Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-25
STOPS TO BUILD BRIDGES
GEN. ROBERTS, ADVANCE CHECKED
AT THE RHENOsTER.
British Forces Sweeping Forward In
Crescent Shape Beers Keep
Their Plans Secret.

LONDON, May 25-Lord Roberts infan-
try advance is delayed at the Rhenoster
river for a day two by the depth of
the stream, which is not fordabe. The
banks, which are precipitous. forty feet
high. pontoon and temporary bridge
constructions are under way.
The railway has not been damaged to
any great extent between Kroonstad and
Rhenoster. The Transvaalers have Of
Tended the Free Staters by destroying
their splendid bridges when retiring 10
Kroonstad. They refrained from doing
this on the retreat to Rhenoster, but now
they are destroying the railroad and
| bridges almost completely north Of the
REenoster.
The British troops are in the form of a
crescent. with horns thirty miles apart,
with Gen. French's cavalry on the left
within twenty-three miles of the Wall, and
Gen. Ian Hamiltons mounted men the
right, within thirty miles of the Vaal.
The center of the crescent is about forty
miles from the Wall Seventy eighty
miles to the left Lord Methuen is advance
ing up the Vaal.
Boer kilograms say that 5000 British,
with ten guns. are near Vredefort, which
is close to the Vaal and close to Parys.
ofle correspondent IeleTS 10 lIle duNduCe
as promenade Another describes it
as "Boer hunt" The Free Staters are
pictured as boiling like hares'' at the
first sight of the British. The latter ac-
cording to one writer, do not even find
women and children. as the fleeing farm
ers take their families with them, in con-
sequence of the reports current among the
Transvaalers that the British kidnap all
children over twelve years of age. The
Boer rear guard was composed of Rus
slams. to whom was committed the task
of destroying the bridges. They also looted
freely.
What the Beers are doing is an absolute
mystery. The embargo of news out of
Pretoria for the last twenty-four hours
has been complete. Such shreds of infor-
nation as the correspondents at Lourenco
Marquee have picked up do not illuminate
the Boer designs and dispositions further
than that the movement toward Lyden-
burg continues and that referendum on
the question of continuing the war is go
ing on among the Boer fighting men. 1t
may be a fortnight before the results of
this singular vote are fully before the
Transvaal government. If the English
view of Boer encouragement is one-half
right the Beers will vote to quit
In Natal Gen. DartnelPS volunteers oc-
cupied Mount Prospect Monday. Lord Dun
donald's cavalry is at Firmstones, near In
goge. His infantry rests at Schoenshoogte.
The names are all of fateful memory in the
first Boer war. The British face Laing's
glasses of the British, are occasionally Wis
ibie.
In the march across the Biggarsberg all
the farms except one were found vacant.
temporary bridge had been finished at
Waschbank. Trains now go to Dundee.
Gen. Butler said the best way to celebrate
the queens birthday was to repair the rail-
way to Newcastle, and every man was put
to work.
Earl De La War;. who was supposed to
have been captured at the time of the dis
aster that befell the squadron of Bethune's
horse. contrived to escape. He lay all night
with a wounded leg behind an antheap,
reaching the camp next day.
AS the railway is now open north of
Mafekng. an abundance of provisions is
entering the town. plenty of flour and meat.
and a few luxuries. The telegraph mes
sages will probably come from Mafeking
direct over the northern route in a day or
two.
South Africa has another aff1iction. An
extraordinary issue of the Gazette at Dur
ban announces the death of an East In
dian from the bubonic plague. The gov