The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-01
CASUALTY LIST INCREASES.
BULLER'S LOSSES ARE NOW EsTI-
MATED AT 1000 MEN.

Spion kOp the Heaviest Yet-An
Naval Officers Notified to BE Ready
for serVice-BuIIer Is Likely to
Make Another Attempt.
London, Feb. l, 4 a. m-The supplemental
lists of casualties fill two columns in non
parel type in the morning papers. making
1890 reported thus far in Gen. Buffers
operations north Of Tugela. The Daily
Chronicle estimates that the total exceeds
1000
The 40 per cent. loss at Spion kop is
greater tflan any British forces ever suf-
fered, except possibly at Albuera, Spain
in 1911.
The admiralty has warned all half-pay
naval officers to hold themselves in readi-
ness for service. This with the fact
that able seamen, not thoroughly expert
enced, have been withdrawn from the
Channel squadron, is taken to indicate
The early mobilization of the reserve fleet,
especially "a division.
Al meeting of the army and navy mem
bers of the House of Commons yesterday
a resolution expressing absolute confidence
in whatever the government thought nee
essary, commanded only two votes In
stead of this a resolution was adopted call
ing for the immediate formation of home
defense force.
Lord Salisbury has called another cabi-
net council, which viii meet Friday or
Saturday to consider the situation.
Public spirits are at very low ebb
Butler May Try 1t Again.
Winston Churchill, in a further dispatch
TO the Morning Post which describes the
recrossing of the Tugela says:
The army is exasperated, not defeated.
Gen. Butler will persevere, and will come
right in the end"
Spenser Wilkinson. in the Morning Post
to-day discussing the military situation,
takes it for granted that Gen. Butler in
tends to make another attempt to relieve
Ladysmth. He seizes the occasion 10 ex-
press the greatest admiration for the
dauntless spirit of the British army and
a regret that the main thing is lacking
namely, proper leadership. He says:
"'The whole manhood of the nation is
moved by the same spirit as strs the
troops on the Tugela. Cannot the govern
ment pluck up heart to lead like men a
nation of men, TO drop the past and ito
plan on proper scale arming the empire
for whatever struggle may be in store?"
May Try to Flood Lndysmith.
The correspondent of the Times at Lor-
EMO Marquee, telegraphing yesterday,
says:
Information has been received here
from the Transvaal that the war depart
ment. convinced that it would ne useless
to storm Ladysmith and that the bonn
bardment will continue ineffective has
decided upon a change of tactics. Huge
quantities of timber and sandbags and
hundreds of Kaffirs have been sent from
Johannesburg and Pretoria for the pur-
| pose OF damming the Kip river some
miles below Ladysmth, the idea being to
| flood the town and to drive the soldiers
and inhabitants out of the bomb-proof
| caves, so as to expose them to shell fire.
The Portuguese authorities are at last
| exercising strict surveillance, The Gov
| ornor has notified the consuls that they
| must personally guarantee that applicants
| for passports are not going to assist the
! Boer army or the passports will not be
! granted. 1t is rumored that he has also
| conveyed hint to Herr Pott the Trans
| vaal consul, of serious consequences if ne
| continues to infringe the neutrality of the
! port
Had IA Narrow Escape.
4 dispatch to the Times from Pietermar-
| itzburg. dated Sunday last, says:
col Thorneycroft had narrow escape
last week. He went to meet a Boer flag o.
truce, which asked parey, but having
become suspicious, he told the Boer com
mandant that he would not parley. Both
retired ana the Beers fired a Volley, the
Colonel only escaping in consequence OF
| the Beers bad shooting.
AfriLanders Not So Ready.
The Cape Town correspondent Of the
Daily News says:
evidence is accommodating that some
thing beyond a tacit understanding exist
ed between the Boer executives and the
inner circle of the Afrikander Bund con-
cerning what should follow the ripening
rebellion outbreak Of war. Fully 5000 CO.
lonial Dutchmen have joined the enemy.
The Beers however, believed that this
number would be multiplied tenfold. Con-
seauently the Afrikander Bund is now eX-
ecrated at Pretoria and Bloemfontein."
Incidents of spiOn Kop.
Accounts of the battle of Spion kop con-
tinue to filter in. All testify to the ter
rife Boer fire. Several estimate chat the
total losses of Gen. Buffers turning move
ment will amount approximately to 1900.
When reinforcements arrived the troops
were much cramped on the top of Spion
kop Preparations were made below to
secure the position. guns were on the way
| ana engineers had been ordered up to
| strengthen the entertainments.
col. Thorneycroft was not aware of this
.vhen he ordered the retirement and he
| actually met the artillery coming up.
| Gen. Woodgate was wounded about 2
o'clock in the afternoon. Even then he
protested that he was all right, and had
| TO be held down on the stretcher.
II Is reported that the Boer commander
at first insisted on the release of some
Boer prisoners before he would permit the
Fnalish TO collect their wounded.
A curious incident is related of the fight
ing on Jan. "a one of the Lancasters,
while firing from the prone position, had
his head taken clean off by a she'll To
,t,o ar,azeuent Of his comrades, the head
less trunk quietly rose, stood upright
| few seconds and then fell
Talk of Buffers Plans.
London. Jan 31.-When the nation had
,lr,ost resigned itself to the fan Of La
,-f+h tbera comes from all quarters