New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-08-21
THE AMERICAN SHIPS At HAYTI
FOREIGNERS THERE THINK THIS COUNTRY
Is HELPING HYPPOLITE.
BELIEF THAT THE UNITED STATES Is TO
GET ST NICOLAS MoLE-THE FINEST
HARBOR ALONG THE ISLAND.


Port-au-Prince, Aug s CSpeciaD-Admiral
Gherardi's flagship, the kearsarge, reuurneu
on August from breathing trip TO
Gonaives and the cable station, St Nicoias Nloic
and the Ossipee left here at once for h1ngston'
Jamaica. for coal. and then to pick up American
sailors left on barren island off the coast of iuca-
tan. Captain Kellogg and his officers are pleased
even to make a 1,1OO-mile trip to place fuiiy as
bad as this lust for a change Their eight months
stav down here has fitted them TO face the worst
that can happen; then, too they may get to Key
West. and even get run up to New-York
During the stay of the Kearsarge in Gonaives the
United States Consul, Mr.. Depuis, made the state
ment that General Hyppolite did not intend to
take Port-au-Prince by force of arms, giving as
his reason that the city must be destroyed If any
sucb ATTEMPT were made and that the man who
did such a thing could never hope to rule over
united Hayti The Consul said that, instead of
such course IIyppolte was gradually. getting the
goodwill of all the cities by sending able advo-
Gates TO represent the actual state of the
Republic, and that in short time the
capitaI would be all that remained to
Legitime, and his half-hearted supporters then
would not hold out long under such conditions,
and thus peaceful and bloodleSs victory would
be gained. Mr. Dcpuis comes from family
long distinguished in Haytian history, having
one ancestor who was twice Secretary of State
at critical times and enjoyed the honor of being
called the only man who could have saved the
country.
Hyppolite's camp, north of the city. is in
plain sight from the men-of-war in the harbOr
and seems to grow daily. His scouting parties
have been inside the city, by way of the Portal
St. Joseph, but do not seem to have come into
contact with the enemy, although strict watch has
been kept. The only killing done lately was when
two squads Of Legitimes troops going the nightly
rounds ran into each other in the dark, got
ratified and fired, each thinking that they
had met the enemy. Seventeen were killed and
many wounded On Sunday, July %, the gun
boats spent the night about two miles up the
coast from tine city bombarding lIyppolite's camp
firing guns at fifteen-minute intervals, but it
could not be learned that any damage was done
The firm conviction among all the foreign resi-
dents here is that the United States is he lping
| Hyppollte, and that in return st. Nicolas Mole IS
TO be ceded TO them as payment They ching to
this idea although Admiral Gherardi has fire.
quently stated that his only object and his in
strucuOns from the Navy Department are to simply
protect American subjects and their property.
St. Nicolas Mole is certainly the finest harboF and
| the coolest, breeziest place in Hayti. The outer
or main harbor is three miles long and about one
and half wide, perfectly protected from any gale
that blows in these regions the water is fairly
being plainly seen in twelve fathoms. It
was here that General LIE Clerc landed
with 10000 French troops in 1902. The
Great Napoleon, having secured the peace
Of EnroDe, had decided to bring the then empir,
of Hayt again under his rule, but Toussaint
LOuverturc wisely retreated to the interior and
waited for his allies yellow fever and the climate,
to do their work. Some of his enemies say that
he helped them by poisoning the water supply.
At any rate, not 5000 of that splendid army were
left at the end OF the year. The town is clean
enough, because men are away with the army
and the women are industrious enough TO keep it
| that way. The population at present is not over
| 1000, and no business is done. All seem TO get
enough to eat, and money is no object
The reports Of a large number Of descrtOns of
sailors from the soopof-war Galena owing to their
fears of contracting yellow fever in HayA whittier
the vessel Is bound emphstically denied by the
officers of the vessel yesterday The vessel will pos
sbly get away on Friday Saturday. As her alb
sence from home Is indefinite It deemed practl-
cable TO discharge a half dozen apprentice boys and
fifteen seamen whose terms Of enlistment will expr,
within the next two months. and nineteen and
ten apprentices have been detailed to fill the va