The Portland daily press., 1899-12-26
BOERs' LOSS SMALL.
Account of the Battle OF Tusera River
From Pretoria.

From Pretoria.
Pretoria, Dec. II, Sunday. Over 800
British prisoners captured at tho battle
of Stormberg have arrived here. They
have been taken to Waterfall to join the
other prisoners.
An official account Of the battle of Tu-
gela River says thirty men were killed
or wounded.
General Schalk-Burgher' report OF
the battle, despatched from the head
lager on Dec 16r says; Friday at
dawn the day log expected arrived.
The Pretoria detachment OF artillery
gave the alarm, General Buffers Lady
smith relief column WAS Ia battle array
advancing on the Boer positions close to
the Tugela and Colenso. The centre
consisted of an immense crowd of infan'
try flanked on each side by two batteries
with strong bodies Of cavalry supporting
The Boer artillery preserved absolute
silence, not disc osing Its position. Two
batteries came within rifle distance of
our foremost position aud tho Beers then
opened fire with deadly effect. Our ar
tillery also commenced and apparently
absolutely confused the enemy, who
r-sre allowed TO think the bridge was
open for them to cross. Their right
flank in the meantime attacked the
Beers southernmost position but the
Mauser rifle fire was so tremendous that
they were rolled back like a spent wave,
leaving ridges and ridges of dead and
dying humanity behind. Again the
British advanced to the attack, but again
fell back, swelling tho heaps of dead.
Their cavalry charged to the river whore
tho Ermelo commando delivered such a
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 sue
cecded in hitching on to one cannon and
the second trial the horses and men fell
in 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
recovering the cannon.
The French attaohe. vilebois. and the
German attache Braun. say tho fight
could not have been improved upon by
the armies of Europe.
Generals Botha and TTichard were al
ways at the most dangerous points of
fighting.
Eleven ambulances removed the En-
glish dead and wounded.
Such a tremendous cannonade has
seldom been heard. The veldt for miles
was covered with dead and wounded.
1t was most crushing British defeat.
Nino of the cannon have since been
brought across the river.
The British asked for and were grant
ed 24 hours armistice.
CONCERNED ABOUT CHURCHILL
Pertoris. Sunday, December 1.-THE
escape Of wipston ChurcSili and the
officials are doing their utmost to discov-
or how be got away. The officials have
Instituted a house to houss ssarch for
pspsrs. Tbs voikstsm
asserts that be escaped disguised rs q
woman. The last book Churchill bor-
Ths offioiai rep,rt of the goid output
for November shows the amount to be
81, 7Ss ounces
OUR INTERFERENCE ASKED FOR.
New York, December 25. John V. J..
Pruyn. chairman OF the 90 nmittss to aid
The ksd Cross within the Boer lines, ssnt
Inc following despatch to Prssldsnt Nc
Kinley today:
"With cordial Christmas greetings,
venture to express the wieh that the
United States government as its Christ
mas gift to civilization. will tender its
good Offices or the equivalent to the bel
ligsrents In South Africa. thereby prs-
pairing the way for treaty Of peace
which, with full honor and friendly sem
siments to Great Britain, shall forever
guarantee absolute indep n iencs to our
sister republics"
MIR. Pruyn said tonight that the COM
nittse had received about $1,000 to aid the
work Of the Red Cross within the Boer
Inca.
The Netherlands Red Cross society.
which .. .. receives the funds collected in
New York, Is In need OF more money TO
the two ambuiances sent to
south Africa