The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-02-03
Buffers Losses at spion Kop.

| London, Feb. 1.-The supplemental
lists of casualties fill two columns III
nonpareil type in the morning papers
making 1900 reported thus far from
General Buffers operations north OF
the Tugela. The Daily Chronicle esti-
mates that the total exceeds 1000. The
40 per cent at Spion Kop is greater than
any British force ever suffered, except
possibly at Albuera, Spain, in 1911.
Accounts of the battle Of Spion Kor
continue to filter in. Ali testify to the
terrific Boer fire. Several estimate that
the total losses Of General Buffers
turning movement will amount approx
imately to 1900
When reinforcements arrived the
troops were much cramped on the top
OF Spion Kop. Preparations We're made
below TO secure the position, guns were
on the way and engineers had been or
dered up to strengthen the entrench-
ments.
Colonel Thornycroft was not aware
Of this when he ordered the retirement,
and he actually met the artillery com
ing up General Woodgate was wound
ed about . o'clock in the afternoon.
Even then he protested that he was all
right and had to be held down on the
stretcher.
1t is reported that the Boer com
mander at first insisted on the release
Of some Boer prisoners before he would
permit the English to collect their
wounded.
The correspondent of the Times as
Lourenzo Marquee, telegraphing yes
terday, says: Information has been
received here from the Transvaal that
the war department, convinced that it
would be useless to storm Ladyslnith
and that the bombardment will con-
tinue ineffective, has decided upon a
change of tactics Huge quantities of
timber and sand bags and hundreds Of
kaf1lrS have been sent from Johannes
burg and Pretoria for the purpose of
damming Kip river some miles below
Ladysmith, the idea being to flood the
town and to drive the soldiers and in
habitants out of the bomb-proof caves,
so as to expose them to shell fire.
The Portuguese authorities are at
last exercising stricter surveillance.
The governor has notified the consuls
that they must personally guarantee
that applicants for passports are not
going to assist the Boer army before
passports will be granted. 1t is ru-
mored that he has also conveyed a hint
to Herr Pott, the Transvaal consul, of
serious consequences if he continues to
infringe the neutrality of the port
Spencer Wilkinson, in the Morning
Pest today, discussing the military sit
uation, takes it for granted that Gen
eral Butler intends to make another
attempt to relieve Ladysmith. He
seizes the occasion to express the
greatest admiration for the dauntless
spirit Of the British army, and a regret
that the main thing is lacking, namely,
proper leadership.
A dispatch to the Times from PETER
dated Sunday last, says:
Colonel Thornycroft had narrow
escape last week. He went to meet
Boer flag of truce, which asked a par
ley, but, having become suspicious, he
told the Boer commandant that he
would not parley. Both retired and
the Beers fired a volley, the colonel
only escaping in consequence of the
Beers bad shooting"
The Cape Town correspondent of the
Daily Mail says: Evidence is accumu-
lating that something beyond a tacit
existed between the
Boer executives and the inner circle of
the Afrikander bond concerning what
should follow the ripening rebellion at
the outbreak of war. Fully 5000 Colo
NAL Dutchmen have Joined the enemy.
THE Beers, however, believe that this
number would be multiplied ten fold.
Consequently the Afrikander bond is
now execrated at Pretoria and Bloem-
fontein."
Public spirits are at very low ebb.