Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-03-01

LONDON, March General Buffers
tidings come weighted with his long list
Of casualties. His losses in the four as.
tempts to get General White out aggre.
gate 1000.
LadyNnith is in desperate straits.
Charles Williams, the military expert,
says he learns on very high authority
presumably that of Lord Wolesley-that
General Whites force is almost at its
last gasp"
This is not SO much," says Mr.. Will
Jams, "on account of any lackGf lrj-
visions or of ammunition, neither Of
which is yet exhausted, as because of the
poisonous waters Of the Kip river and
the evil effects Of the heat on the Ter
rain, in which the garrison must reside.
Even those who have escaped fever,
dysentery and diarrh9a are in state Of
low vitality They can still man
trenches, and wonld probably hold their
own against last desperate assault, but
they can initiate nothing. General
Butler now knows that, as units, the
regiments will be of no use to him for
months.
"The water Of Kip river is not ayaila-
bic for drinking, and to boil it is impos-
sible, because of the scarcity Of fuel. 1t
is thick with putrid animal matter. Tea
made Of 1t has suspended fiber, some
thing like beef tea. 1t Is caused by the
sewage from the Boer camp"
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
Ledysmith.
General Buffers distinct SUCCESS in
storning PietGr's hill brings the rescue
of Ladysmith near, but tho war office
intimated late last evening that an i'm.
mediate announcement OF relief need
not be expected. The goings to and fro
at midnight Of officials and messengers
suggested that important news had been
received. II this wera the case, Lord
Lansdowne obviously desired to sleep ON
it before taking the public into his con.
fidence.
AS his message reveals, General Bul
]cr's successful attack came after the
hard fighting of Friday, and it was i'm
provised and It's execution begun during
the armistice Of Sunday. In proposing
the armistice, the British commander
stipulated that both 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.
There is no authoritative indication
yet of what Lord Roberts will do next
1t seems likely that branch railway
will be built across the veldt, to lesser
the difficultiee of transport Colone
Girouard, who built the Soudan railway
is with Lord Roberts. The strain he
Western railway is seen from the tact
that the population of Kimberley, two
weeks after the relief, continues on re
duced rations. Lord Roberts troops
| thus far, have been only partially fed.
1t is quite clear totechnical heads tina
| those who talk of an immediate ant
rapid advance far into tho Free State d,
not realize the transport conditions. Th'
Beers, as it now appears, have built {
railway from Harrismith to Kroomstad
to facilitate the movement of thei
troops between Natal and the Ere,
State.
MafelSing was holding out on Feb
At that time the Beers were showing
unusual activity and firing inflammabl
shells.
Tho Beers who hold positions south o
the Orange river have been weakened
Lieutenant Barentzen, writing ON be
half of himself and of other Scandiva
Wan prisoners, affirms that there arc II
mercenaries in the Boer army and N
volunteers who receive penny for thei
services.