New-York tribune., 1901-11-02
DECORATIONS IN LONDON.
PREPARATIONS TO WELCOME HOME
THE ROYAL TOURISTS.
LATEST BRITISH REVERSE A SERIOUS ONE
A RAILWAY HEARING.
Copyright; 1901: BY The Nsw-York Trtbune)
tBy CABLE TIE TRII.I-NE.l

tBT CABLE TO THE TRIBUNB.l
London, Nov. :, l a. m.-To-day the London
public Will not only welcome the Duke and
Duchess OF Cornwall home after their long alb
sence, but Will also have opportunity of
pressing the thanks OF the nation to the royal
tourists for all they have done in the interests
! Of the British Empire. Considerable progress
has been made with the work Of decorating the
streets along the route to be taken by the royal
procession from Victoria Station TO Marlborough
House. AT the moment Of cabling. however. the
scheme Of decorations is somewhat incomplete.
Victoria Station and St. James's-st alone pre-
sent gay and festive appearance; the former
has become in twenty-four hours bright and
cheerful a railway terminus be made
with flags. bunting. drapery and evergreens.
The archway out of which the procession will
emerge into the courtyard is mass of floral
decorations, and fresh coat of paint has been
given to all the woodwork 1T the immediate
vicinity Of the platform where the royal train
will draw up. St. JameS's-st. is a fiuttering
Kaleidoscope of Venetian masts clothed in Grim
son, with ropes of red, white and blue. roses and
myriads of flags of every known device. Picca
dilly and other thoroughfares look dun by COM
parison The length of the route is about a
mile and third. and twenty-five minutes will
be occupied in covering the distance Seats and
windows to view the procession have realized
about 10000.
After all the week in South Africa has not
ended we'll for the British forces. Kekewich's
success near Rustenburg has been more than
counterhalanced by the cutting up OF Colonel
Bensons guard TO the northwest of Bethel
near Brakenlaagte. General Kitchener sends an
unusually long report of the affair from which
It is clear that he attaches great Importance to
it The British lost sixty-six men killed and 1863
uring two guns which were rushed under cover
Of thick mist. General Kitchener assumes
that the guns have been recovered but Colo
nei Barter, who sent in charge of the relief
column, does report that the Beers left them
behind ii is possible that the British COM
mander-in-chiefs assumption may be we'll
founded The Beers have once again shown how
well they prepared to attack strong
British columns. The lighting at close quar-
ters. and although the losses of the victorious
burghers not yet known, there can be little
doubt that they. too. must have suffered heavily
General Kitchener does not add that he is about
TO hold inquiry 10 the cause Of this very
latest "regrettable incident" bit undoubtedly
there will be demand for further information.
though 1t is not to be supposed that the news
will have much effect in damping the ardor
and enthusiasm of the crowds that will to-day
welcome the Duke and Duchess OF Cornwall
James Russell Chapman was the only witness
yesterday before the special tribunal arbitrating
upon the system of electrication 10 be adopted
on the Inner Circle Railway, which is partly
owned by the District company and partly by
the Metropolitan company. Mr.. Chapmans rail
way experience in Chicago engineer for Mr.
Yerkes vas carefully listened 10. He conf
dent that there other reliable system
than the direct current. Mr.. Chapman had no
Interest IN any particular scheme OF traction.
but ne was distinctly opposed to the GAM ar
rangsments He informed the tribunal that the
lines n operation in America fully COM
Ilete as those in London, and that In his expe
rience nobody had been killed or injured by the
continuous current on an electrical road.