Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-01-06
LAIEsTNENs OF THE WORLD BY

railway has recently bscn reconstruct
Ell between the town and Gametl &c,
where the Beers had des.royed it. the
maj repairs being made in preparation
for the sortie.
During the night the armored train.
with Ma&ihn and llotchkiss guns, I'm
der Cap,a Wilkins and troops took
up roi,ions for attack from two sides.
captain Lord Charles Bentinck ana u
snuad.ol were in reserve uio.i the left,
while the extreme left wing was oc-
ra and Il gailoplg MGXirl Of the Cape
police the whole b2ing under Colonel
Horc.
"Emplacements were thrown UP dur
ing the night, the orders being 10 at
tack ut dawn, and the artillery fire
I 10 desist upon prolonged footing from
the armored train. at daybreai the
guns oDencd fire and rapidly drew the
reply of the enemy, our shells burst
Ing within effective range. Captain
Vernon gave the signal To cease firing
and to advance, his squadron leading
Off.
AS our men engaged the position
with their rifle 1t was soon found that
the strength of the fort was greater
than we had supposed. Tho. enemy con-
centrnted such an exceedingly hot fire
mat the advance OF Captain Vernon
was almost impossible. but with re-
markable heroism and gallantry Cap
tains Sanford and Vernon, Lieutenant
Patton and Scout Cooke. who guided the
scuadrons. ana Il few men actually
reached the sandbass OF the fort within
tnrec hundred yards of the fort
But nothing living could exist there.
since The ground was swept by Nlauser
ana Martini bullets. The men who
charged through this zone OF fire suffer
ed terribly, and in following their Off
GERS TO capture the fort twenty men los
their lives. Captain Sanford was the
nrst 10 fall, and CAPTAIN Vernon. al
ready twice wounded, and Lieutenant
Patton were killed nj the foot of the
Tort. These two officers climbing n
uiich which surrounded the fort, thrust
their revolVcrS through the cnemv's
| loonholea. onl. TO be shot themselves
he next moment.
"Gametree is surrounded with scrnb.
which contained many sharpshooters
and their accuracy OF fire still further
confused the men VINO had followed
captain Vernon. and who cav him and
ms brother officers killed. Being with
out commanders they were driven off
at one point, but they cndeavored to
scale the fort at others. They found
n l.
most mprcgnablc
When we retired under cover of tho
armored train SO many men had fyoon
wounded that q suspension of hostili-
Ties occurred under the auspices; of the
| Red Cross. The VeIlt around tho
Boer position was at once dotted with
ilaSS OF mercy. and II was seen that
our wounded were scattered within blt
Il short radius OF the fort. We had
almost completely surrounded It: and.
had it not been SO Extraordinarily well
protected, we should have been in nos
session
II went with IN ambulance to Game
tree. The fort itself is circular. with n
VIDE interior aud IL narrow frontage.
between six ana seven feet high. pierced
with triple tiers of loopholes, and sur
rounded by ditch"
CONTRABAND SEIZURES
london. January G.-i:50 n. m.-No
ueelsiVe operation is reported from
south Africa this morning, military ac-
tlvi'y being confined 10 points of sub
sidlary Importance. In the central
threatre of operations the British m
parently have secured no substantial
gains The only dispatch of dramatic
interest is the nara tive OF useless gal
liln'ry at The sortic from NTafekinr
where the stormers threw themselves
hopelessly against a strongly defend
ed Boer work
-Ehe clestinn of nnii.alaa.,a- eni,.t+..e..,-
takes almost the paramount place in
thoughts of the public the vague nos
sibiliiy that these may be made n pre
text for continental Intervention dis
turbing official and private observers.
The governments purpose to enforce
strictly the right Of search has been
set forth in detailed Instructions. dis
patched yesterday by the Admiralty to
the British naval commanders il South
African waters, giving them weighty
warning, without exception, to uphold
the government measures for the sup
preston of the importation of contra
band by way of Delagoa Bay.