The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-01-05
EARLY AFRICAN WAR NEWS
GEN, G4T4CRE SUCCEEDS IN DhIV-
 ING BACK THE BOERS.
Gen, French Reinforced Near CO1esbers The Boer Positions Strongly De- fepded-Gen. PiICher etires from Douglas-Gen. Butler Busy.

1 DGuglas-Gen. Butler Busy. London Jan. 4.--Details of the fight ing yesterday between General Gatacre and the Boers at Cyphergat, received l to-day, show that 5000 Boers, with ar- | tillery, attacked a British outpost be- | tween Cyphergat and Molteno. General Gatacre, with mounted troops and field
 artillery, moved out in front of Sterk- stroom and found the Boers strongly
 posted at Coperberg, whence they were l quickly dislodged, the Boers fleeing in the direction of Stormberg. The Boers
 used the British guns captured on De- cember 10, and shot we'll but the British
 kept under cover and there were no cas-
 ualties on their side.
 1 The war office has received report
 from Cape Town, dated yesterday, re- l porting the situation in General Gata- cre's district. It says: 'Dordrecht IS | now evacuated by Montmorency, who occupies Birds Siding on the IndWe line. l Molteno is being attacked to-day by the enemy who more or less surround the police station, but who, according to re- ports, are being forced back Rein | forcements of mounted infantry and l field artillery have been sent by General Gatacre. The result is not known. A company of mounted infantry under l Anderson has reconnoitred to Prieska and exchanged shots with the rebel force on the north bank, No movement of General Methuen or General French is reported"
 There is great satisfaction here over the news received to-day that De Aar has been able to send General French,
 near Colesberg, endorsements of guns and infantry, of which he appears to be
 much in need. The fighting in the hills
 is incessant The latest telegrams say
 that General French has almost sur
 rounded Colesberg, but that the Boers
 are stiffly defending all their positions close to the town, preventing the British from capturing it.
 A dispatch from Rensburg this morn ing says that the heavy artillery duel recommended at daybreak.
 Although dispatches under last even ings date are arriving from both Gen eral Buffers and General Methuen's headquarters, they contain little of inn portance. Shells continue to be ex- changed, and the patrols are busy
 General Cronje was reported to have been considerably disturbed at the first reports of the success of General Pich- CTS expedition and sent four hundred burghers to help Douglas. The Brit ish at Modder river hope to capture this force.
 The departure of the seventh division of the British army for South Africa be- gan this morning.
 The tennis player w. V. Eavee and the old Oxford athlete c. B. Fry are joining the British forces in South Af- rica.
 The American hospital ship Maine arrived at Las Palmas, Canary Islands. yesterday, and reports all on board well.
 Sterkstroom, Cape Colony, Jan. B. General Gatacre to-day met the invad- ing forces at Cyphergat, near the Brit ish advance camp at Bushmanshoek. The Boers retired hurriedy soon after the British artillery opened fire. The Boere occupied Molteno and Cyphergat to-day, but the latter place is now reoc- cupied by us.
 Rensburg, Jan. 1.-The British casu- altles to General French's force up to the afternoon of January 3 were five men killed and twenty-four wounded A detachment of twenty five New Iea- flanders had a narrow escape. While l advancing on Colesberg they were di- rected to occupy a kopje, but met with | a hot reception from concealed force l of Boers. Another body of British | troops, seeing their danger doubled to the rescue of the New Zealanders, and | their retreat was successfully accom- plished under the cover of the gun on 1 he hills westward. Coleskop is now the scene of the fighting.
 The destruction of the wrecked train nclu1ed 22,000 rations and supply of 'un.
 Orange River Cape Colony, Jan. B. There was small skrmish near Bel mont this morning. The British fired a CIV shells, and the Boers did not re- pond
 detachment of about forty Boers attempted to rush Klokfontein this morning, but they were beaten back by he mounted infantry. Possibly this orce consisted of fugitives from Sun yside ; Achievements of infantry and artil- l cry have been dispatched to General french from De Aar. DOUGLAS EVACUATED BY PIT,CH-
 FIR ( Iany Ioya1ist Refugees Escorted Rack