Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1900-03-05

Staters.
Buffers Awful Task.
London, Feb. ga dispatch to the
Daily Mail from Pietermaritzburg,
dated Monday, describes at consider
able length, 1.-THE enormous difficult
ties of Gen. Buffers task and says:
"The real advance began last Wednes-
day. The stupendous nature OF the
task is only understood when, being
on the spot, one is able to realize what
| it means to hurl infantry at positions
aligned in every direction with Care
fully prepared and trenched breast
works, defended by practical rifiemen
armed with the most deadly rapid
firing weapons, and aided by quick
firing guns which put all but our can
non of largest calibre into the shade. !"
Commenting upon Fridays fighting,
the report says: "As it would have
been madness to seek an outlet from
the amphitheater of hills by way OF
Grobler's kloof, on the left, a route
had to be found on the right, and at 2
/ p. m. on Friday, amid the incessant
cracking of rifle and roar of cannon,
the Irish brigade was dispatched along
the river to take Railway hill, on the
other side Of Peters station. This
hill was commanding enough to en-
sure our final advance, providing we
could hold it securely and could mount
cannon on it. From OnderbroOk
spruit the railway bridge track runs
along the Tugela, and was perilously
open to boer marksmen disposed on
the kopjes back from the river, and
after passing Chpieterz station, many
men would be bound to be hit"
Beyond the station the line passes
over another small bridge crossing a
deep donga, and it was in the approach
| to this bridge and onward to the base
of Railway hill that the greatest danger
from enforced exposure obtained. ii
was necessary to cross by the bridge al
the mouth of the donga, which, besides
being difficult of access, ran inta the
Tugela. The path between the rail
way and river is almost always in full
view of the enemy. Every man OF the
Irish brigade had, therefore, to run the
guantlet of boer marksmen, and num-
bers dropped on the bridge, where boel
bullets fell dangerously thick. Very
soon fifty men were put out of action in
the race from the bridge to the render
vous, and several members of the vol
unteer ambulance corps wounded IN
| following the troops
| Fighting at Colenso.
London, Feb. ga dispatch from
Colenso dated the 9th says: ''The
beers are endeavoring to outfank U.S.
and severe fighting continues. In the
attempt of the Inniskillings Friday
evening to rush the boer position on
Peters hill, the boer fire was so ter
rible, when the infantry emerged from
the cover of the trees, that almost ev-
cry man in the leading half of the COM
pany fell wounded. The advance line
of the British reached donga in front
of the first boer trench, which was not
apparent until they were actually in it.
The beers retired to the crest and then
returned, on either flank of the Innis-
killings, enflading the captured donga
with terrible cross fire. Finding it
impossible to advance or hold the po-
sition, the British fell back and en-
trenched themselves half way up the hill.
The beers maintained heavy fire. In
the course of the night, the Dublin
fusiliers and Connaughts arriving to
support the Inniskillings, another de-
termined attempt was made to take
the boer positions. This also failed. A