BRILLIANT ARMOURED TRAIN PERFORMANCE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 8702, 22 December 1899, Page 4

BRILLIANT ARMOURED TRAIN PERFORMANCE.

A DASH THROUGH THE ENEMY, j ReuteVs special correspondent at Eat- [ court telegraphed on November 6 : — A ] brilliant little performance has been ] achieved by the armored train which left here this morning to reconnoitre the line ] towards Lariysmith, and which has just ] returned here. It carried two companies of the Dublin Fusiliers, under Captain Rnnier. Close to Colenso the enemy were sighted near the line in considerable force. The Dublina at once opened a brisk fire, to which the Boers replied. Their fire, however, was quite ineffective, and, as thay were suffering, loss, they quickly retired. For some time they were lost to sight, but as the train cautiously advanced they vine seen to be moving round on tho left flank, ! with the object, it was presumed, of taking the train in the rear. To avoid this ■ the train retired. It was seen that the " Boers had no intention of attacking, but a were in full retreat over the road bridge. ' Iniiiiediatcly the Boers were seen to be s retiring, a strong detachment left the train ' and entered the town, while the train ' itself advanced slowly to the station. Several volleys were poured at long-range iuto the still retreating enemy . Our men I succeeded in entering Fort Wylie, and j brought back four waggon loads of shell, j provisions, and stores. ; An armored train went over the Tugeln ' Bridge yesterday (November 4), and found ' Colenso intact, as were also the road and the railway bridges. A strong commando " of Free State Boers was observed some * six miles from Colenso on the Lsidysmith ' side. It is supposed to have been engaged i with the British forces from Ladysmith *■ on Thursday, and to have suffered heavy Jj loss. It is rumored that the Natal Dutch i took part in this engagement, siding with the enemy. Confirmatory information has just been brought in here by a reliable native in legard to Friday's (November 3) J fight on the south side of Ladysmith. It appears thnt a rccniiiaisance in force was f made by a British division, with the object of relieving tho Colenso column, which had B been attacked by the enemy. Our infan- ? try charged the Boers, who were strongly I posted on Giobler's Kloof Hill, und drove , them down on to tho plain towards the ' Tugela river. The cavalry then executed •

i magnificent flanking movement, and sharged the enemy, almost wiping them >ut. The veldt is strewn with slain Boers, in armored train again left for Colenso ,vith a company of the Dublina and a rail vay engineering staff to repair the line. [HE FIGHT AT GROBLER'S KLOOF. FURTHER ACCOUNTS OF THE BOER DEFEAT. The special correspondent of the Daily News at Esicourt sends the following message, dated Sunday, November 5, which confirms previous reports as to the statements concerning the recent fighting:— " Further advices show there is no longer u\y doubt that a decisive victory was won nutside Ladysmith on Friday, November 3. The reports which come in are singularly unanimous, now placing the Boer loss at 1000 killed and wounded, aud 2000 prisoners. The Boers engaged appear to have been a portion of the northern force investing Ladysmith, and the Free State column surrounding Colenso. "On firing being heard from near Colenso, a British flanking force, consisting of infantry, cavalry, and artillery, moved out of Ladysmith. They came up with the Boers, who had taken up a position on Grobler'a Kloof Hill, and had guns with them. Our artillery was afc once got to the front, and opened on the enemy from a position on an eminence to the north. Our fire was very effective, shell after shell being planted amongst the enemy, and they were finally driven out of their positions. In their retreat, however, they were obliged to cross open ground, and this was their destruction. In the meantime, the Lancers and Dragoons had worked round the base of the hill upon whioh the enemy was posted, and when their retreat began, charged in among them. " The Boer force was virtually cut to pieces. Those who escaped fled in the direction of the Free State. One of the Kaffirs affirms that hundreds were killed on the hilltop by the bayonet charge of the Gordons, and that Ihe open veldt was strewn with the Boer killed in the cavalry charge. The above news (add3.the correspondent) is confirmed by military cyolisis who have arrived here, and saw the slain lying out on the plain."