The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-05-12
THEITATA NOT CAUGHT
Cruiser Charleston Goes Slow,
Anchoring at Night.
NOW OFF THE MEXICAN COAST
Chilean Warship Esmeralda Waits
ut Acapulco for Her ConsOrt.

She Would OveFmstch the American In
Battle-Perhsps the United states IL
Only Making Show. and Does not
Really Want to Seize the Runawsy.
Los ANGELES. May 11.-George A. Burt,
supercargo of the Robert and Minnie, Cap
tam O'Farrell and five seamen on board
the craft. together with Pilot Dill, of San
Diego, were today charged with violation
Of the neutrality laws and bail fixed at
1900 each in the cases Of Burt, O'Farrell
and Dill, and s, 500 each in the cases of the
seamen. Dill was the only one who gave
bail. The others are still in the hands of
the United States marshal.
CRY OF MExIco, May 11.-Foreign Min
lister Mariscall says all the necessary steps
have been taken so that when the Itata
reaches q Mexican port she will not be al
lowed to land.
WASHINGTON CITY, May 1L-fSpecial r
Secretary Tracy this afternoon sent out
word that he had nothing to say about the
Chilean vessel Itata or the Charleston.
Other officials in the navy department are
equally reticent. The official mind of the
department is evidently in dread that a
possible unguarded admission to q re-
porter might result in the disclosure of the
plan of the campaign, in which the en-
tire available naval force in the Pacific is
arrayed against one steamer whose war
like character has not yet been shown.
Certainly the government appears to be
making extraordinary efforts to recapture
the Itata, for in addition to cabling Ad-
mirals Brown and McCann to head of the
runaway before she reaches Chilean
waters, it is understood instructions have
been sent to the United States consular
officers at all points between California
and Chile where the Itata could reach to
advise naval officers of her movements if
she is sighted.
In strange contrast to this exhibition of
zeal is the course of the Charleston, which
is in chase of the runaway. This vessel
sailed from San Francisco early Saturday
morning, bound south. She is an eighteen
knot vessel, and last night should have
been $50 miles down the coast, or near San
Lucas, where the Chilean warship Esmer-
aida is supposed to be lying in wait for the
Itata, but instead of covering this distance
the Charleston got about half way there,
then went to anchor overnight. Later ad-
vices show that she was last seen above
the Mexican boundary. Such officers as
have an opinion they feel free to express
say the Charleston's movements may
be explained in two ways: Either
the department believes the Itata
is lying somewhere off the coast of Califor-
MIA, or it has no intention of seixing the
vessel unless her presence i made nm
III xl~r nnxenaoAIA ~vsxhsv ~o1~
The motive for such an attitude by the
government indicated in the last theory
is, in brief, that it might not be good di-
plomacy for the United States to go too
far in the direction of hostilities towards
the Chilean insurgents. The duties upon
a friendly government in cases such as
this have never been finally and clearly
enunciated by the authorities in inter-
national law; but it can safely be assumed
that in the operations Of the United States
marshal in seizing the Itata and Robert
and Minnie and in the pursuit of the Itata
as long as she was in United States waters,
our government has already shown what
the Geneva arbitration in the Alabama
case has declared to be due diligence.
An evening paper prints an interview
with q prominent attache Of one Of the
South American legations, who is re-
ported as talking in the following strain
The arms which were transferred from the
Robert and Minnie to the Itata were the prop
erty of the W. r. Grace Company, OF New York.
The contest now raging In the Chilean republic
between President Balmaceda and the insur-
gents was inspired and Is the direct outcome OF
rivalry between Grace & Co. and large Eng
iish syndicate, of which Colonel North Is the
head. The English people own the nitrate beds
In Chile, and Grace owns the immense guano
beds OF Peru. Grace 10 trying to secure control
OF the nitrate beds, but a. the present govern
ment is friendly to North, Graces only hope
of obtaining the concession he desired
was to promote a revolt against the present
government in order to overthrow it. With
that object in view, his agents have been for
months at work planting the seeds OF this re-
bellion. He furnished great deal of the
money necessary to carry on the war, with the
understanding that IL it was successful North
should be driven out and he should have con-
troll OF the nitrate beds. His conspiracy has
been going on for months. Three weeks ago
Grace himself was out on the Pacific coast
personally superintending the arrangements
for receipt and shipment OF insurgent arms to
Chile That Is the milk OF the cocoanut. don't
think Grace is amenable to any Law, but this gov
ernment must become internationally RESPONSE
BILE for Grace's infraction Of the neutrality laws
Solicitor General Taft today received q
dispatch from President Harrison, direct
ing him to 60 to Los Angeles and take
charge of the Robert and Minnie case for
the government. He left on the afternoon
train.
SAN PEDRO, CAL, May 1.-The United
States man-of-war Omaha left here for the
North this afternoon.
SAN Francisco, May 1.-THE afternoon
papers print interviews with lawyers as to
the legal status in case the Charleston
should overtake or sink the Itata- The
views expressed were that while the Itata
flies the Chilean flag, according to all
advices received, she is not the representa-
tive of any constituted authority. Balma-
ceda is still the head of the Chilean gov.
eminent, and he alone is recognized by
foreign governments. The Itata was q
government vessel. but she was seized by
the insurgents and is being used against
the recognized government, and therefore
the insurgents have no standing under the
present legal status of the case. In case
the Esmeralda interferes to prevent the
capture of the Itata she can also be con.
sidered in the same category as the Itata
The fact that a Chilean cruiser accom-
panied the Itata north was first ascer
tained through deserter from the Itata
who escaped from that steamer at Sar
Diego. II was at first doubted that one Of
the most powerful of Chilean warship.
should GO so far from the Chilean coast al
thi, iuncture, but it is now definitely
known that the Esmeralda is now in pori
- A~~rufeo On the Mexfcan coast