West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Wednesday 15 August 1900, page 5


CABLEGRAIMS. THE BOER WAR. KRUGER'S MOVEMENTS. SITUATION AT LYDENBURG. London, August 13. President Kruger is, it is reported, retiring from Machadodorp in a southeasterly direction to Barberton. It is stated that at Lydenburg, whither it was expected that President Kruger would retire, no defensive measures have been adopted, owing to .the hostile attitude of the M3ajoch Kaffirs. GENERAL BULLER AT ERMELO. TOWN ENTERED UNOPPOSED. BURGHERS SURRENDERING. London, August 13. General Buller has entered Ermelo unopposed. A number of burghers have surrendered. The Boers are retreating north-easterly towards the mountains. General French's scouts have arrived at Carolina. [Ermelo is situated about 60 miles north of Laing's Nek. Carolina is about 40 miles further to the northward.] RUSTENBURG EVACUATED. * BRITISH RESIDENTS GO TO PRETORIA. London, August 14. Rustenburg, in the Western Transvaal, where Colonel Baden-Powell was lately besieged, has been evacuated. The British residents of the town have gone to Pretoria. DE WET'S FORCE. 3,500 MEN. London, August 14. It is stated that General De Wet's force, which has so far eluded the British Generals, consists of 3,500 men, including ?newly-perjured surrenderers. De Wet has also 10 guns, .including two five-pounders, six weeks' supplies of meat and mealies, and a transport comprising 200 waggons. HEILBRON AND KLERKSDORP. REPORTED RE-0OCCUPATION BY THE BOERS. London, August 14. The Boers claim to have re-occupied. Heilbron, in the Orange River Colony, and also Klerksdorp, in the south-west of the Transvaal. MACHADODORP ABANDONED. THE BOERS AT WATERVAL ENDER. London, August 14. The Boers have abandoned Machadodorp, President Kruger's late capital. They are now occupying Waterval Ender in strength., RHODESIA. London, August 14. The South African Chartered Company has decided to grant 100 free farms in Rhodesia to members of the Australian contingents and the Imperial Yeomanry.The The acceptors are to be liable to military service, and are to receive a certain number of cattle. AUSTRALIAN CASUALTIES. London August 14. The following Australian casualties are reported:Lieut. W. Berry, of New Zealand, died from an attack of pneumonia, at Johannesburg. Troopers J. B. Campbell and Stanley Reid, of Western Australia, who were missing from, Vredefort, have rejoined their regiment. During the fighting at Elands River, on the 5th and 6th inst. Privates Coleman and S. E. Cowen, of the Tasmanian Mounteds, were severely wounded. Corporal T. Currier and Privates S. J. Taylor, C. Gunning, W. Baker, F. T. Woods W. Dilton and C. T. Ferguson, of the New South Wales Bushmen, were slightly wounded. Privates D. Robertson and R. Ranger, of New Zealand. and Private G. Kingsley, of Tasmania, slightly wounded. The following New South Wales Bushmen are missing:Privates O Board, D. Tasker, R. Young, and H M. Watt. [Yesterday His Excellency the Administrator received a cablegram from Sir Alfred Milner, dated August 13, stating that Troopers J. B. Campbell and S. S. Reid, who had been reported missing from Vredefort at the beginning of the month, had returned to their company on the 9th inst.] WITH THE BUSHMEN. LETTER FROM DR. INGOLDBY.

By the last South African mail, Captain Irvine, Assistant Harbourmaster at Fremantle, received a letter from Dr. Ingoldby, who accompanied the Bushmen's contingent from Western Australia. The letter was written at Bulawayo, and dated June 25. Dr. Ingoldby says :-"We were kept a week on board at Beira before disembarking, and then went on 60 miles up the railway to Bamboo Ureek, where we remained in camp three weeks. This place is the hotbed of malarial fever, and no doubt our future troubles may be traced to our detention in such a beastly place. The last week of our stay there fever broke out, and the men went down wholesale. Frank Davies and two other officers had sharp attacks, also Major Vialls; in the meantime I kept well. At the end of three weeks we moved up to Umtali and placed 25 men in the hospital there. Here I had my first attack, but got over it in a few days without going to hospital. I forgot to say that whilst at Bamboo Creek, the horses, principally the New South Wales lot, were dying wholesale from a peculiar disease known in these parts as 'horse sickness.' A horse would be well one day and dead the next. The New South Wales men have lost half their mounts. We have been more lucky, .only losing about a dozen. My old nag is alive, but very poor and weak. From Umtali the railway landed us at Marendellas, the base camp. After a few days, and leaving nine sick in hospital, we started on our march through Rhodesia to Bulawayo, a distance of about 270 miles. All our baggage and food was drawn in on waggons. This march was a slow, dreary affair *and very uncomfortable. No tents were pitched at night. We just wrapped ourselves in a blanket, put our saddles for pillows, and endeavoured to snatch a brief sleep under the nearest tree. I found the ground very hard. For food, we existed mainly on hard biscuits and bully beef. All along the track we had many sick from fever, and at a place called Enkeldoorn we left ten more in hospital, including three officers, one of them myself, with a second attack. I remained five days there, and, feeling a bit better, took coach and caught up our company at Guelo. Here more men had to be left in hospital. After leaving Guelo, I kept alright for a few days, and then developed a third attack. This last part of the march was very miserable. Suffering from fever, -and unable to eat the tucker, I lost flesh rapidly, and got extremely weak. Many of the men were in the same condition, and had to be carried on the waggons. I stuck to my horse, but sometimes felt like falling off. Hurst was very ill, too, at this part of the journey. We eventually arrived here, the trip having taken over three weeks. I. along with Lieutenants Gledhill and Ord. had to go into hospital. I felt extremely ill. "nd had lost a stone and a half in weight, and looked like an animated corpse. I have been in hasnital a fortnight, only leaving to-day. MIy weight now is only 9st. 81b.. instead of 10st. 81b. I feel much better, but far from my old self I hope I have now done with fever; another attack would

screw me up. There was nothing of much interest to note on the journey overland-the endless rolling veldt, occasionally passing a small village, being the only variety. There was plenty of game along the road, in the shape of buck, guinea fowl, and other birds, but we got practically none. We passed one or two monuments erected to the memory of those white settlers murdered by the Matabele natives in the 1896 revolt. I believe that before the troops passed through the country the natives were very restless, and likely to rise again, but the spectacle of 5,000 armed men in a stream, passing along has effectually quietened them. Bulawayo is a pretty big place, rather like an Australian bush town, plenty of tin shanties, some very fine buildings, and, on the outskirts, lots of pretty villas. I think we shall leave by train to-morrow for Mafeking, and then, perhaps, march on Pretoria." Dr. Ingoldby, it will be remembered, was reported to have been severely wounded in the latter part of last month, but, beyond the bare announcement of the fact, no particulars of his injuries have come to hand. BRITISH EMPIRE LEAGUE. Wellington. August 13. The Premier has received the following cablegram from the Duke of Devonshire, president of the British Empire League: "The League has adopted a resolution welcoming your proposal for a united military system. Will gladly assist." NEW ZEALAND BATTERY UNDER FIRE. Wellington, August 14. The Premier has received the following cablegram from the general officer commanding at Capetown :-"New Zealand battery fought two engagements last Sunday, and silenced enemy's guns in action three times. General Carriigton expressed satisfaction at accurate shooting and good behaviour of the men under fire." PRIVATE KRYGGER. PRESENTATION AT ADELAIDE. Adelaide, August 4. Private Krygger was yesterday presented by the sharebrokers of Adelaide with £25 as a tangible recognition of his bravery in South Africa. Private Krygger stated that he was going to Western Australia to get his discharge, so that he could rejoin his wife and family at Ballarat. [The appearance of Private Krygger's name on the list of passengers by the s.s. Kalgoorlie, which arrived at Albany from the East on Monday evening. seems to have led to the assumption that the returning member of the first contingent was then on the vessel, and on his way to Fremantle. From the above telegram, however, it will be seen that Private Krygger broke his journey westward at Adelaide.]