New-York tribune., 1900-05-28
RIVER CROSSED AT THREE POINTS
GENERAL. RoBERTs'S MAIN ARMY FIFTY
MILES FROM JOHANNESBURG.

London, May 2S-When Lord Roberts wrote
his first dispatch Transvaal territory yester-
day. shortly before 2 o'clock in the afternoon.
he was ffty-one miles from johannesburg and
seventy-seven from Pretoria His immensely
superior forces had passed the Vaal River their
last great natural obstacle, at three points.
The Vaal forms a curve of eighty miles from
Parys on the west to Zand Drift on the east
The concave of the curve is toward the Free
State Thus Lord Roberts, advancing along the
railway, was in position to strike any part OF
the crescent by shorter lines than those by
which the Beers could reinforce the threatened
points The Beers retreated almost without a
show of defence. General French and General
Hamilton apparently did not fire shot.
OF Lord Roberts's immediate force eleven men
belonging TO the Eighth Mounted Infantry
the first to ford the river. They came upon a
Boer patrol looting at Viljoen's Drift. and
skirrnish lasting ten minutes followed. Two
hundred Beers tried feebly TO hold the Vereeni-
ging Colliery. but they were dislodged.
The Boer rear guard is Moyerton, ten miles
north of Vereeniging. Their main body is
moving toward the Kip River hills that cover
the south side of Johannesburg.
While Lord Roberts's 10000 infantry 10000
horse and 100 guns moving Johannes
burg and Pretoria, through parched and de-
serted country the situation the TransvaaI
capital as it was last Friday, is thus described
by an observer, who sent his message by private
hand to Lourenco Marques yesterday:
The situation both from a military and
nolitical point of view, has become very critical
President KRUGER yesterday admitted for the
first time that matters are very grave The Boer
determination is TO trust everything to last
stand on the Cats Rand Mountains, to the north
Of Potchefstroom, where 1900 kaffirs
digging trenches. To that point every available
The whole of the western border of the Trans
vaal from end to end is defenceless and General
Raden-Powell can march in when he likes. Lord
Roberts on the other hand, will encounter the
greatest resistance. The Boer endeavor is to
lure the British into appearing to threaten Jo-
hannesburg with attack. an excuse thus being
The TransvaaI Government will not dare destroy
the mines property without excuse.
Much dynamite has been sent down the line,
and $50 600 cases lie ready at Zuurfontein.
johannesburg.
Never have pleaded for the preservation OF
property Both large landed propretors.
and fear confscation; but they have not
ceived satisfactory replies from President
Kriiger.
Meanwhile many French and German advent
urers have forward with schemes and in
ventions for blowing up the British troops
Some Of these have received tacit permission
TO experiment One German invention is for
use on a railway where 1t lies perfectly CON
cealed until the weight of a passing train
plodes the charge
General Lukas Meyer says surrender would
be at once proposed by the Beers but that
everybody fears the ignominy Of being the one
to make the proposal. He declares that he IL
assured that his men will not stand. President