TRAIN COMMUNICATION RESTORED.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 3131, 11 December 1899, Page 3

TRAIN COMMUNICATION RESTORED.

SORTIES BY THE BRITISH. THE CONDITION OP LADYSMITH. Received December 11th, 1.8 a.m. Capetown, December 10. Trains are now passing over the Frere and Modder bridges. Reports received from Pretoria state that the British early on Saturday attacked fc'choltynek, south of Spytsfontein. It is believed that sorties were made simultaneously from Kimberley. Major Umphelby, of the Victorian forces, has been appointed to the Staff at Capetown and goes to the front later on. Sir Kedvers Buller has requisitioned the services of 2200 etretcher-bearers to go to the front. The Aberdeen contingent of the New South Wales troop 3 has proceeded to the fclodder River. Sydnby, December 10. The Lancers have landed. When they left the quarantine someone called for cheers, bat hoots were the outcome. Melbourne, December 10. In regard to the outbreak of sickness at Ladysmith the special correspondent of the Natal Times recently wrote : -It is a safe prophecy that the town will be subjected to a fever scourge a mighty sight more dire and troublesome than Boer sliellp. The dead bodies of horses have been left, and vegetable matter lies decomposing m Ladysmith, To keep the .town clean was a difficult duty underordinary circumstances, but with a water supply cut off and 15,000 to 20,000 men cooped up, the result may be appaling Mr M. Bernard, hotelkeeper of Ladysmith, with a companion, escaped thence on horses through the Boer lines to Escourt on November stb. He reported that the Boers' big guns dominate Lrvdy--Bmitli from three points. The object of the Boer gunners appears to be to silence our naval pieces on the heights immediately north of the town. The howitzers had been m action, but the largest ones were not ready when Bernard left, and only so me half dozen shells had fallen into the town proper, but these had done some damage. One shell knocked out the end of the sitting room of the Royal Hotel, and another struck Mr John Forbes's house, and took away the end of it. There were 11 persons m this house, but not one was injured. Mr Bernard does not think that the Boers will be abte to capture Ladysmith, while our guns are not numerous enough to drive off the enemy. Bernard found the whole country throngh which he passed entirely deserted, save for natives/every farm being empty, and all the stock gone.