The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-08-05
THE GUNBOATS.
The --latest HRrticulars of their SeIzure-The
Raid ON Mystic, COnH.


terday to scerain what was intended to be done
with the gui boats which had been seized. The
Marshal gave him TO understand that he had no
disposition to interfere with the Legitimate busi-
ness OF the works, but that the vessels in ques-
ton would not be allowed to leave the yards.
The two Deputy Marshals, Winslow and
1hrysue, have not yet returned from Mystic.
The boats there have been seized under the same
conditions rs those in this harbor, the work
being still allowed to go on. -Four of those at
Mystic have got their machinery i'm, and the
other II are still on the stocks. None OF the
vessels Will be ready for sea for at least six
weeks. 1t is intended TO get one finished as
soon as possible as a model, and to have all the
rest ready about the same time. Their ma
chnery is not being built at Newark, as stated
IN q morning newspaper yesterday, but aJ Mr..
Delamoter's ship-yard, and the boilers are tested
under steam before being placed on board. The
work is being pushed forward with considerable
rapldlty. The bulw0rhs Of these vessels are
very low. They are intended TO carry one pivot
gun, and their draft being light, they would
make excellent parrol-boots. They would
Shot shot and md she'll l nto @'' the Z" ports shroT o(
Lima and Valparaiso, or sail up the Amazon
and lay the foundations of a new Spanish en-
pre- IN the nuczploroo wilds Of Central South
America. The cost of these vessels is pTObabIv
about $4,000 apiece, and the loss TO DegmateT
or the Spanish Governments by their conlisea-
tion, would be great, as the machinery built in
particular Tor them would be comparatively
useless for other purposes. Ii, however they
arc really intended to be used in warfare arlintt
the Government of Peru, Mr. DoiamGter Troba-
bly, secured himself against loss before running
the expensive risk Of building thirty vessel, at
cost OF ~ 100000. which might aJ any moment
be seized and cOniiscated.
despatch from Mystic. Conn.,, dated yester-
day. says:-
The Marshals, last night merely served papers
upon the builders OF the fifteen Spanish run
boats, ordering them nor TO leave port until fur
ther notice. The Marshals then cracked several
bottles OF champagne, and rode back to New
York. To-day work has been resumed upon the
gunboats as though nothing had happened.
| Three of the gunbOats have already been
launched, and were about to be towed to New
York to receive their machinery
Six more are to be put in the water before the
close of the week. The others will be ahoat
some time next week. All these boats will re-
ceive their machinery at Delamaters. in your
city. Their boilers are all ready and their
engines nearly so. Two Spanish naval officers
Of high rank are said to have visited the shin
yards in Mystic to-day.
Before the keels of these boats were laid ship
building ut Mystic had been very dull for several
| years, and when the contract made, the
business OF the town revived Immediately. The
previous dullness of shipbuilding had caused the
wOrtmen to go away and the contractors were
unable to find all the shipwrights they wanted
without bringing them from other places. Many
men came to Mystic from Long Island. New
York, and Boston and added materially to the
population, so that the place has worn very
| Lively aspect.
Eight of the gunboats were contracted for by
I. Mallory & Co., TWO by George GreCnmau ~
Co., and five by Hill " Griuncll. 1t is under
stood that none of these parties will lose heavily
should the work on the boats be suspended, as
| they were shrewd enough to require partial
payment in advance, and other payments at
| stated intervals the work progressed.
Captain Wilson and the Deputy Marshal here
have been requested by Marshal Barlow to keep
watch on the gunbOats at Mystic and sec that
| none OF them are removed.
| How the Spanish Minister Received the News.
| The Herdd's Washington despatch says:-
The news of the seizure of the Spanish gun
| boats by the Federal authorities at New York
| created quite a sensation when il reached the
| Spanish legation yesterday. The proceeding
| seems to have been as unexpected by the Spanish
| Minister, NJ. Roberts, rs was the imprisonment
| of the Cuban Junta some weeks ago to the Cuban
| sympathizers. Nj. Roberts was first notified of
| the seizure by despatch from the Spanish Con-
| sui at New York, Witch was received yesterday
about noon. He Immediately made arrange
| ments to proceed to New York, and left here
| last evening, accompanied by his first Secretary
| of Legation. The members of the Spanish Leg;l-
| tion are ut a loss to know what prompted the
| proceedings on the part of Marshal Barlow. but
| they shrewdly suspect that it set-up
| job between the Cubans and their new South
| American ally, Peru. 1t will be remem-
| bered that when the Peruvian Govern
| ment purchased certain irOn-clads from our
| Government, the Spanish Minister insisted that
| Peru should enter into obligations not to
use the iron-clads against any nation with which
the United States was ut peace until they had
| been first moOred in Peruvian waters. Subse-
! quenty, when the Peruvians showed some delay
in getting the iron-clads to Peru and kept them
| floating in the waters of the Caribbean Sea. the
| Spanish Minister called the attention of our
| Secretary of State to the delay on the part of
| Peru in taking the iron-clads home At that
| time and indeed ever since the Spanish Min
| ster has had IN idea that these Peruvian iron
| clads would turn up some day as unwclcOme
visitors to the Spanish feet lying in Cuban
| waters. Besides this it win be remembered that
| when Peru recognized the belligerent rights of
| Cuba the Spanish Minister complained of that
| action to Secretary Fish, and insisted that as
| the United States had undertaken to inter
| pose its friendly offices in the quarrel be-
| tween Spain and Peru, our Government
| should take some action which would resent the
/ conduct of Peru. NJ. Roberts regarded the action
| of Peru in recognizing Cuba as one hostile to
| Spain, and ii is probable that but for the fact
| that Spain had then and has had since rs much
on hand as she could comfortably attend to, an
attempt would have been made to renew hostili-
| ties with Peru, and punish her for her temerity.
| These facts which were well known to the Pc
TuYian Minister, may have induced him to believe
that the gunboats being built at New York for the
| Spanish Government would probably be used
against Peru well as Cuba, and this may have
| stimulated him to lodge the complaint with the
| United States Marshal which led to their seizure
| 1t was known here some time ago that certain
| members of the administration were violently
| opposed to the building of the Spanish gunboats
| at New York, and il was darkly limited that they
would never be allowed to go to sea- 1t was
| stated by a Cabinet officer that the President
| had been heard to say that those gunboats might
| be built, but they would never be allowed to
| leave American waters.
COENTERFEITERS.