Connecticut western news., 1900-04-26
ROBERTS SPREADS NET
Two More Columns Thrown Out
 to Block Boer Retreat.
FORTY THOUSAND NOW IN FIELD.
Bridge over Modder River GrS,tly Used by the Boers Has Been Seized. waterworks Retaken-Tucker'sD Di- vision Ia Moving.

Used by the Boers Has Been Seized. waterworks Retaken-Tucker'sD Di- vision Ia Moving.
 London. April 25.-The war situation
 in the southeastern part of the Orange Free State. as disclosed by the dispatch
 from Lord Roberts yesterday, is very in
 teresting. If an imaginary circle were to be drawn around Wepener it would be
 seen that Lord Roberts has now closed
 the whole western semicircle with his troops The lower half of the other or
 eastern semicircle is closed by the Basu- tos. who are prepared to defend their
 own frontiers, but the upper half. through
 which roads pass to Thaba NChu and
 Ladybrand. is. so far as can be seen or
 known, still open.
 Lord Roberts, in describing the closing
 up of the gaps in the long line. says that
 mounted infantry seized the waterworkS
 directly east of Bloemfontein. the Ninth
 division re-enforcing them later. Further
 to the north brigade of the Seventh di- vision has seized a wagon bridge at
 kranz Kraal over the Modder which had been much used by the Boers during the last few weeks. The occupation of this point should cut the Boers of from Brandfort and Kroonstadt.
 To the south and west along this i'm aginary circle Generals Pole-Carew and French had reached yesterday Tweede Gulek, on the road to Dewetsdorp. and
 was in touch with General Rundle. who is near the latter place. At the extreme south of the line Generals Brabant and Hart are only eight miles from Wepener and have been in photographic communi- cation with Colonel Dalgety, who has re- ported that all is we'll there. It is difficult
 to see how the Boers, if they remain in force around Wepener. can avoid being brought to decisive engagement or sur rounded. Yet so far as information here goes they can still get away if they like by retreating in northeasterly direction to Ladybrand.
 The immediate object of Rundle and the other generals will be. no doubt, to try to close this door of escape, but it is a question whether they will be in time. That Roberts is spreading his net is now very clear. but the Boers may already have perceived what is going on, and as a general rule in vain is the net spread in the sight of any Boer. X rough estimate of the British forces operating would be as follows: Brabant, 5000 combatants: Rundle, 5000; at We pener, 1000; Pole-Carew, 1000; French,
 2.500; Hamilton, 5000; Colville's Ninth division, 1000; Seventh division, 2.oO0;
 total, about 10000. Heavy deductions have been made, and the total force is likely to be over rather than under the figure given. With it are about 150 guns. The Boer strength is not accurately known; but, according to Boer accounts, there are 10000 men with Commandant | Olivier in the southern part of the Free State. Probably from 10000 to 15.00o are between Thaba N'Chu and Lady | brand. The rest of the Boer army in the Free State is south of Brandfort and can scarcely move south without running the risk of attack by the Sixth or the other | half of the Seventh division.