The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-08

AiSHced win an increased number of guns
IL a. m.-Further reports of yesterdays
lighting at the Upper Tugela river show
that the British lost heavily at Pont Drift,
out took an important position on a small
kopje, on the Molen Drift side.
Four Beers were killed. The British
loss is unknown. They are stll in pos
session of the kopje and the big guns
have ceased firing.
How the Advance Was Made.
London, Feb. S,-The Standard has the
following from spearmans Camp, dated
Feb 7:
The force under Cen Butler is again
advancing to the relief of Ladysmith. and
after two days of severe fighting, it may
fairly be said to have made a good first
step on the road to the besieged town.
THE movement was begun at an early
hour on Monday morning by way of Pot
gieters Drift The Eleventh Brigade.
forming a part of the Fifth Division. un-
der Gen. Warren, made a feint attack on
the kopjes Immediately on our front. The
assault was delivered at the outset under
cover of naval guns on Mount Alice and
subsequently under that of field batteries.
The infantry advanced steadily toward
the Boer entrenched position at Brak-
fontein and kept the enemy busily en-
ployed. While this diversion was being
made the remainder of the infantry told
off for the attack, who had bivouacke1
Sunday night under Mount Alice. moved
along at the foot of Zwarts kop in the
direction of our right.
"A pontoon bridge was thrown across
the Tugela by the engineers under the
fire of the enemy. The first battalion 10
move across in the forenoon was the Dur
ham Light Infantry, of Gen. Lyttleton's
brigade. They advanced against Vaal-
krantz, which lies on the most direct
road to Ladysmith, and after two hours
splendid work they got within charging
distance of the Beers.
At the BayOnet's Point.
The first of the kopjes was carried by
them at the point of the bayonet with the
utmost gallantry. Almost simultaneously
the First Battalion Rifle Brigade cleared
the second kopje, and after moving along
the ridge they bivouacked on the spot
The feinl attack at Potgieters Drift
having served its purpose in preventing
the concentration of the enemy al the crit
ical point, the Eleventh Brigade fell back
to the river
In the course of the operation, both
the infantry and the artillery had been
subjected to a severe shell fire.
Yesterday Tuesday) at o'clock in the
afternoon, encouraged doubtless by their
success at sp.on kop, the Beers endeav-
ored 90 recapture the position taken by US
at Vaalkrantz. They were beaten back,
however, with loss.
The work accomplished so far has been
magnidcently done The shell and Maxim
fire poured in by the Beers has been ex-
tremely severe, but our losses are, com
paratively speaking, small. The Durham
Light Infantry took a few prisoners in
the course of their charge.
"The enemy, as usual, fought with the
utmost stubbornness. The British maneu-
vering and the accuracy on the part of
the British artillery during the fighting
on Monday, were beyond praise. There is
not the slightest likelihood that the Beers
viii succeed in dislodging US from the
positions we have gained, and the pros
poets of the relief of Ladysmith are de-
cidedly hopeful"
m n the Att0PIx