The Portland daily press., 1900-03-01
War Office May Have
Had Big News.
Lord Roberts Starts His
Prisoners South.

London, March 1-4.15 q. m.-Gen.
Buffers distinct success In storming
Pieters Hin brings. the rescue Of Lady
smith near, but the war office intimated
late last evening that an immediats an
nouncement OF reliSf need not be ex-
peored. The goinss to and fro at mid
night Of officials ana messengers sug-
gestsd that important news had bean re-
cieved. II this were the case, Lord
Lansdowne obviously desired to sleep on
IL, before taking the public into his con :
fidencs.
As his message reveals. Gen. Buller's a
successful attack came after the hard
lighting of Friday and 1t was imp ovised
and lis execution began during the
armistios OF Sunday. In proposing the
armissice, the British COMMANDER ssipu-
lated that 10th sides should be free to move
but that neither should do any shooting.
He was, therefore, within his privileges
IN immediately beginning to transfer his
troops.
General Buffers t!dlngs cone weighted
with his long list Of casualties. His lotsss
In the fourth attempt to get General
White out, aggregate four thousand.
Ladysmith Is In desperate straits. Mr..
Charles williams, the military expert.
says he learns on very high authority
presumably that of Lord Woiseley-that
"Gen. Whites force is almost at Its last
gasp"
"This Is not SO much" says Mr.. Will
liams, con account Of any lack Of pro-
visions or Of ammunition, neither OF
which Is exhausted, as because Of the
poisonous waters OF the Kip river ana
the evil effects of the heat on the Terrain
In which the garrison must reside. Even
those who have escaped fever, dyssntery
and disrrhoea are In q stats Of low vital.
". They oan still man trenches and
would probably hold their own against
q last desperate assault; but they can ini-
tiste nothing. Gsn. Butler now knows
that, ~ units, the regiments will bs Of
no use to him for months.
"The water Of the Kip river Is not
available for drinking. and to boil 1t is
impossibls because Of the scarcity Of fuel.
It II thick with putrid animal matter.
Tea made Of IL has q Suspended fibre.
something like beef tea. 1t Is caused by
the sewage from the Boer camps"
Mr.. williams adds that when news like
this passes under the thumb Of tho censor
It more than offsets whatever jolly news
may be photographed from Lady smith.
There II NO authoritative indication yet
of what Lord Roberts will do next. 1t
seems likely that branch railway will
be built across the vsldt to lessen the
difficulties Of transport. Col. Girouard.
who built the soudan railway Is with
Lord Roberts. The strain IN the westsrn
railway 10 seen from the fact that the
population OF Kimberley, two weeks after
the relief continues on reduced rations.
Lord Roberts troops have thus far only
bssn partly fed.
1t is quite clear to technical heads that
those who talk Of an immediate and
rapid advance far into the Free Stats do
not realize the transport conditions. The
Bosrs, as 1t now appears. have built a
railway from Harrismith to Kroomstadt
to facilitate the movement of their troops
between Natal and the Free State.
Mafsking was holding out on February
l6 At that time the Beers were showing :
unusual activity and fring indammable
shells.
The Beers who hold positions south OF
the Orange river have been weakened.
Lisrk Basntzsn writing on behalf OF
himself and Of other Scandinavian
prisoners, affirms that there are nc
meroenaries In the Bosr army and nc
volunteers who receive penny for thsir
services.