Connecticut western news., 1900-03-08
B0ERS GATHER FORCES
Troops Joining to Oppose Rob-
 ertS' Advance.
GENERAL JOUBERT IN COMMAND

British Advance Camp Is Now at
 White VIII Command Army In Ma tal-Cape Dutch Rising.
 London, March 7.-There is important news this morning from all the fields of war.
 A late dispatch from Colesberg says: ''The British advanced camp is now at OorlogspoDrt river, several miles beyond Achtertang."
 General Butler reports that Natal is practically cleared of Boers, which points to the probability that while a portion of General Joubert's burghers fell back on Laing's nck and Majuba the main body crossed the Drakensberg mountains to aid in resisting Lord Roberts. Many military men find it hard to believe that the Boers have abandoned strong posi- tions at Biggarsberg.
 Facing Lord Roberts there is a con- stantly increasing force of Boers, occupy ing, according to various accounts, a front estimated at from 10 to IS miles in length. The Boers whom General French shelled and temporarily discomfted have crossed the Modder river and now hold position on its northern bank.
 Lord Roberts force. which also occu- pies both banks of the river, with caval- ", brigade on each wing, is waiting for ammunition and supplies before advanc- ing.
 Fighting on a large scale is expected shortly. Meantime the commander in chief maintains a rigid silence regarding his movements.
 Yesterdays news makes it clear that Cape Colony will soon be free from Boers
 On all the three lines on which the British are working progress has been made, not always by dint of hard fight ing, but by the gradual retreat of the Boers. General Gatacre, who since his disastrous attempt has been occupying himself at Sterkstroom, with occasional marches to Cyphergat and Molteno, ad- vanced on Monday to Stormberg and found the strong position there vacated by the Boers.
 Their retreat was accelerated by the activity of General Brabant who, start ing from Dordrecht with force of about 1.SOO men, attacked Labuschagnes nek on Sunday and held the position when the day closed.
 Got Away With Guns.
 On Monday the Boers retired, taking their guns with them. and when last heard of they were trekking fast in the direction of Aliwal North.
 Those retreating from Stormberg, if they do not make a stand at Burghers- dorp, will probably make their way to Bethulie.
 Whether they will cross the frontier unmolested depends to some extent on the operations of General Clements. Yester- day he was at Joubert's siding, one sta tiOn beyond Colesberg. As he now has about 10000 men, he is likely to make an attempt to cut off their retirement
 Thus, the three Boer forces which in vaded Cape Colony and seized Colesberg Stormberg and Dordrecht have all fallen back. They have failed so far to com bine, but in the Free State they may ef- feet a junction.
 In each case the Boers managed to take away all their guns, as they have done in northern Natal Their skill in removing these heavy pieces of ordnance is one of the most remarkable achievements of the war.
 Further dispatches from Ladysmith show that relief did not arrive a day too soon. Mir. Treves, a medical officer, has telegraphed that on his entry into the town he found its state deplorabl There were no less than 800 cases of typhoid fever. and as the period of incubation for typhoid is two and sometimes three weeks, it is feared that there will be a great many more cases among the garri- son.