The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-05-16
EARLY AFRICAN WAR NEWS
DUNDEE OCCUPIED BY GENERAL
 BULLER'S FORCES.

The City Looted and Coilicry Machinery | Destroyed-Boers Fleeing Toward, ! Lsins's Nek-Ofiicial Dispatches Tell | Ing of the Movement on Bigaarsberg London, May 15.--It was officially an nounced this afternoon that Dundee had
 been occupied by the British, The news
 was contained in the following dispatch
 received by the war office from General
 Butler:
 Dundee, May 15 i D. m.-We have enemy left yesterday for Glencoe, where
 they entrained. Their wagons also left
 yesterday by De Jaeger's Drift and the
 Dannhauser road. Their Kaffirs said
 they were going to Laing's Nel1. Al
 most every house in Dundee is com pletely footed. The, Navigation colliery Dundee collieries is destroyed. The houses of the town are damaged, but arc structurally intact"
 The war office to-day furnishes con- firmation of the Associated Press story of yesterday telling of General Buffers move on the Bggarsberg, in dispatch from General Butler as follows:
 'Kenp's Farm, May 15.-The follow ing telegrams sent to Roberts are now repeated to you. They begin under date of May 13:
 |" Tn accordance with instructions to keep the enemy occupied at the Big garsberg, on May Il, concentrated the Third cavalry brigade of the Second division and some corps of artillery at Sundays River Drift, on the Helpma- kaar road, and directed Colonel Bethune to advance on Greytown with the Beth une Mounted infantry, the Umvod Mounted Rifles and the Imperial Light infantry On May 12 we moved to Waschbank and Bethune to Pomeroy, while General Hildyard, from Elands- laagte, occupied Indoda Mountains. On May 13 I sent General Hamilton, with three ba attalions, up the steep slope of Withock Hill. The Third cavalry brig ade crowned hill on each side of the main road, and Bethune attacked by the Pmorey road from three sides. The enemy hurriedly abandoned the position which they had strongly intrenched, and retired to the Nek in front of Help whence we hope to dislodge them tomorrow, as many of them have retired. We have gained the summit of the Berg with the loss of only few men wounded. I advance tomorrow on Beth, and Hi1dyard moves on Vessels Nek. Our small loss, l think, was cer- tainly due to the excellent troops-lead- ing of Generals Hamilton and Lord Dundonald and Colonel Bethune.'
 May H.-The enemy evacuated Nek during the night, leaving a rear guard of about thou sand men in front of us. These we have forced back throughout the day under difficulties, as they fired all the grass on top of the berg as they re- treated, and the wind being unfavorable to us, we were scarcely able to see at all l halted the Infantry, who march ed very well through the hot smoke, at Beith The cavalry have not yet report ed, but are some miles ahead. We have taken a few prisoners. Our casualties are small
 Kemp's Farm, May 15.-Dundonald reported late last night that he had driven the rear guard on to the main body of the enemy near Buralinden, where they occupied in force strong position with three powerful guns. Ma for Cough, with the Composite regi- nent, manoeuvred to the right round heir left flank, and they retired. Dun- donald then halted. He was twenty i've miles, as the crow flies, from his previous nights bivouac, and had cov- ered nearly forty miles during the day n a waterless country, most of the time 'iding through smoke l think his pur- suit a very fine performance. From | prisoners I learn that the enemy num- )ered over two thousand at Helpmakaar md, being now joined by those who left Van Jonders Pass, they must total nearly three thousand. We move on Dundee to-day. Hlldyard reporta the of Vessels Nek and is re- )airing the line
 Judging from the above dispatches, | he British advance Is little more than
 
 we're active at first, later appear to have l hoWn the same readiness to retreat which is now marking the movements if the federals in the Free State. Ap- 1 ,arently they are about to evacuate Ma l al and concentrate for. the defense of | 4aing's Nek, northWard, and Van Rec | lens Pass, westward. The reoccupa- | ion of Dundee by the British places | he coal supplies there again in their | lands.
 From elsewhere there is little news of | definite character Interest for the | moment is almost entirely centered in | whence the wife of the may | IT to-day received a cablegram setting | orth that all was well on May g.