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
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 Oh 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
Iquique, 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
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 vening-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
TtpleniSh her bunkers. The Charles
ton, like most swift cruisers, was obliged
to sacrifice some cOal-carrying capacity
for the sake of boiler and engine rooms
and gun-carrying capacity. With full
bunkerS she can carry 800 tons; but, if
she has been driven at full speed, she
must have burned 175 tons every twen-
ty-fOuT hours, which would give full
steam power for but four and
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
the ltata. Some comment was caused
among state department people by the
telegraphed statement that the Chilian
inSurgent cruiser Esmeralda is now at
Acapulco. The fact that her
presence in port is tolerated
is regarded here by some of
fcesr as a quasi recognition of the
Mexican government of the insurgents
nc no
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-
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 a
battle whichshad been fought in that
neighborhodd. The consul cabled that
a Chilian man- of-Wars had been worsted
by an insurgeht Ecrniserand had come
into Calloa for tepaffs.'~ Ita further
stated that thesP Perhgian auth8Nties had
refused to allo@the. man -of-wda<to make
the repairs anddt OUT again. The con-
sui does not give the name of the Ship
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 naval strength. The
action of the Peruvian authorities
would indicate that they are not
friendly to the Balmaeeda government,
and probably recognize it simply OH a
level with the insurgents as belligerent
power