The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-02-09
LONDON FEARS FOR FATE
or CEN. BULLER'S ARMY
Nothing Has Been Heard From the Forces at the
TugcIa River Since Tuesday Evening.
Almost Surrounded and Exposed to Terrible BOer Fire
Total British Losses.

London, Feb All the messages
from the observers with General Butler
throw in a phrase or two about the
strength Of the Boer positions and
/ the difficulties of General Buffers
work" but they do not carry events
/ beyond TUESDAY evening.
/ Their last slender narratives leave
I the British advance on Vaal krantz, in
/ the center of a semi-Circle, where the
/ troops are exposed to the Boer artillery
/ on both sides and in the center, The
| fighting continued until O'clock Tues
day evening. and almost without doubt
continued Wednesday, as the Beers
| certainly would not leave this wedge
/ into their lines unmOlasted. 1t is also
I inferred that General Butler must
/ either continue his advance or retire.
/ The heaviest fig9ting appears TO nave
I been on Tuesday General Buffers 2S5
I casualties are mentioned as having oc-
CURED before noon Tuesday. Large
/ lists are consequently expected for the
rest of the day. The casualties already
/ reported brings the total British losses
during the war to 10, 244 killed, wound
ed and captured.
The disposition here is rather TO min
imize the Importance Of the fighting IN
Natal, and to suggest that this is only
an incident anyway, placing hope upon
expected decisive engagements an
northern Cape Colony ana upon the
/ invasion Of the Free State by Lord
Roberts. At all events, this is the Of
fetal view The public does not like
these new waits, and there is sha-J
anxiety for further news.
Macdonald Has a skirmish.
In cape Colony General Macdonald
has had a sl1iTmish with 1000 Beers at
Koodooborg. This was on Monday. The
BOeTs have been taking TIE offensive
against General French near Ren5burg,
as well as against General GataCre in
the StOrmbeTg nils.
A dispatch TO the Morning Pest from
Ladyemith dated Tuesday, Feb. g.
says: Little can be seen of General
Buffers action, owing to the haze II
appears that the Beers have withdrawn
thair big guns from the hills here south
ward. A large force of Beers still re-
main. and the garrison is prepared for
a night ATTACK"
The Times, in an editorial dealing
with General Buffers task, says: The
problem before him is unquestionabiy
most difficult. We cannot be surprised
or dishe lItened should he be unable TO
s0lze il win success Ills task Is not
merely 10 force a way through the
Boer Hn1s to Ladyemith. That opera
ton would be formidable enough. But
it would be easy. compared with the
feat he mus perform if large STRATEGY
cal results arc to follow his efforts.
He must infict a crushing defeat
upon the BOeT army. Unless he can
drive into the DrakenSjerg or other
wise destroy that army, the relief of
Ladysmith can hardly be accomplished
with safety. We await the issue of
the operation with great anxiety
Butler Playing a Part,
Elsewhere the Times takes heart
from the fact that General Butler is
playing his part in the general scheme
which is being eo-ordinated by Lord
Roberts. 1t says on this point:
The British public is still kept in
ignorance of the whereabouts of some
25,000 troops, and great developments
may be expected. 1t is difficult to be
lieve that the Beers are equally ignOr-
ant Of the disposition of the British
forces, The great game of war will,
however, shortly be begun, and we
may confidently hope that the period
Of reverses is drawing to an end"
Since the war has strained the re-
sources of the military system, Eng
land has been troubled by the posi-
bility that sea fighting may show ma
val defects which would weaken the
first line of defense in which the cOun-
try has placed such complete trust.
This apprehension has suddenly found
expression. During the last two or
three days. in behalf of the newspa pers
in England. the governments attention
has been specially directed 10 the mUZ-
zle loading guns. Even public men
have been painfully surprised to learn
that sixteen baJtleships and eight ar
mOTed cruisers depend upon muZZle
leaders. This means that smaller but
faster ships with modern guns would
be able to stay 1000 or 1900 yards out
of range and TO disable in leiSurely
fashion about One-third of the vessels
which appear in the naval list as first
class"
VIII Remedy Defect.
The admiralty is understood to be
preparing TO remedy this defect and
to propose also considerable additions
that viii preserve the present ratio Of
Great Britain's naval strength to that
of France and Germany.
The supplementary army estimate to
March 81 was laid pro forn.a before
the house Of commons yesterday, but
was not made public It IS reDOrted
that the call is for G20 000, COO, which
would make the cost Of the war I'D to
that date $50 900 900. The maintenance
of 100000 men at the front. it is esti-
mated, costs between GS,0000 coo and
G /