason to believe the
Beers will treat any of our wounded in
their hands in similarly humane manner"
Mr. wyndham added: Il may remind the
House that the Transvaal is a party TO the
Geneva convention"
received from General Walker, at Cape
Town, the following: The last message
from Kimberley. Oct. %, p. m, reports
al well.''
Replying to question as to what ar
rangements had been made to employ civil
ian doctors to assist in the care of the
wounded in South Africa, Mr.. Wyndham
said he was glad to have the opportunity of
announcing that Sir William MacCormack,
the distinguished president of the Royal
College of Surgeons. had intimated his read
iness to accompany General Sir Redvers
Buffers force and place his great skill and
ability at the disposal of the army medical
authorities. Mr.. Wyndham added: I'VE
have not hestated to accept the patriotic
OFFER"
The afternoon newspapers here sharply
criticise Lord Wolseley's summary of the
Natal situation. They say it has distinct
resemblance to the statement Of the Spanish
| Ministry when preparing their country
men for news of the disaster at Santiago.
This, however, is probably an overstrained
view. There is no denying, however, that
the suspense and anxiety existing, which
has been increased by the report in cir
| culation, purporting TO emanate from Off
| cial quarters. to the effect that the Beers
| have secured the services of their 1890 ma
| tives. The vague and varied estimates of
| the Boer losses and absence of anything
| official on the subject are also arousing
| misgivings as to whether the beaten army
| suffered proportionately to the disastrous
| losses of the victors.
One Of TIE most disquieting stories comes
from Ladyemith. 1t is to the effect that an
| Englishman who arrived there from Dundee
| on Sunday evening, after escaping through
the Boer lines on the previous night, said
! that the enemy was then shelling the camp
| and town with heavy guns while the shells
| of the British was unable to reach the
| enemys batteries. Consequently, the man
| is said to have added. the camp was shifted
a mile so in order to be out of reach
| of the Beers, who were firing on the maya
| zines In the town.
| In the absence of authentic news from
| the front there are a number of cOntradic-
| tory rumors afloat, but the most reason
| able Interpretation of the various reports
seems TO indicate that there was some ar
| tillery practice at Glencoe Saturday and
| Sunday but no fighting at close quarters.
| As, however, communication between Glen
coe and Ladysmith, which was thought 10
! have been restored by the British victory
| at Elandslaagte, has again been broken by
| the destruction of the railway bridge al
| Waschbank, north of Ladysmith and be-
| tween Elandslaagte and Glencoe, the diff
1 ficulties of the British commander in Natal
General Sir George Stewart White, on re-
| inforcing Glencoe have been enormously in
| creased, and until the British forces al
| Ladysmith and Glencoe are united and the
| main body of the Beers is broken, the sit
| uaton must remain disquieting for the
| British.
General White has not fought his way
| out of Ladysmith. published in New
York. because he left I.adysmith Saturday
| morning and captured Elandslaagte, whicl
| is eighteen miles out, and he has since ap
parently moved towards waschbank and /.
/ expected to unite with General Yule il
| the noighborhood of Waschbank to-nigh.
| so his fight with the Orange Free State
troops to-day may have occurred nearly
| tw enty-five miles cut from Ladysmith ant
as it took place on the Ladysmith- New
west and almost parallel with the railroad
he evidently encountered the Free Stat,
force which had taken up position in tn,
| Biggarsburg hills and blocked the road be
tween Ladysmith and Glencoe, also threat
ening General Yules flank. The dispersa
| of the Orange Free State forces sensibl,
improves the British position at Waschbanl
IL General White decides TO wait there fo
| General Joubert.
Lieutenant Barnes. who was wounded a
the battle OF Elandslaagte. is a brother o
| Violet Van Brugh, the well-known actress
Germany has sent to follow the British
forces in South Africa her military attach,
in London, Captain Baron Won Luttwitz
| who married Miss Mamie Carey, of Cleve
| land. O.
The British military authorities hope I,
have the wireless telegraph in operation il
South Africa within three weeks, when il il
hoped the difficulties experienced in the cut
ting of wires will be obviated, as IL will onl,
be necessary to establish communication
with point at which the ordinary wire
| are intact.
Ii is rumored at Plymouth that the Ad
| miralty is about TO mobilize a reserve flee
in home ports, and that this and other nava
undertakings are due to the intention @
| Russia TO seize port in the Persian gulf
1 ---~
| JOHANNESBURG a HOSPITAL.
Beds I'm Private Houses Appropriated