The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-03-25
IQUIQUES BOMBARDMENT
FIRE LICKED Up So, 100000 WORTH
OF PROPERTY.


Led to The Firing by the Vessels OF
the Rebels-The Combat Stopped by
the Government Chief Selling Out
for $4,000
PANAMA, March 24.-The English iron-
clad Warshite arrived at Callao Msreh l
from Chilean ports. From those on board
some details have been obtained of the
events which followed the capture Of
Iquique by the rebels and the first hre,
which caused the destruction of property
valued at S2,000,000. 1t appears that when
the rebels captured the port the government
troops took up their position at some distance
from it, and held themselves in readiness to
attack the city. The rebels returned to the
vessels, leaving only some fifty men in
charge. The troops soon heard of this, and
marched to the place,some 200 strong under
Col. Soto. They reached the vicinity at
about o'clock in the morn-,s, and fell in
with guard of sailors.
FIRING BEGINS
Firing commenced and the snSGe fusllade
caused the ships to promptly open fire. The
Blanco Encalada, Esmeralda and Huascar
used their heavy guns. while the transports
kept their mtrailleuses busily employed.
Tremendous destruction followed, and at 10
o'clock in the morning fire broke out in a
nitrate warehouse, which was extinguished
by the fire brigade. AT $3.50 o'clock another
fire broke out, aud this time the efforts of
the fremen proved useless, and the flames
spread until the whole central part of
lquique, where the best stores and buildings
were situated, was in ruins. Up to FeU.
&C. when the warships left Iquique, the
ruins were yet burning.
The fight which resulted in the fire was
bloody tragedy, and it would have been
more prolonged had it not have been for an
arrangement having been made by the chiefs
OF the two parties under which the opposition
leaders engaged to pay Col. Soto $4,000 to
distribute among his men, who were then
to join the rebels. Under this arrangement
the government troops abandoned their
arms ana soon disappeared Subsequently
Col. Soto was arrested and sent on board
the Ame1onas, accused of having distrib-
utted only 81, 900 among his men and hav-
ing retained the remaining $1,000.
ANOTHER ATTACK FEARED.
Those on board the Warshite had also
been informed that Col. Robles had 1000
of President Balmacedas' troops on the
Pampas, and that it was possible that they
would again attack Iquique, in which port
and its vicinity the revolutionists stated
that they had 8, 900 men. They were how
ever, short of ammunition, but were ex-
pecting some by steamer by way
of tue Magellan straits. Iquique is
completely abandoned and all the inhabit-
ants have taken refuge on an island, where
they had previously been stationed Pisagua
has been abandoned by the populace. The
intendant of Iquique sought refuge in the
Warshite and subsequently left in the cable
ship Silvertown for Valparaiso. The report
is confirmed of q fight at San Francisco. IN
which Gen. Vidagrau was killed and where
the rebels were defeated.
HEAVY LOSS OF LIFE.
In fight at Iquique on March 10 about
200 persons were killed. Some of the mum
Der lost their lives through their own i'm
prudence. The Office of the daily
newspaper, the Voz de Chile, which
supported the government, was attacked
and burned. The Warshite gave passage to
Callao to lis persons of different nationali-
ties The French steamship Vile de Bel
fast, which arrived at Iquique. reports that
800 were killed and wounded as the outcome
of the fights at Tarapaca Pampas
The Lima DTariO said on Feb. %:
"The present revolution in Chill threatens
to result in serious international conflicts
Peruvian territory has already been vio-
lated by Chilean government troops and
now we learn that the government troops,
with provisions and ammunitions, have
occupied positions inside the Argentine
limits and on the road to Mendosa.
REFUSED THE RIGHT TO BURY.
A report reached Panama March z that
when the forces Of Valparaiso fired in the
Blanco Encalada, killing several Of her
crew, the commanding officer solicited per-
mission from the shore authorities to bury
h., NJ bat ha ha
that he might bury them in the sea. The
commander of the Blenco EncaIada there.
upon referred to the captain of her majesty
ship Champion, and the latter significantly
replied Request me to bury them
and shall do So" The re-
quest wa accordingly formally made,
whereupon the British commander
had the dead Chilean seamen taken ashore
under the protection of the British flag and
buried with due military honors in the
graves he had ordered prepared for them.
OUR wARsHIPs OFF CHILE.
WASHINGTON, March 24-It is the pur-
pose Of the navy department to have Ad-
niral Brown, who is in command of the
Pacific station, transfer his flag from the
Charleston to a more suitable cruiser, the
San Francisco, and to dispatch that vessel
to Chile at the earliest possible
day. Bo b vessels are now at Mare
Island, California, and San Francisco 1t is
expected that the San Francisco will be
ready to sail within two weeks. IL there
should be need for another vessel in Chilean
waters the Charleston will follow the San
Francisco within a fortnight. When
Admiral Brown reaches Chile he will re-
lieve Admiral McCann, who will rejoin his
station with his flagship, the Pensacola.
AUToFAsTAGA ABANDONED.
NEW YORK, March 4.-Flint g. Co. of
this city received this morning dispatch
from their correspondent in Chile stating
that the Chilean government, in order to
avoid the bombardment and destruction of
Autofastaga by vessels in possession of the
rebels, have withdrawn the government
troops from Autofastaga, with all the roll
ing stock of the Autofastaga railroad, 20
Colama, a strategic point between Auto
fastaga and Iquieque.
ANToFAsTAGA'S GARRISON.
PARIS, March 24.-TeIegrams from
Iquique say that a portion of the Anto-
fastaga garrison refused to fight and de-
clared in favor Of the insurgents and that
the rest fed toward Calama, closely pur-
sued by the insurgents.