Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1900-04-18
Lord Roberts at Last Seems on
the. Eve Of Making His
Main Advance.
Presumed His $4,000 Men Will
Move in Columns With
Broad Front.
Beers Said to Be Showing Great
Activity on Basutoland
N 81 Border.

3s
AZ Il LONDON, April 1s.-At last Roberts
seems to be on the eve. of making his
main advance towards Pretoria. I'm
less all the usually reliable sources Of
information and all the indications
smuggled past the censor are at fault
the British army within a few days will
be marching northward. After many
premature and unfounded reports that
have purported to tell Of this move.
there is naturally, even in the best in
formed quarters, considerable hesitancy
in definitely settling upon the day Lord
Roberts is likely to leave Bloemfo fontein,
but there is a settled impression that i
will occur either at the send Of this week
or the beginning of next. The long,
weary wait in the Free State capital
has. apparently, effected q much needed
utilization, though it lis probable
Lord Roberts would still further have
delayed his advance had not the Boer
activity forced him to put his forces in,
such positions, that, unless they quickly
proceed northward, the strategic adj
vantage will be lost. S. S.s
that the advance will be made in paral-
lei columns, with a broad front, west
of the railroad, the third and, eighth
divisions sweeping northward to the
extreme northwest, the entire force
amounting to rs, 900 men.
Exactly what part General Butler
will take is still a secret which no one
is able to probe. .3
From the seat Of war there is signif-
cant silence. From The Hague comes
the news thaDt Boer delegates refuse
to make public the object of their mis-.
sion. They hope to be received by
Queen Wilhelmina, but nothing in this
direction has yet been decided upon.
HAVE LEFT ELANDsLAAGTE.
Eoers Said to Have Retired to Their Big
garsberg Positions. 3 5
5 New YORK, April 18 "A dispatch to
The Tribune from London says: Lady
smith dispatches confirm the report that:
the Beers have retired from the Eland-
slaagte district to their Biggarsberg DO
sitions. No raiding operations south
ward have been reported, and it is now
clear that the Boer advance was ordered
for the sake Of emplo oying the burghers
on active duty and Of checking deser-
tions. The British inactivity in one
sense is mastery, since it demoralizes
the enemy. N @ (
Sir Redvers Bnller's scouts have re-
ported that the Beers have wrecked the
engine house and shafts Of three collier
les by heavy charges Of dynamite.
South Africans explain these attacks
on the theory that the Beers are aware
that claims for damages to property in
Natal and Cape Colony, which viii be
presented after the war, can never be
assessed against the farmers Of the two
commonwealth but will be liquidated
by Rand mine owners Accordingly,
the Beers feel at liberty to inflict as
much damage as possib ible, since the in
demnity viii come out of the mining
industry Of the Rand in the form Of
taxation based on the profits Of the
companies. The theory is correct,
without doubt, that Johannesburg will
pay the piper when the war is over.
lNGlUIlCI ElOIs mas
resources for liquidating war indemni-s
ties and bills for damages.
The general situation at Bloemfontein
is unchanged. Military experts here
do not expect an advance northward for
a week or ten days, since Lord Roberts:
is waiting for large shipments Of horses,
which have barely arrived at Cape
Town. They are also convinced that
General Butler will remain on the de-
fensiYe and not attack Biggarsberg un-
til the enemy IS force has been drawn bff
by Lord Roberts invasion Of the Trans
vaal Tt is considered probable that
Generals Hunter and Brabant will work
their way up to w Wepener and Lady
brand, and IN this way protect Lord
Roberts line of communicable
ON BASUTOLAND BORDER.
Bners Said tot Be Displaying Great
Activity.
MAsERu, Basntoland, Monday, April
si8The Beers. for two days past, have
been displaying great activity along the
Retidersbnrg and Roux xYille road. Their
scouts report that the British are ad-
vancing on those plsces to the relief of
Wepener. sss
Scouts have just reported rifle firing
in the direction of Thaba M Ckn.