Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-02-15
BEATEN
AGAIN
Buffers Third Attempt to
Relieve Ladysmith
Fails.
Mr.. BalfOur Hints Disas-
ter and London AC=
Cepts News.
ReVerSeS to British Arms
Reported From Other
Points,

ten prints a special dispatch from a
correspondent who claims that Gen
eral Buffers third attempt to relieve
LaGysmith has completely failed.
London Accepts Reverse.
London, Feb. 10.-London accepts
as true the boer statement that Bull
Ter has failed again. These state,
ments were passed by the British CEN
sor at Alden and confirmed by Mr.. Bal
tours announcement in the house of
commons that Gen Butler is not
pressing his advance Winston Church
i'll wires that Vaal Krantz was i'm
practicable for guns, which were need
ed to support further advance. His
cablegram leaves Butler on Tuesday
night sending a fresh brigade to re-
iieve the tired holders of Vaal Krantz
Descriptive writer's with Butler were
allowed a rather free hand again in
explaining the ugly position which the
British held and the natural obstacles
which mad to be overcome. So it is
easy to infer that with boer riflemen
hills and ravines had not been over
come and thus the public was prepared
IN advance for bad news.
A heliograph from Ladysmith, dated
Monday, says the effect of Buffers can
nonade had worn the garrison. Hope
ran high that the long period of mac
t-vity was drawing to a close. The
crash Of guns was almost continuous
for ten hours; at times it seemed as
if as many as 20 shells burst in a
minute. The beers, preparing always
for a possibility Of defeat, were driv-
ing herds and sending long wagon
es. Intense darkness and silence fol-
lowed, broken only by frogs croaking
and the occasional blaze of star shells,
surrounding the town with a circle of
light to prevent the unobserved ap-
prOach of the enemy. A series of Brit
ish mines, laid for beers, exploded &C
cidentally shaking and alarming the
nd tiTn
ment is the talk of military COM
mentors. The theory that finds ac-
ceptance is that it was ordered by
Lord Roberts and that both Buffers
and MacDonald's operations were by
the direction of the commander in
chief, in order to occupy the beers at
widely separated points, SO they would
be unable to transfer any por-
ton of their forces to op-
pose the projected central ad-
vance. Charles Williams, the military
writer who is understood to be in con-
fidential relations with Lord Wolseley,
says that beyond doubt the most au
thoritative opinion in London
regards it as probable that
an endeavor will be made to
force the line of the Orange river be-
fore Wednesday next, possibly Mon
day. Henry w. Lucy says the health
of Sir Alfred Miner, governor of Cape
Colony, is suffering from the prolonged
strain and a dispatch to the Times
from Koodoosberg, dated Feb. 8, says:
ut is reported boer achievements are
arriving from Magersfontein. Our po-
sition is easily tenable, but the entire
force has been ordered to return to
Modder river tomorrow. The Times
has the following from Kimberley,
dated Feb. 8: The beers big gun
shelled us all day yesterday but no
body was killed. A correspondent OF
the Times at Lourenzo Marques, under
date of Feb. s, says: Recent visitors
in Inhambane report that the Portu-
guese customs authorities there seized
a quantity of arms and ammunition
consigned under false description"
First Lord of Admiralty Geo. J.
Ioschen is preparing estimates for a
IA sc IuCIcdSS III Inc navy. IL ID
thought not improbable that parlia
nent will be asked for G20,000,00 for |
new ships. The war office has re-
iuced the minimum standard height |
lgain, this time to feet inches for |
infantry, feet for artillery. DR.. |
4eyds has issued in Brussels a state
nent for publication in England de-
lying purported interviews in which |
le was represented as predicting the
Intervention Of powers in the event
f the British invading the
rec State. He says he is
onvinced the war will continue as
ong as the two republics have arms
nd ammunition. If mauser cartridges
i've out, the beers, he asserts, will fall
ack upon the Henry rife of
Thich they have supply, and ammu-
ition that is practically inexhaustible.
special dispatch from Spearman's (
amp, dated Friday noon, says owing
} the boer cross fire and impossibility c
entrenching Vaal Krantz, Buffers
,rce will withdraw
Butler Not Pressing Advance.
London, Feb. 10.-Mr. Balfour, gov
'nment leader, replying to question
| the house Of commons as to whether
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