The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-03-01
PETERS HILL
TAKEN BY
GEN. BULLER
sOsr Force Driven From Strong
Position by General War
ren's Division.
SIXTY PRISONERS TAKEN.
General Butler Reports the Victory,
and Expresses Hope That Losses
Are Not Large.

LONDON, March /. 4:15 a. m.-Gen-
rral Buffers distinct success in storm
Ing Pleter's hill brings the rescue Of
Ladysmlth near. but the war ofice iRtI-
mated late last evening that an Imme-
dIate announcement Of relief need not
be expected. The goiugs to and fro at
midnight Of officials and messengers
suggested that important news had
been received. II this was the case,
Lord Lansdowne obviously desired to
sleep on 1t before taking the public into
his confidence.
As his message reveals, General Bull
lers successful attack came after the
hard lighting Of Friday, and 1t was i'm
provised and its execution begun during
the armistice OF Sunday. In proposing
the armistics the British commander
stipulated that both sides should be free
TO move, hut that neither should do any
shooting. he was therefore within his
privileges in Immediately beginning to
transfer his troops.
General Buller's tidings come weiEht-
ed with his long list Of casualties. His
losses In the four attempts to get Gem
erai whits, aggregate 1900.
1adysmith in Dire Straits.
1adysmlth is in desperate straits.
Charles william, the military expert,
says he learns on very high authority
presumably that OF Lord Wolseley-
that General Whites force is almost
at its last gasp"
"Thls Is not SO much" says Mr.. viii
lIams, ION account of any lack Of pro-
visions or Of ammunition, neither Of
which Is yet exhausted. as because Of
the poisonous waters OF the Kip river
and the evil effects OF the heat on the
Terrain in which the garrison must
reside. Even those who have escaped
fever, dyseDtery and dlarrhoea are in n
state Of low vitality. They can still
man trenches and would probably hold
their own against n last desperate as
sault, but they car initiate nothing
General Buller now knows that. as
units, the regiments will be OF no use
to him for months.
The water Of the Kip river is not
available Ger drinking and to boil 1t is
impossible. because of the scarcity Of
fuel 1t is thick with animal matter.
Tea made of 1t has suspended fibre,
something like beef tea. 1t is caused
by the sewage from the Boer camps"
Mr.. Williams adds that when news
like this passes under the thumb Of the
censor It more thar offsets whatever
jolly news may b. photographed from
Ladysmlth.
There is no authoritative indication
yet Of what Lord Roberts will do next
1t seems likely that a branch railway
will be built across the veldt to lessen
the difficulties of transport. Colonel
Girouard who built the soudan railway
is with Lord Roberts. The strain on
the western railway is seen frpm the
fact that th4 population Of Kimberley,
two weeks after the relief, continues on
reduced rations. Lord Roberts troops
thus far have been only partially fed.
Dimcultiss of Advance.
1t is quite clear to technical minds
that those who talk Of an immediate
and rapid advance far into the Free
State, do not realize the transport con-
dItIons. The Beers, as 1t now appears,
have built railway from HarrIsmlth
to Kroomstant to facilitate the move
nent Of their troops between Natal and
the Free state.
Mafeklng was holding out on Febru-
ary 6. At that time the Beers were
showing unusual activity and firing In
Rammable shells.
The Beers who hold positions south Of
the Orange river, have been weakened.
Lieutenant Barentzen, writing on be-
half OF himself and Of other scandina-
Wan prisoners, affirms that there are
no mercenaries in the Boer army and
no volunteers who receive a penny for
their services.
Wants Rhodes to Give Diamonds.
Gibson Bowles, conservative member
OF parliament for Kings Lynn. who
was much struck by the statement OF
Cecil Rhodes. the other day that profits
Of the De Beers Company last year were
E2OOO.OOO and that there are diamonds
In Kimberley now valued at R1s7,OOO, In
tends to suggest to Mr.. Baltour, first
lord Of the treasury, that the rescued
property be distributed among the
troops Us rslvage or at least be applied
to the relief Of tho widows and or
phhns Of the fallen.
LONDON, Feb. 2S.-The war office
has received dispatch from General
Butler announcing that Pleters Hill, the
encmys main position. was maFnlfl-
Gently captured yesterday, and sixty
Prisoners taken.
The queen has telcgraphcd General
Butler as follows; ~ have heard with
the deepest concern the heavy losses
sustained by my brave Irish soldiers,
and dcslre to express my sympathy
and admiration OF the splendid nghtIng
qualities they have exhibited through
out these trying operations"