The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-02-23
.BIJLLER Retreats AGAIN
NARROWLY ESCAPES ANOTHER
DISASTER.
May Have Recrossed the Tugela River.
Beers Before Him in a Strong Post
ton with Masked Batteries.

"Buller compelled to retreat seems
to be the gist of the new news received
at Kauai from the steamer Charles
Nelson, which arrived at Makawen on
the goth, with three days later news
than had reached Honolulu. Two stea-
mers got in this morning from Kauai
ports but the accounts received are de-
cidely lacking in details. I. r. Robin
son, travelling auditor of the Planters
Association, was a passenger on the
Mikahala. Mr.. Robinson states that he
saw a San Francisco newspaper of the
18th, but he is not very certain as to
what the exact situation was.
1.-THE only dispatch l remember" said
Mr.. Robinson, "as having any bearing
on the situation was one telling of Bull
| ler's retreat from in front of the BOcr
| position. 1t was in a San Francisco
newspaper of February 11th. Not hav-
| ing had the last news before could not
exactly make connections and under
stand how Buffers position compared
with what it was at the former ad-
vices.
1.-The dispatch stated that the British
had used balloon to examine the Boer
position, that very heavy masked kat
| teries had been observed in front of the
British army and that Butler had de-
cided to fall back. What 1 read seemed
to mean that the British genelal had
| duOpl6u new ldCllCS III his movements
and was avoiding direct attacks upon
strong positions. He was about to try
| another way of getting to Ladysmith,
One thing is certain Ladysmith had not
been relieved, nor had it been captured
by the Boers.'
A letter from Kauai received by Mr..
Scott of Cation, Neill & Company con-
tains advices very much the same as
those given by Mr.. Robinson excepting
that it states that General Buffers re-
treat was as far as across the Tugela
river, which he has several times cross.
ed back and forth. There is nothing IL
this communication telling of a battle
and reports of an engagement will have
to wait for verification till the arrival o!
the Rio de Janeiro, tomorrow morning
Another account says that the British
forces narrowly escaped very serious
disaster, their balloon saving them from
a trap that had been laid by the Beers
General Butler was carrying out hi!
! pupose to push on to Ladysmith. H,
had ordered an advance on the Boe
positions and guns were being brough
forward to continue the tactics of tn
previous few days, hammering the Boe
enemy with artillery.
The balloon was sent up to make OBJ
servations and during the advance /
signalled the discovery of very he2v.
concealed batteries. A little later AM
der these guns, and the oft-repeated eX
perience of sudden fire from unexpect
ed places would have been met witt
once more. General Butler at once or
A dered retreat, on learning of the ex
n istence of the batteries. How far tn
British army continued it's backwar
move is not known. On one hand it /
, stated that Butler simply avoided tn
trap and prepared to start forwar
= another way. On the other hand it
. reported that he retired to the Colens
{ side of the Tugela, giving up all the DO
= sitions gained by hard fighting since h
made the last advance.
Today one may take his choice of ru
mors about the situation in South Afr
ca. One current report says that Bu
Ter made an attack and was drive
l. back with fearful loss of life. Thi
does not agree, however with the dis
patch telling of the use of a balloon
There was general search for new
when the Kauai steamers came in In
morning and for a time everybody Wa
talking of the war and trying to ru
rumors down.
At Kauai ports the men on the steam
h ers Mikahala and Kauai made effor
~ in every possible way to learn som,
:. thing, but could get no information
N Telephones were used wherever the
e could be got at, but thera appeared
l. be singular lack of knowledge anon
60 the residents of the Garden ISLAM
The island steamers tried to commun
It cate with the Charles Nelson, but wel
l. not able to do so.