Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1900-02-01
SITUATION IN AFRICA
Lord Roberts Likely to Move into
the Free State.
BRITISH CASUALTIES II The war.
Description OF the Battle Of spionkop
The summit Converted into u Prrfec,
Hell Heliogiaph Message from
kinh,,ley

London, Jan. 30.--Ilistory pauses
for time in South Africa. 1t is one
of those unsatisfactory pauses that
are nearly as trying to British nerves
as a sequence of reyerses and appar-
entity it will terminate only when
! Lord Roberts gives the word for the
forward movement into the Free
State, which, according to the most
cheerful view, he will be unable to
do for fortnight. Whether he will
permit Gen. Butler to make another
attempt to relieve Ladysmith is quite
outside the knowledge even of those
closely connected with the war Office
With the troops due to arrive next
month he may think himself strong
enough to try two large operations
Combining the forces under Gems. Me-
thuen French and Gatacre and add
ing to them the arriving troops. Lord
Roberts would have 10000 for the in
vas0n of the Free State, with 10000
to $4,000 guarding communications,
and 10000 trying to rescue Lady
smith.
The public burns with Impotence
that something should be done, but
there is nothing to do but to wait
OH the preparations. The thing on
which everybody is agreed is that
more men must go. Twenty thou
sand two hundred and twenty-five
men and ljj guns are at sea. Eleven
thousand infantry and 5000 cavalry,
including 5000 yeomen. are practi-
cally ready to embark. Therefore,
the government, without doing more,
can place at the disposal of Lord Rob-
erts 10000 additional men and 1855
guns. The further purposes of the
war Office officials are supposed to
embrace somewhere in the neighbour
hood of 10000 more men,
Gen. Buffers operation has cost 912
men so far officially reported within
ten days. Applying to the 2O6 Spion-
kop casualties reported to-day the
rule Of proportion, the losses of Off
GERS indicated is 500 casualties yet to
come. The total casualties of the
war, compiled from official reports,
are 0,523, nearly division. OF these
2.iS6 are killed, Ash wounded and
the resi- are prisoners. The aggregate
British home troops in South Africa
number 10000, the Natalian 7,1jS
and Cape Colonials 2l,000
Description II the Ba,ils Of SpiOnkop
London, Jan. 30.-A special dispatch
from Frere camp, dated Friday, Jan
uury s6, 9:lO p. H., says: Il have just
ridden in here, having left Gen. Bull
lers forces in the new possessions
south of the rugela, to which they
retired in consequence of the reverse
at Spionkop. The fighting, both be-
fore and after the occupation of the
mountain, was of desperate charac-
ter. Spionkop is precipitous noun
tain, overlapping the whole line of
kopjes along the upper Tugela. The
Mex was strongly held by the Boers
who also occupied a heavy spur, paral-
lei with the kopie where the enemy
was concealed in no fewer than 81
rifle pits and was thus enabled to
bring to bear upon men damaging
cross-fre, the only possible point for
a British attack being the southern
side, with virtually sheer precipces
on the left and right. What with
the rifles, the machine guns and the
big gun, the summit was converted
into perfect hell The shells en-
ploded continually in our ranks and
the rifle fire, from an absolutely I'M
seen enemy, was perfectly appalling
Reinrcrcements were hurried up by
Gen Warren, but they had to cross a
stretch of fiat ground which was lit
orally torn up by the flying lead of the
enemy. The unfinished trench on the
summit gave very questionable
shelter, as the enemy's machine guns
were so accurately trained upon the
place that often IS shells fell in the
trench in single minute. Mortal
man could not permanently hold such
a position. Our gallant fellows held
it tenaciously for "a hours and then
taking advantage of the dark night,
abandoned it to the enemy"
.Heiiograph Message from Kimberley
London, Jan. 3O.-The Times has the
following heliograph message via
Modder river, dated January rs: "The
bombardment continues. 1t Ia now
directed toward the inhabited por-
tions Of the town rather than the
Notifications. Between midnight and
four p. m. yesterday 145 shells were
fired. They seem to have been OF
Transvaal manufacture, not bursting
widely. One child was killed and four
people were injured"
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