Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-02-15
British Succeeded in Cross
ing MOdder River.
GEN. FRENCH'S ATTACKS
Were Successful and Were Fought in
Excessive Heat and Binding Dust
Storm Battle With Gen. CrOnje is
Expected Soon.

London, Feb. Is, APO a. m.-Thc Brit.
ish army for the first time since the war
began is inside the Boer frontier. Lord
Roberts. With at least 40. 1000 infantry, T.
900 cavalry and $50 guns, has turned the
Magersfontein lines, before Which the
British force have been encamped for ten
weeks and with half OF his corps he is
already operating on Free State terri
tory.
A battle has not yet been fought, but
large advantages have been gained. The
relief of Kimberley is within measurable
reach and tbs way to Bloemfontein IS
ap~preciably easier.
The dispatches of Lord Roberts sketch
Lord Roberts three days work. The for
ward movement bsgan on Monday, when
Colonel Hannay set out with a brigade
OF mounted infantry from Ramna, on
the Riet. eight miles from Jacobsdal, one
of the Boar supply bases. On Monday
General French. with the cavalry divi-
sion, seized the crossing of the Riet river
at De Kills drift, south of ~Jacobdai, and
eighteen miles east of Honey Nest kloof.
He skil1n!shed with the Beers and clear
ed the way for 20, 900 infantry, who fol-
lowed across.
On Tuesday. with his three cavalry
brigades and the horse artillery, General
French rode to the Modder river. a dis
tance If twenty-five miles, and took three
fords with high ground beyond the river
and five Boer camps. He had a few cas-
ualties in brushes with the Boer horse.
General French has now fixed himself on
General Cronje's main line of
cation with B~loemfontein, n 20,cO0 in
fantry with seventy-two guns are being
pushed up to support him there. Lord
Roberts dispatches, wired from inside
the Free State, and on the Riet river,
left him Wednesday morning. His adj
vance had not been opposed by the Beers
in force. Their patrols melted away as
the British moved forward. The Boer
army is likely to be felt in a day or two
and a battle is consequently imminent.
As 10 what forces General Cronje now
has at his disposal and as to where ne
proposes making a stand against the in
vaders, no one here connected with the
war Office knows anything. Data IS
wholly wanbing. The forces immedi-
ately at the disposal Of Lord Roberts
are placed at $4,000, In a general way.
These figures are revealed by the COM
nrandS mentioned in the dispatches as
having been added to the divisions known
to be with Lord Methuen. Quite possibly
Lord Roberts has 1900 Or $1,000 more.
1t is now realized that the incidents al
Rensbelg have been out of all proportion.
Merely skeleton lines are. maintained
there, while troops were being secretly
and rapdiy concentrated on uhe Modder
river. The facility with which so, 900 men
have already been sent beyond the rail-
road terminus shows that Lord Kitchener
has been fully successful in organizing
transportation. He is now supposed to
be wv the line, sending Forward more
troops and eating together more trans
ports. About five miles of OK and mule
wagon trains are estimated for each d.
vision, so that Lord Kitchener, h lis re-
puted to have more skill as a successful
manager in handing field trarssportatio
han Lord Roberts, is supposed to have
ample transport facilities.
The London morning papers take
rather sober views of the situation, blu;
are greatly pleased and hopeful of what
lis to come They " been ftd, how.
ever. on sucii a low diet Of British sue
cesses that they are disposed to caution
and given to measuring developments
with considerable reserve.