The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-01-20

Ladysmith, Wednesday. Jan II, via
Spearman's Camp. Jan. 19.-EveTything
is quiet. The position is unchanged and
there is very little bombarding- The
welcome sound of the guns Of the re-
( lief column was heard yesterday from
Colenso and Springfield. The heat is
intense. but there is no increase Of
sickness.
London, Jan. 2O.-Every hour that
General Butler delays his combined at
tack makes his position stronger.
Transports continue to arrive at Dur
ban and fresh troops are being sent up
the line to reinforce those in front Of
COlengO. It appears that General Bull
ler's troops north of the Tugela num-
Der at least 22,000 and possibly % 600.
with fifty guns. His total forces, form
ing a great outer curve south and west
Of Ladysmith, probably number 30 900.
While General Buffers forward Op-
eratiOns which began on Jan. 10. de-
Veloped rather leisurely, the Beers ap-
pear to be fully aware that they must
make a strenuous assault Balloon OBJ
servers have roughly estimated that
10000 Beers are using spade and pick
IN artificiaily strengthening positions
which nature has rendered easy Of de-
tense.
Fighting Expected Any Hour.
Military critics in touch with the war
Office think that news that general
fighting has begun may be expected at
any hour. 1t is not thought that .0ne
days fighting will settle the fate Of
Ladysmith, but rather that there will
be TWO or three days Of continuous
fighting
The Daily Mail publishes the follow
ing dispatch, dated Thursday, from
Spearmans- Camp: 1T Is rumored that
the Beers have evacuated Colenso in
order to reinforce their troops here.
Heavy sun FIRE vas heard from Lady
smith this morning
General Buffers order instructs the
men to heed the white flag of the Beers
only when they lay down their arms.
Il also instructs them TO beware Of
false bugle' calls
A Durham special dated Thursday
night, says; 1T is reported here that
Lord DundOnald has smashed a BOer
convoy. General Butler is said to be
within twelve miles of Ladysmith and
General Warren TO be about six miles
to the rear"
Time Set Was Friday.
The Times has the following dispatch
dated Thursday from Pietermaritzburg:
General Buffers wagon train is nine
teen miles in length and embraces 400
wagons and 5000 animals As some Of
the drifts are narrow and muddy, only
enc wagon is able to cross at a time.
The officers are betting two to one that
Ladysmith viii be relieved tomorrow
F'riday.)"
4 dispatch to the Daily telegraph
from Spearmans Farm or Camp. as
the correspondents now describe it,
dealing with Lord Dunhonald's move
ments to the west of General Warren's
force, already cabled, says:
His success gives US control of an
easy entrance to Ladysmith Our guns
continue to lombard the BOer lines. the
Beers replying but feebly. General
Warren is advancing steadily"
Inc Standard publishes the following
dated Thursday, from Spearmans
Farm: 1T is reported that the Beers
opposite COlensO, on finding that Cen
eral Butler had outmaneuvered them.
crossed TO the south of the Tugela on
Monday and set fire to all the houses
in the village.
Beers Attend to Trenches.
AS the force from Chievelev adj
vanced the Beers retired before them
to trenches on hill in line with Co
leHSo. Our infantry advanced TO the
attack in skirmishing order. followed
by supports and reserves. our cavalry
scouting on the right close up to the
river.
The Boer forces at Colenso nrst
have been considerably weakened by
the dispatch Of larger reinfOrcements
westward to meet General Buffers ad-
vance, and they now hurriedly evaeuat-
ed the river trenches and the kopjes
opposite the village and scattered be-
fore our shrapnel. BY evening none of
the enemy was left within rifle shot at
Colenso. The British force then re-
tired to Chieveiey'
The Beer accounts of the passage of
the Tugela river are given in the fol-
CONTINUED on Page 81