Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 October 1896 — DONGOLA IS FALLEN. [ARTICLE]

DONGOLA IS FALLEN.

British-Egyptian Expedition in Africa Occupies the Stronghold. Dongola has fallen, and the nominal objective point of the British-Egyptian expedition has been reached. The river forces of the British-Egyptian expedition, pushing up the Nile from El Hafir, landed a force at Dongola and occupied that place before the dervish forces, retreating from El Hafir, reached that point. El Hafir and Dongola are therefore both in the hands of the expedition, while the derviskpforces are somewhere between, seeking a refuge. Saturday afternoon the long-range firing continued between the dervishes on the west bank of the Nile, and the expeditionary force on east side. The Maxim guns, with their sweeping hail of fire, did

great execution in the dervish ranks, while the field and horse batteries never allowed the enemy to do anything with their batteries. After the gunboats of the expedition had forced their way past the forts at El Hafir and had proceeded southward toward Dongola the dervishes apparently perceived that El Hafir was no longer the place for them and they prepared to depart. They buried as many of their dead as they had time for. The rest were prepared with a stone around the neck and thrown into the Nile. As soon as the news of the evacuation of El Hafir was received the correspondent of the Associated Press proceeded to cross the river and make a survey of the enemy's late position. It was found that their mud defenses had been built with great care, but the rifle trenches only permitted the men a very short and straight front for protection. Mats were still strewn along and within the trenches, and in the straw shelters were the remains of the carcasses of sheep, which had been killed to supply food to the defenders. The dead had been buried or thrown into the river.