The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-12-10
ADVANCE OF THE RELIEF.
Forces Now Marching On to Kimber-
ley and Ladysmith.

New York. Dec. 9.-Reviewing the
Anglo-Boer situation, the London cor
respondent of the Herald says: Such
the news that General Methuen's COM
municationS had been cut at GraS Pan,
was fleeing, for information reached
the war office at midnight that the
British commander at MOdder river had
again been heard from. 1t was also
learned that General Darlington had
arrived at Modder river to take COM
mand of the cavalry, presumably TAX
ing up with him the major portion of
a brigade.
Almost simultaneously came a brief
dispatch indicating that the long eX-
pected advance for the relief of Lady
smith had begun. This important news
was contained in an agency telegram
from Pretoria, saying that an official
report from the Boer head lager near
Ladysmith was in effect that the Brit
ish were advancing on Colenso. From
the date of the dispatch, Thursday, it
would appear that the northward
movement from Frere began on We'd
nesday. The Boer position on the Tu-
gela had not been attacked up to We'd
nesday night. No confirmation of this
is forthcoming, either from the war Of
flee or from newspaper dispatches, but
it is evident on reading some of the
latter that the hand of the censor has
been at work.
Taken in conjunction with the news
from Pretoria that fighting had begun
on the Modder river on the morning of
Wednesday. the news of Methuens
communication having been cut was
looked upon as rather alarming. 1t
was inferred that ii had been found
impossible TO keep intact the line of
or loo xr-hi CT al
the railroad between the Orange river
and the Modder river. matter of fifty
miles. and that parties of Beers had
manager to maintain themselves even
on the scene CT General Methuen's dear
ly bought victory.
Pessimists regarded the isolation of
Methuen's none too large force as a
serious matter especially as General
Gatacre does not seem able to make
much Roadway from the direction of
Storm berg Junction.
While the Beers must number quite
I5.oG0 men, the original force which
fought at ModGer river having been
reinforced from Kimberley, Jacobsdal
and Bloemfontein. it must not be for
gotten that Methuen. too. on his part.
has been reinforced. Although many
regiments have lost heavily. he must
command now nearly 1000 men.
On the Natal side there is good rea-
son to believe that an action is immi-
nent The difficult work of bridging
the Tugela river in the face of the enc
my must be the first step. The Beers
around Ladysmith are reported to be
preparing strong positions, in which
heavy arms are being mounted behind
masonry.
Persistent Smelling of the hospital
within the British lines is reported, in
spite of the Red Cross flag. which
waves above it, and the repeated pro-
tests of Sir George White. On Nov. 30
a shell fell right in the building. killing
one man and wounding nine others. 1t
is. of course. impossible to attribute
this to accident.
AS to Mafesing. all kinds of reports
are current some of which point TO
possibility that the siege has already
been raised.
The fact that from the end of last
month dispatches from Colonel Baden
Powell and various correspondents have
been coming through from the beieas-
ured town very much quicker, would
appear to bear out the belief that the
siege became weaker since General
Crorie's force was called south TO re-
inforce the Beers at Modder river and
around Kimberley.
Colonel Baden-P Powell himself. under
date of Nov. 25. said that all was well;
that the bombardment was intermittent
and the besieging force was now much
weaker
A message from Magalapye an
nounced. that preparations had been
completed for an advance in force for
the purpose Of repairing the railway
and restoring communication with
Mafeking. A dispatch from Modder