St. Paul daily globe., 1891-05-13
The WAR SHIPS Rk CE
The Charleston Reported to
Be Gaining on the Chill
ian Craft.
Washington Officials Have No
Information to Give
Out.
Coal Capacity Of the Vessels
Will Be an Important
Factor.
Arrest in San Francisco Of a
Chilian Partisan Of the
insurgents.

CITY OF MEXICo, via Galveston, May
12.-The Chilian steamer ltata is sailing
under difficulty and the United States
warship is gaining on her. 1t is ex-
pected that the two vessels will reach
Acapulco within a few hours of each
other.
WASHINGTON, May 12.-Up to the
close of business hours no news was re-
ceived at the navy department of the
movements of the Charleston, and so
far as the officials there know, the Itata
is still at liberty. Commodore Ramsay.
the acting secretary, this afternoon said
that he did not know where the Charles
ton was and that the only news the de-
partment had received to-day was the
arrival of the cruiser San Francisco at
1quique, in Northern Chill. AS this
vessel is to figure in the chase, in case
the Itata escapes the Charleston, her
movements are of some importance.
AS the days of the chase run along a
new factor appears, which will doubt
less result speedily in betraying the
movements of the pursuer and the pur
sued. The Itata started from San Diego
last Wednesday evening-siX days ago
and, if pushed to her highest speed,
must be nearly out of coal, so that she
must soon put into port somewhere to
repleniSh her bunkerS. The Charles
ton, like mOstswift cruisers, was obliged
to sacrifice some cOal-carrying capacity
for the sake of boiler and engine rooms
and gun-carrying capacity. With full
hmm ha Irnf
she has been driven at full speed, she
must have burned 175 tons every twen-
ty-four hours, which would give full
steam power for but four and
half days. She has NOW
been out three days and
half, and although it is known that she
lay at anchor at least one night, her coal
supply is probably running so low that
1t would be hazardous for her-a vessel
without sail pOWer-tO continue much
longer at sea. so that some news from
Dne or both of the vessels may be eX-
pected very soon, when they put into
port for coal. This will probably be
Mexican port, and Immediately may be
expected to arise
An Important Question
for the determination of the Mexican
government, and that is the status of
among state department people by the
telegraphed statement that the Chilian
ineurgent cruiser Esmeralda is now at
Acapulco. The fact that her
presence in port is tolerated
is regarded here by some Of
ficesr as a quasi recognition of the
Mexican government of the insurgents
rs belligerents. If this recognition
should take formal shape it might have
important results for the insurgents,
for, under neutrality laws, their vessels
would lind an asylum in Mexican ports
and might take supplies, although not
permitted to take aboard munitions of
war or make any Mexican port base of
operations against Chill. This doctrine
was thoroughly defined in the Alabama
case, and it is said that in addition to
the precedent set by Great Britain in
recognizing the insurgents as belliger-
entS, the Mexican government has not
the kindlieSt feelings toward the pres
ent Balmaceda administration in Chill.
a prominent naval officer was asked to-
day how long it would take to recap
ture the Itata. He replied that he
could only answer by recalling the Ala
bama case. where the vessel of that
name continued fol two years to commit
the most audaclouS raids upon Ameri-
can commerce while pursued by at
least twenty naval vessels. So far as
surface indications reveal the real state
of affairs. the navy department appears
to be less agitated than any other de-
partment over the escape of the Chilian
steamer Itata. Secretary Tracy left
Washington last night for Binghamton,
n. Y, to look after some private buSi-
ness. Assistant Secretary Seley stayed
at home to-day, and Commodore Ram
say was left as the representative of the
secretary of the navy. The commodore
was as uncommunicative as usual, and
stated briefly that he had nothing to
say about the Itata or the Charleston,
and that the Itata had not been capt
ured, so far as he knew.
The War Still On.
WASHINGTON, May 12.-An impor-
tant cablegram in regard to the Chilian
situation has been received at the state
department. 1t is IRON Consul Daugh-
eIty at Callao, Peru, and related to
battle whichshadsbe fought in that
neighborhodd. The. consul cabled that
a Chilian min- Of war had been worsted
by an insurgeht EerniseEand had come
Into Calloa fprS Apaffs.S HA further
stated that thek kerAsian authS& &ties had
refused to alloMthe man f-ws4sto make
the repairs anddit our again. The con-
Sul uoeS lioC give tlie ndlle Oh the snip,
but it was probably one of the larger
cruisers, of which the, Balmaceda gov
ernment kept control. AS Callao is
several hundred miles north of IQuique,
the insurgents headquarters, the infer
ence is that the civil war is far from
ended, and that the insurgents equal
the government in navalStrength. The
action of the Peruvian authorities
would indicate that they are not
friendly to the Balmaeedag government,
and probably recognize it simply OIL
level with the insurgents as a belligerent
power.
AN INSURGENT PARTISAN.