Omaha daily bee., 1900-01-30

mand of the movement of Gatacre and
French's combined forces. with heavy ad-
ditions of fresh troops, against the Orange
Free State.
Roberts VIII Take His Turn.
LONDON. Jan. SO,--4;15 a. m.-History
pauses for a time in South Africa. 1t is one
OF those unsatisfactory pauses that are
nearly as trying to British nerves as Sc
Quence of reverses, and 1t will apparently
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
q fortnight.
Whether he will permit General 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 the large
operations. Combining the forces under
Generals Methuen, French and Gatacre, and
adding to them the arriving troops Lord
Roberts would have 10000 for the invasion
of the Free State with 10000 to $4,000 guard
fng communications and 900 trying to res
cue Ladysmth.
Twenty thousand two hundred and twenty
two men and 155 guns are at sea. Eleven
thousand infantry and 5000 cavalry, includ
ing 5000 yeomen, are practically ready to
embark. Therefore the government without
doing more, can place at the disposal Of
Lord Roberts 10000 additional men and 1856
guns. The further purposes of the War office
officials are supposed to embrace somewhere
in the neighborhood of $4,000 more men. AS
the indication is that. candidates will be
rather scarce, the War Office will issue or
ders for those reservists who were found
unfit at the previous mobilization exam
nations. to report for further examina-
ton. Applicants for cavalry service are still
freely Offering as yeomanry.
General Buffers operation has cost 912
men SO far officially reported within ten
days.
Applying TO the 206 Spionkop casualties re-
ported today the rule of proportion, the
losses of officers indicate there are 500 casu-
alties yet to come. The total casualties of
the war, compiled from official reports are
9523 nearly division. OF these, 24S6 are
killed, 4,S11 wounded and the rest are prs-
oners.
The aggregate British home troops in
South Africa number 10000 the Natalians
7,15S and Cape Colonials $1,000
Description of spionkop Fight.
LONDON, Jan. 3O-A special dispatch
from Frere camp. dated Friday, January
&c, 9:10 p. M. says
II have just ridden in here having left
General Buffers forces in the new positions
south OF the Tugela. TO which they retired
i'm consequence of the reverse at spionklp.
'"rhe fighting, both before and after the
occupation of the mountain, was of a des-
perate character. Spionkop is precipitous
mountain, oyertopping the whole line of
kopjes along the Upper Tugela. On the
eastern side the mountain faces Mount Alice
to the Boer central position and Lytleton s
advanced position. The southern point de-
scends in abrupt steps to the lower line of
kopjes. On the western side, opposite the
right outposts of Warren's force, It is in
sccessibly steep until the point where the
mex joins the kop to the main range. Then
there is a gentle slope which allows easy
access 10 the summit,
THE mex was strongly held by the Beers
who also occupied heavy spur parallel, witt
the kopje. where the enemy was concealed
In no fewer than thirty five rife pits and was
thus enabled to bring to bear upon our meS
damaging cross fire, the only possible
point for a British attack being the south
ern side, with virtually sheer precipices OF
the left right
ION narrow footpath, admitting men I,
single file only to the summit, opeus a per
yards territory, on which the Beers haC
hastily commenced to make a transverse
trench. Our men were able to occupy tn
further end of this tableland, where th
ridge descended to another fiat, which wa
again succeeded by a round, stony emf
nence held by the Beers in great strength.
1.-The ridge held by our men was face
by a number of strong little kopjes at al
angles, whence the Beers sent a concen
sI.,f,-
Maxim Nordenfedt and big long-rang
gun, What, with the rifles the machin
guns aud the big gun, the summit was con
verted into a perfect hell. Tho shells ex
ploded continually in our ranks and tn
rife fire. from an absolutely unseen enemy
was perfectly appalling.
"Renforcements were hurried up by Gen
eral Warren, but they had to cross a Strotc'
of fiat ground which was literally torn up h.
the lying lead Of the enemy. The unfnishe'
trench on the summit gave very question:
BILE shelter as the enemy's machine gun
were so accurately trained upon the plac
that often sixteen shells fell IN the trench Il
single minute.
Mortal man could not permanently ho
such position, Our gallant fellows held /
tenaciously for twenty-iour hours and then
taking advantage of the dark night, aban
doned It TO the enemy"
Cost of Taking spionkOp.
LONDON, Jan. 29.-General Butler wire
from spearman's camp. January 20. tha
the casualties among the officers of the Flft