The San Francisco call. [volume], March 17, 1900, Image 1

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
* Continued on Third Page, ¦ . ._.
LONDON, March '•¦ 17.— The Daily Mail . publishes 'an interview ; this morning ¦Jwitti.Cecll Rhodes,' secured by Julian Ralph, •
BRITISH CASUALTIES AT DREIFONTEIN.
LONDON. March 16.— 1t was officially announced to-day that the British casu
alties at Dreifontein on March 10 w*re alxty-two men killed and 321 wounded, in- '
eluding one Canadian wounded. - • . , .. • .',
RUMORS THAT STEYN WILL SURRENDER.
BLOEMFONTEIN, March 15.— General Prettyman la succeeding admirably as
Governor of the town. He issued a proclamation to-day requesting the burgh T
ers within a radius of ten miles to deliver up their arms, assuring them they
would be paid for the confiscation of their property.
Lord Roberts Is about to issue fresh proclamations, which, It Is considered,
will have the effect of disarming further opposition upon the part of the Free
Mr Collings has been appointed Landdrost, vice Pappenfus, deposed,- and
Mr. Frazer will act as Mayor. Great quantities of stores captured at Wasser
fall have been recovered. As a result of Hunter and.Weston's line cutting the
British have secured twenty-six engines and the line has been cleared to the
Kaffir River Rumors are current that* former President Steyn Is willing' to
surrender Much unrest exists among the Dutch population. The burghers de
scribed the soldiers as locusts, saying tney are Innumerable and of identical
color with them. ¦••"•.v"
WAR INTEREST CENTERS IN SOUTH OF FREE STATE.
WHY GERMANY CAN'T TAKE THE INITIATIVE.
PRETORIA, March 14 (via Lourenzo Marques, Thursday. March 15).— The
German Consul has handed 'the following dispatch to jPresident Kruger:
"The Government of Germany and the Emperor will be glad and ready -to
assist in friendly mediation as soon as the fundamental conditions to such are
apparent, as soon as it Is demonstrated that both opponents desire mediation.
Whether the desire already exists on the British side can -be found by, the re
publics on direct Inquiry at, London, or through' the good offices of a third
government which has no important interests of its own to consider in South
Africa. The latter assumption is qualified with a number of nations In and
outside Europe, but not with Germany. . Any such step on the part of the
German Government would awaken suspicions and have other than a humani
tarian view. The increased mistrust thereby engendered would not promote a
peaceable settlement. The request of the republics to transmit their appeal for
mediation to the Austro-Hungarian and Swiss Governments, whose interests
are watched by the German consulate, has been immediately fulfilled."
Boer Prisoners to Be Detained
Indefinitely on Transports
and Free Staters May Be
Spared the Trip to St.
Helena.
L^ONDON, March 17.— The Cape Town correspondent of the Daily Telegraph
.says: . . . /.'...:' ¦?.. • - . . . .-.
"The ,, r Boer prisoners.' I • learn, will be • detained indefinitely on' board
the transports, and the Free dtators will- perhaps be spared the trip to St.
Helena.':' '. . / -. '-">'... .' .
LONDON, March 17.— The Lisbon correspondent of the Standard says: "A mili
tary force of seventy officers and 712 men will sail for Lourenzo Marques on Tues
day next.' This will Include a batteiy of artillery and a squadron of cavalry." - :
ROBERTS WILL SOON BEGIN
THE ADVANCE ON PRETORIA
RHODES SCORES BULLER'S PECULIAR GENERALSHIP.
LONDON, March 17.— Spencer Wilkinson in the Morning Post says:^"The difficulty; now ls^ to Imagine a satisfactory
plan of operations for the Boer commander in chief. At an outside estimate his available forces can hardly be 40,000 men.
The. Boer positions, will, always^ be before a frontal attack is made.. To await the attack will be to risk capture.
The^^ only plan to avoid It will be a hasfy retreat." ¦: r "'-¦'¦' ¦'¦i,'r{-' -- ' . . , •'
• Then proceeding to discuss various possibilities for.. the; Boers Mr. Wilkinson. arrives at; the following conclusion: "The
best thing the Boers can hope for. is to gain-tlme.v There isia^chance of their -being] ablej' again "> to v restore- the; equilibrium
and to turn the balance in their.' own favor. By- gaining time they 1 may; hope for. some} foreign intervention for, complication.
Great Britain must, therefore, push the war with the utmost vigor and must not spare any. effort; to 'keep -the navy and! the
home defense forces in the utmost efficiency,' ready for any emergency.? ', : - ; ; . . .; - ; ;
- ::-. - ¦ . ..,'-•: ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦"--'-• ¦-¦ •.-> - '.¦-"•¦ •¦-.::-,•:•. : .; _ ¦-.....¦, .
BEST THING BOERS CAN HOPE FOR IS TO GAIN TIME.
ROBERTS' OPINION OF GATACRE' S DEFEAT.
DONDON. March 16. 7:42 p. m.-Lord Roberts, in transmitting General Gata
cre's report of the Stormberg defeat; gives his opinions thus:
"The failure was mainly due to.re.iia.nce on Inaccurate information regarding
the ground to be traversed to the uisition held by the Boers, to the employment
of too small a force and to the men being tired out by a .long night march belore
they came in contact with the enemy. When it became evident shortly after mid
night that the guides were leading tne column in the wrong direction, I consider
Gatacre should have 'halted and endeavored to find a -proper road, or should have
fallen back on Molteno. rather than' nave risked the safety of the entire force: by
following a route which brought the troops into difficult ground.^mmanded- on
both sides by the Boers."
BOER COMMANDER COULD NOT CONTROL HIS MEN.
? JAMESTOWN, -Cape Colony. Thursday, . March 15.— There was much.enthu
siasm at. Aliwal North-when General Brabant's troops occupied that place. Com
mandant Oliver," the Boer .commander.' apologized ,for the action of the Boers
durlng".the : last ¦• days'- of • the occupation.: saying he^could npt control his men.
The British are now encamped on the Free State side. of the Orange River, with
the Boers holding an advantageous -hill in front of them. General Brabant la
greatly, hampered owing, to the lack of artillery, having only two 15-pounders.
CAPEiTOWN, March la.-^When the . British forced the passage of the Orange
River they, surprised .the, Boer forces. .The troops occupied* a position on the
north" side of the river ..with little opposition. /.--.,
,:_.The British. first-class. crulser_ Powerful, with the Naval Brigade which haa
been operating ! against \ the Boers . in South ¦ Africa, • sailed for England to-day.
CAPE .TOWN." Match 16.— There was great rejoicing throughout the* colony
upon the receipt of the news that Bloemfontein haa been occupied by the British.
The- first intimation : of . the ,; news at • Port ¦ Elizabeth - was the firing of twenty
one guns at 11 o'clock in the evening. The Inhabitants hastened to the streets and
carried -the -Mayor on "their shoulders, to the Town Hall, where a demonstration
wasmade.! To-day ' Will ibe observed as a general holiday. There is great rejoic
ing at Bloemfontein. whose women and .children have been shut off for months.
At Jamestown great complaint is made of the harsh treatment by the Boers
during the 'occupation. t-Rebels are coming in daily with their arms from to*
south. ~. A' number.< of •: rebel leaders have -been arrested.
LONDON. March 16.— Lord Roberts has sent the, following dispatch to the War Office: .
"BLOEMFONTEIN, Friday, March 16.— General Clements . crossed the Orange ¦¦ River . yesterday. Repairs to the rail
way bridge at Norvalspont have commenced and it, will shortly, be ready, for traffic; -General' Pole-Carew telegraphs his
crrival at Springfontein, so that Bloemfontein now Is practically; ln; rail communication with 'Cape Town. : My procla
mation is already having an excellent effect. Several hundred burghers have -expressed their intention to surrender their
arms, and return .to their occupations. .'• ' ' , - • ' ¦". - : ;.
,* : "The resident commissioner of Basutoland reports that: 800 Boers lately -arrived from Bloemfontein, and that a fur
ther contingent from Aliwal North was only waiting to know; the terms of my proclamation. They had refused to at
tend a council at Kroonstadt to which President Steyn, had summoned them." >';>
LONDON, March 16.— Lord - Roberts' success In . handling the civil . problems •at Bloemfontein and i the man
ifest equanimity with which , the residents of , the capital of the .-Orange . Free t State accept the British occupa
tion momentarily eclipse in interest the military, situation. It , ls. believed here that -the commander-ln-chief . of -the
British forces in South Africa will soon push on to Pretoria, but .Great. Britain Is 'quite content to listen for a'few.days
to the acclamations of the people of Bloemfontein and permit the.; troops to : enjoy, ; a" few days' rest ' before ¦ expecting
further success. Lord Roberts made a quaint .speech to the guards, at Bloemfontein to-day, when, in his first' congratu
latory words, he expressed pride In -their splendid march of thirty-eight: miles in twenty-eight hours and gave ample
assurance of his ultimate design. ' ' ¦', y- ? ' ' ; ,-_'. ij ; < ... .-•; • t '. . ," . ,
"Through a small, mistake," said Lord Roberts, VI have not been able to .march into. Bloemfontein at the head, of
the brigade, as I intended. I promise you, however, that . l will lead you into Pretoria." . .
ROBERTS EXPECTS TO MARCH INTO PRETORIA.
MANY BURGHERS ARE RETURNING TO THEIR HOMES.
LORD METHUEN'S REPORT ON HIS DEFEAT.
¦ LONDON.' March 16.— The London Gazette this evening, publishes General Lord
Methuen's report of the actions at Magersfontein December ID and 11. dated from
Modder River February 15. After explaining the difficulties of an attempt to out
flank 16.000 Boers and arguing that a blow dealt at the Boer center at Magers
fontefh..would be more effective., he says his orders were to relieve Klmberley; and
therefore the day the last reinforcements arrived' he decided to attack Magers
fontein'Kopje." The general then proceeds to describe the artillery bombardment
of the position and how the Highland Brigade was led to the point of assault after
the late Major General Andrew G. Wauchope had previously explained all he in
tended to do and the particular part each battalion was expected to play. Lord
Methuen then says? • '
.i : 'TTwo" rifles accidentally, went-off;and the .flashes, from a. lantern gave the
enemy timely notice of the march."
the report .then proceeds to 'show that General Wauchope deployed his men
too late and suddenly the Boers poured in a heavy fire. Colonel Hughes -Hall et.
Immediately ordered the Seaforths "to charge and the other commanders followed
suit. At this moment some one gave word to retire, and part of the Black Watch
rushed back through the ranks of the Seaforths. ' Colonel Hughes-Hallet' ordered
the latter to lie down and not retire. After a while the colonel again tried to reach
the trenches 400 yards off. but the officers and half the . men fell before the
heavy fire which opened after the men moved. Ten minutes later the Seaforths
tried another rush, with the same result. Colonel Hughes-Hallet 'then decided'
to await orders." .After describing -sending the Gordons and Guards to support
the Highland Brigade* Lord Methuen continues: . ... ........ i
..•"At 2 o'clock in the afternoon the Seaforths were exposed to a heavy cross
fire, the order to retire was given, and the greater part of the casualties then oc
curred. This was an unfortunate retirement for Hallet. He received instruc
tions to 'remain in his position until dusk, and the enemy were then quitting
the trenches in tens and twenties. " Wauchope told me in the evening of Decem
ber 10 that he quite understood his orders and made no further remarks. He
died at the head of his brigade, where his name will always remain honored and
respected. His ; high military reputation and attainments ¦ disarm all criticism.
Every soldier in my division deplores his loss. He was a fine soldier and a true
comrades The attack failed.: The Highlanders were ready enough to rally, but
the paucity of the officers and the non-commissioned officers made It difficult.
I, attach, no; blame to this splendid brigade.";
The report ,theni proceeds to pay a high tribute to the conduct of all the
troops, under conditions ; as : hard as can be imagined, and mentions specially a
number of officers and* men- for distinguished acts of courage already recorded
In the newspaper dispatches. . , • • *
Special Cable to The Call and the New York Herald. Copyrighted, 1900, by the New York Herald Company.
LONDON, March 17.— War Interest centers largely this morning about the Boer forces "in south of the Orange Free
State, and the converging movement being directed agalnst'them by Brabant, Clements and Gatacre; Their strength
is variously estimated at from 2000 to 5000. the latter figure being .more likely to be correct. They, were in the neigh
borhood of Bethulle. Aliwal North and- Noryals Pont en Thursday, but have since 'vanished "from. Aliwal ' North;'
One Boer command has fallen back into. Basutoland, and, according .to "dispatches, 1 is there' waiting 'to 7 surrender
upon learning the terms of Lord Roberts' proclamation. • ¦'.-.'' '•.' •• • •".•_.' "}, J ' , . "'* ,••>*. ; ,' ¦ ¦
General Pole-Carew has arrived at Springfonteln. and Is in' position to" add .his force to that of Clements or Gat
acre as the situation demands. General" Gatacre' threw his : force over the Orange River, and -occupied ' Bethulie without
a shot. being fired. - General Clements: has effected a crossing, at. Van Zyls, to' the east of .Norvals* Pont. Brabant, -who
is also on the north of the river at AliwaH North, is reported, to be confronted by the -Boers,, who are on the hills and
have'Krupp guns. •He is hampered by .lack of artillery. The; question, seems '¦ to be not whether .the Boers will contest
the advance of the.se three forces, but -whether they will succeed in making good their, retreat with the railroad barred
and Pole-Carew. threatening their rear. .': .- ¦¦'• ';¦ '."' " '"'.;¦'' '
Lord Roberts reports that the resistance in th«» "southern part* of the Free State is collapsing. Several hundred
burghers have decided to surrender and return to their farms."'. .'.-'. : - 1 . , ". \. : '¦ ; ' : "'
The proceedings at Bloemfontein, according to British reports." almost, verge upon'comlc opera. It could hardly have
been expected that the capital -would receive an. lnvafling army : with open arras : or decorate and' make demonstrations
In honor of the enemy's success. If these accounts are : accurate,; there is apparently only.: one explanation, that is, that
the Free State is tired of the war and anxious- to make: peace, regardless of the action of the Transvaal. , . . r ,
Some of the Disheartened Boers
Including Generals Lucas
Meyer and Schalkburger
Admit Their Cause Is Hope
less.
VAN ZYL. March 15. — The bridge over the Orange River here has been :cm
pleted. The British forces haw crossed and to-night theyare bivouacking on
Free State soil. . . ]
LONDON. March 17.— The Daily Mall has! the following dispatch from
I^ourenzo Marques, dated Friday. »larc!i 16: ¦ "Intrenching is proceeding on -t«ie
Vaal River at Vereyng. Late arrivals irom Pretoria say that the Boers themselves
now admit that their cause is hope'ess. General Lucas Meyer refuses to fight agai.i
and has returned to his farm. General Schalkburger has also returned, and the
burghers are going home by hundrcls. . .
LONDON, March 17, 4:20 a. m. — With "the, railway communication to the Cape intact, Lord
Roberts will in a few days be in a position to begin the advance on Pretoria. His deep po
litical intuition, combined with' his bold strategy, is having the result desired in
crn sections of the Orange Free State, which are rapidly calming down.
Maf eking is now the only point for anxiety, and as it is known that a force has left Kim
berley its relief may be announced before'many days pass. The efficiency "of the relieving column
is heightened by the fact that it is partly composed of regulars. '..¦'.,,-..
In the lobbies of Parliament last evening.- it was remarked that Lord Roberts is about to is
sue a proclamation announcing that the former system of government in the Orange Free State
is abolished and promising Free Staters who immediately surrender 'due i consideration.^ n^p.
It is understood that the continental powers, with one excepticn, uncompromisingly, re
fused to intervene. The exception was Russia, whose reply was couched in less firm language, al
though, like the others, she declined to interfere. It is said that the Pope was appealed to; but that
he declined to do anything beyond writing. a letter to the Queen, appealing to her to stop the further
effusion of blood. Dr. Leyds' efforts with King Leopold were quite futile.
The possibility of the destruction of Johannesburg is still discussed here, but- it' is believed
that the French and German shareholders would offer a strong protest. ,
The latest advices respecting the surrender of Bloemfontein show that the approach of the
British caused a stampede* Thirteen trains, each composed of forty cars, and all crammed with
Boers, hurried northward just before the line was cut. Mr. Steyn would have been compelled- to
surrender, but he pretended that he was going to' visit. one of the .outposts, and, at midnight took
a carriage which was waiting for him outside the town and thus escaped. The Boers got the bulk
of their wagons and military stores away. .
Majority of the Continental Powers
Having Refused to Inter vene in
the' South African War, the
British Intend to Lose : No Time
in the Campaign Against the
Transvaal Republic.
KRuOnSIAD, NEW CAPITAL OF THE ORANGE FREE STATE.
On the advent of Lord Boberts' army to Bloemfontein President Steyn fled to Kroonstad, seventy
miles to the northeast on the line of the railroad to Pretoria, and there established a new seat of gov
ernment. The town is the base of the next line of resistance of the Boers, who are there concentrating,
it is said, to the number of 50,000 under Joubert himself. • ','A'J-
? VOLUME LXXXVII — NO. 107.
PRICE FIVE CENTS.
SAN FRANCISCO, SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 1900.
THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL
1 • . ¦'
An Innovation— British Officer Explaining. the Plans of,
. • ' Attack to His Men.
; 'The picture shows a position known as the "Outlook,'\a rocky prominence
about 400 feet 'high, rising almost perpendicularly above the r plain through
which the Tugela River runs. The men of, the Scottish Rifles were brought '
up, carefully "hiding themselves behind the rocks and bushes, and their offl- 4
cer pointed out to them the position of the Boers and explained what they <
were expected- to-do 1 when the -attack was made.- This was Indeed an Inno- .$
vationin the method of making war. ~:>.
Lord Kitchener of Khartoum, Chief of Staff, South Africa.
With yet fresh laurels from Egypt and the Soudan the conqueror of the
Khalifa went to South Africa to face a graver situation than he had ever
before known— or Great Britain— in his lifetime. He faced it. Order sprang
from confusion. Bewilderment and defeat changed to confidence and victory
and to-day he Is second only to his gray-haired veteran chief, who as the
nomlnai head of the new order of affairs made Kitchener's opportunity pos
sible.