The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1900-02-09
The Garrison in the Beleaguored
Town Of LadySmith Can
Hear His Guns.
FEELING IN LONDON MORE HOPEFUL.
The British Force on the Tugela Has
Recently Been Reinforced With
Men and Artillery.
No News Mt All Has Been Received
From the Armies Operating in
Cape COIOny-SpecuIntiOn
as to Roberts Plan.

London, Feb. 6.-This city Monday
was permitted to receive few words
of news from South Africa. They
stated that Gen. Butler was advancing
to the relief OF Ladysmith; that the
garrison in the beleagured town could
hear his guns, and that they were
ia good spirits, ready to repel an as
sault or cooperate with the rescu-
ing force. While anxiety is again be-
coming intense, the feeling is now
more hopeful than on the eve of Gen.
Buffers previous engagements. The
British force on the Tugela has been
reinforced with men and guns, but
Gen. Joubert and his $4,000 men can
call in no new regiments, for the
Beers have need of all their men to
defend the borders of the Free State.
1t was just one week ago Monday that
Gen. Butler announced that he would
be in Ladysmith in a week. He has
not kept his word
No news at all has been received
from the armies operating in Cape
Colony, and there is much specula-
tion in London as to the plans of Lord
Roberts and the mysterious move
ments of Lord Kitchener. The gen
eral idea is that they are preparing
some Napoleonic campaign that will
bring the war to a speedy finish.
Dispatches from Spearsman's Camp
dated Friday, Saturday and Sunday
are published in London Monday
morning. On Friday photographic com
munication with Ladysmith was re
sumed, messages passing freely; the
Beers were busy shelling the town
and burial parties of Beers were bury
ing their dead at Spion Kop, though
nine days had elapsed since the bat
tie.
On Saturday the bombardment o
| Ladysmith was lighter. From Chieve
| ley Gen. Barton cannonaded the Co
lenso lines, employing the naval gun
The Beers, as usual, appeared at Co
lenso, but retreated when the British
artillery opened.
The day was quiet at Potgieters
! There was no cannonading by tn
British guns.
The Beers enjoyed this immunit,
from attack, and could be seen in larg
numbers, drying their blankets an,
working to strengthen and add t.
their defensive works.
The Beers around Potgieters seeme
intent on watching every movemen
of our troops. They could be see
riding or walking along their work
in careless fashion, numbers of then
spving through their glasses.
The enemy have certainly made
number of additional positions fo
cannon and for the defense of tn
passage of the Tugela at Potgieters
Drift.
Standing upon Mount Alice, or tn
lower ridges of Rugged Zwartz KcT
over 1000 feet above Potgieters' Drift
one obtains a magnificent prospec
for n distance of 12 miles. To tn
north pufTs of cannon smoke 0is
close the position of the Beers gun
bombarding Ladysmith.
On Sunday there was no cannonat
ing at Spearman's Camp, and the da
was quiet but for sniping by tn
Beers. The shelling of Ladssmit
was slight.
Messages are freely interchange
between Buffers and Whites camp
by night with calcium signal lamr
and by day with the heliograph. TIL
Beers. by means of their acetylen
search and signals lights. have trie
Intellectually to blur the transmissio
of our signals.
These three carefully concerned di
patches said nothing of a forwar
movement being in progress, but sDol
of the Joy of the men at the prospeC
of an advance.