Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1899-12-29

Asia, high official dec Jared in part
"There is no objection to stating that
the understanding had by Great Brit
ain, Germany and Portugal refers only
to Africa and leaves Asia out of the ac-
count.
LONDON, Dec. 29.-Acoording to a
dispatch received from Ladysmith,
dated Wedn esday, Dec. 90, the heat
then was intense, being 104 degrees
fahrenheit in the shade. There Were
many cases of enteric fever in the town
at that time, but not enough to cause
alarm, On the other hand, reports from
Boer sources ON the continent assert that
typhoid fever is epidemic in Lady
The Modder river correspondent of
The Daily Chronicle gave an explana.
ton of sudden rife fire inexplicablv
opened from the Boer trenches. He
said:
1.-The Beers have wires stretched
along the ground in front of the
tire inches and connected with lamps II
wire be touched a lamp is extin-
guished, thus giving warning. Ono
night high wind extinguisned a lamp,
which resulted in false alarm. L he
fire ceased when the Beers discov cred
that the alarm was false
A correspondent OF The Daily New
at Frere camp announced that tram
way is being constructed from the rail
way to a hill commanding the Boer Pc
sition, and that along this the British
will convey heavy guns.
A dispatch to The Daily Mail from
Pietermaritzburg, dated Saturday, Dec.
80, said in part:
Thanks TO the services or continental
officers, the character of the campaign
has changed. We are no longer fight
ing foe who relies upon guerilla tao
tics, but we have to deal with what is
rapidly becoming a disciplined army,
enjoying the advantages of knowing
the country and of selecting the scene
of contest without the burdens of
cumbersome commisiarat.
1.-THE Beers have converted the hills
near Colenso into fortresses of immense
strength. Everywhere they have SPLEEN
did trenches, many of them bomb proof.
Tramway lines permit the shifting of
guns with astonishing rapidity. The
main positions are connected with the
outlying positions by underground pas
sages and the forts proper bristle with
machine guns that command the APP
proaches. Probably mines are laid.
Zone hears less nowadays about Boer
shells not bursting. Observers of the
Calenso fight say the Boer shell fire was
very effective. This is due largely to
the fact that the distances are marked
off with white paint.
CAPE Town, Dec. ga man named
Green, a former sergeant major of the
British balloon departments among the
Boer prisoners captured at Magersfon-
t. ra1 Al6nrchnf IN
1898. He said there were %. 900 Beers
at Magersfontein, 81 900 Of whom were
engaged the day of the battle. The Boer
losses, he also asserted, were very
heavy, the trenches being full of dead.
Green further declared that if the at
tack had been pressed the Beers would
have yielded.
CHIEvELEY CAMP, Natal, Wednesday,
Dec. 27.-A heavy Boer gnn on Bull
whana hill fired steadily upon Lady
smith throughout the morning. Lady.
smith did not respond.
The enemy having been again de-
tected attempting to improve their
trenches facing General Butler, the
British heavy guns opened upon them
and the Beers scampered back into the
hills. The British patrols sighted the
enemy in force on the extreme left.
Nine Beers were killed in a skirnish
that followed, and six Boer wagons
were captured.
LONDON, Dec. 29.-The war Office re-
ceived a dispatch from Cape Town,
dated Dec 81, containing the following:
ssMethuen reports as follows: AT $3.50
yesterday evening the Boers on the south
side of Magorsfontein opened very
heavy fire for some time. This morning
the naval brigade u ssocunoatssan0 u ;