The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1900-09-27
DEFEAT OF BoERs COMPLETE.
Roads and River Beds Filled With
Abandoned Stores OF All Kinds.

ApduNOuCQ 9NOASc VI AL ANtAANSs
NEW YORK. Sept. ga dispatch to
the Herald from Lourenco Marques
says:
The Boer defeat is complete.
BY dint OF hard riding from Bar
berton your correspondent overlook
first General Hamilton's division then
that Of General Pole -Carew and finally
entered Koomatipoort Not shot was
fired nor was Boer seen Turing the
march.
Evidence OF the enemy's destructive
ress was everywhere to be seen. The
bridges had been dynamlted. the stores.
buildings and homesteads looted and
burned. as had been also the railway
property. all the chief stations being
smoking ruins. among them being Ka-
ap Muiden. Hectorspruit and Koom-
airport.
At the last place there is an enormous
area over which the Beers have
wrought destruction. The devastation
Includes hundreds Of wagons. trucks
and carriages which have been burned.
together with. all kinds Of stores Of
clothing ammunition. forage and pro-
visions. such as sugar, coffee. rice. ilour
and stationery. Thousands of tons are
stil burning. General Pole Carew has
secured hundreds Of locomotives. The
whole of the Selati railway line is
simply blocked with rolling stock
On my way from Barberton saw at
Hectorsprlit the burst Beer guns and
the destroyed stores. In the Crocodile
river there were visible literally acres
of damaged guns. ammunition wagons.
dynamite detonators and war stores Of
every sort.
At Koomatipoort there were besides
the burning stores hundreds Of tons of
ammunition. The enemy had left many
tents The great waste in the effects
of the Beers was evident Furniture,
trunks. provisions. clothing and other
articles were lying about in every d.
recticn. In the rocky bed of the river
We're enormous quantities Of stores. am
munition. rifles. cannon and foodstuffs
Any goo0 police force-say one Of 20
0n0-can dc the rest of the work Of pa
ci6eation for security.
If General Butler and the others move
on TO seize the passes, neither Viljoen.
the new commandant with steyne
and Schalkberger. nor Koetze with the
rest of the dereliets from KoomatlyOort
can escape through the mountains to-
ward Lydenburg and Petersburg, while
to remain in the low 7eldt at this sea
son of the year spells death for men
and cattle.
The Portuguese have disarmed all the
Boer refugees taken. Fifty truck loads
with nearly 80 tons have been dumped
down on the Island of Sheffeen off Lou
reneo Marques. The Irish-American
nercenaries are clamoring for pay and
threatening the Boer officials.
When the Beers. numbering 1000,
evacuated Koomatlpoort they took up
positions between the Lobombo range
and the river They had good positions
and could have made a capital stand.
but owing to the DISCRIMINATION and
lack Of discipline that were prevalent
they were only half hearted.
Wishing to avoid conflict and un-
necessary bloodshed the British con-
sul-general consulted the Portuguese
general. Senor Machado as to
the best course TO be pursued to attain
the end. He asked that emissaries
should he sent up with an address to
the Beers. pointing out the uselessness
of going on further Besides. if they
continued to fight. there was a fear Of
the natives rising. Owing to the fact
that the Portuguese had been most
kind TO the Beers and as they had
guaranteed their maintenance and re-
patriation and promised TO send them
back to their country rree of charge,
the scheme succeeded beyond the Wild
est hopes Of its originators
Instead of lozens coming to Lourenco
Marques $500 arrived in this wise. Dip
lomacy therefore triumphed by bring
ing the war to speedy and bloodless
close.