The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-04-24
WEPENER IN GRAVE PERIL
Roberts Advance Postponed Until
the Town Is Relieved.
General Ruadle Reported 90 Have
Net With Disaster-Ha1f OF the
BIOemfOntein Forces Hurried
South-The Boer Command Small.
Burghers Hold the Water Works.

LONDON, April 24.-The latest despatch
es from Bloemfontein say Wepener is in
grave peril General Rumble has met with
disaster snd General Roberts advance is
indefinitely postponed, while a desperate
effort is made TO save from 1000 TO 1900
irregular Colonial troops surrounded by
the Beers So difficult is this work and so
determined is Lord Roberts TO accomplish
1t that he has detached more than half OF
his great army. or $1,000 to 10000 men, to
handle a comparatively small Boer force
in the southeast corner of the Orange Free
State. Rundle's force is entTenching near
De Wets>Dorp and trying, amid constant
fighting. to work to the south of the Beers.
Lord Roberts telegraphs that Kundle
sent hfty-three of the First Worcester
shires to an outpost after dark and only
eighteen returned. The rest have prob
ably fallen into the hands of the Beers.
The report Of General Pole Carew's oe-
cupation of the Bloemfontein Water Works
is not confirmed, a message from Leeuw
Kop, dated yesterday, stating that Com
mandant De Wet is holding them with a
strong force. The corps under Colonel AL
derson, including the First and Second Ca
madam Mounted Rifles and Strathcona
Horse, shared in the attack on Leeuw Kop.
They were fred on heavily on approaching
house from which white flag was fly
ing Later on. the Eighty fifth Battery
shelled the house. The occupation of
Leeuw Kop opens NJ twelve miles of level
country to the front.
General Brabant's force. after outflanking
the Beers at Bushmans Kop, is now re-
ported to be within eight miles of Wep-
ener. Colonel Dalgettys garrison was
hardly molested OF Monday.
A despatch from a correspondent. dated
at Karee Fontein, Sunday, via Bloemfcn-
tein. April %. 5:55 p. m, says:
"A patrol of the Seventeenth Lancers
this morning rounded Leeuw Kop and
found that the Beers had evacuated the
forage farmhouse where they had been
quartered and had scattered in such a way
that it was plain that they had made
rapid night move. There were not more
than 500 men in the commando which is
supposed 10 be screening a large force to
the east They had one Krupp gun and
two Pompons.
AN engagement commenced at $50
O'Clock yesterday morning General Por-
ter's Horse Artillery shelled Bosman's Kop
but eliclted no reply. Thereupon Generals
Stephenson and Porter advanced to Reit-
fontein (Reits Spruit. near Wepener).
General Stephenson az noon signaled Gen
cral Fole-Carew that the Beers were shoot
ing his pickets. The order came back to
shell them out. Field Battery eighty-four
was posted on the long, dry spruit from
which they threw shrapnel into the Boers
and silenced their guns. Artillery Bat
teries eighty-three and eigbty-fve. with
two naval 12-pounders, joined the bri-
gade near sunset and then a long backward
detour was made around the spruit to join
General Pole-Carew who established his
headquarters for the night at Karee Fon-
tein. Stephenson and Porter Joined Pole
Carew and Dickson in the forenoon.
General French arrived at Karee Fon-
tein yesterday evening and assumed gen
erai command"