The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1900-05-25
DELAY AT THE RIVER
Lord Roberts Finds the Rhe.
noster Impassable.
BRIDGE DESTRUCTION OFFENSIVE.
Natives Flee Before the Advancing
Imperial TrOops-NO News OF
BOcr Operntions-Relief Of
Mufekinx RetOld,

LONDON, May 25.-Lord Roberts in.
fantry advance is delayed at the Rhenos.
ter river for day or two by the depth OF
the stream, which is not fordable. The
banks, which are precipitous, are 40 feet
high. A pontoon and Temporary bridge
constructions are under way.
The railway has not been damaged to
any great extent between Kroonstadt
and the Rhenoster. The Transvaa lers
have offended the Free Staters by de.
stroying their splendid bridges when re.
firing to Kroonstadt. They refrained
from doing this on the retreat to the
Rhenoster. but now they are destroying
the railroad and bridges almost complete.
ly north of the Rhenoster.
The British troops are in the form of a
crescent, with horns 30 miles apart, with
General French's cavalry on the left
within % miles Of the Vaal and General
Ian HAmltons mounted men on tho
right within 80 miles of the Vaal. The
center of the crescent is about 40 miles
from the VaaI.
Seventy or eighty miles to the left Lord
Methuen is advancing up the Vaa.
Boer kilograms say that 5000 British,
with ten guns, are near Vredefort, which
Is close to the Naal and close to Parys.
One correspondent refers to the advance
as promenade" Another describes
1t as "Boer hunt" The Free Statevs
are pictured as "bolting like hares' ut
the first sight of the British. The Int.
ter, according to one writer, do not even
find women and children. as the fleeing
i. farmers take their families with them
in consequence of the reports current
among the Transvaalers that the British
kidnap all children over u years OF age.
The Boer rear guard was composed OF
Russians, to whom was committed the
tnsk of destroying the bridges. They
also looted freely.
What the Beers are doing is an abso
lutte mystery. The embargo upon news
ont of Pretoria for the last "a hours has
been complete Such shreds of informa
ton as the correspondents at Lourcnco
Marques have picked up do not illumi
nate the Boer designs and dispositions
further than that the movement toward
Lydenburg continues and that a refer
cndum on the question of continuing the
war is going on among the Boer lighting
men.
In Natal General Dartnelrs volunteers
occupied Mount Prospect Monday. lord
Dundonald's cavalry is at Firmstoncs,
near lngogo. His infantry rests at
Schoenshoogte. These names are all OF
fateful memory in the first Boer war.
They face Laingsnek, where the Beers,
through the range glasses of the British,
are occasionally visible.
In the march across the Biggarsberg all
the farms except one were found vacant
Earl de la War;. who was supposed to
have been captured at the time of the
disaster that befell the squadron ot
Bethunes horse. contrived to escape. He
lay all night with Il wounded leg behind
an ant heap, reaching the camp the next
day.
AS the railway is now open north of
Mafekissg an abundance Of provisions is
entering the town, plenty of flour and
meat and few luxurcs. The telegraph
messages will probably come from Mafe.
king direct over the northern route in
day or two.
The I.ourenco Marques correspondent
of The Times, telegraphing Wednesday,
says:
according to n private letter smugglcd
through from Pretoria President Kruger
now favors surrender on the ground that
u continuance of the war would ruin tho
property of the burghcrs. lie has thrown
upon the commandments the 0ntls of de-
Gliding which course 10 pursue.
"Civilan prisoners released Mt Pretoria
report extraordinary activity during the
last two weeks on the railway from Pre-
toria to Petersburg. AS many as 80
trains are run daily. and it is possible
that large proportion of them have been
used to remove supplies northward for
safety
The Daily Express continues its alleg
cd exposures of l.r. Leyds' use of the
Transvaal secret service fund. The pa
per's Brussels correspondent asserts that
numerous continental newspapers were
bribed to the extent of from Ego to t2J
naph