The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1892-02-04
strian. "The Consul has ordered


You will pardon me- said Captain
Ingraham, "but if you attempt to leave
this port with that American on board
shall be compelled to re ort to extreme
measures"
The Austrian glanced around at the
fleet of Austrian warships and the single
American sloop>of-war. Then he smiled
pleasantly, and intimated that the HUI
Ear would do as she pleased Captain
lngraham bowed and returned to the st.
Louis He had no sooner reached her
deck than he called out: "Clear the guns
for acfioi.''
The Archtlulse of Austria saw the bat
teries of the St. Louis turned on him,
and he realized that he was in the
wrong. The Huzzar was put about and
sailed back to her old anchorage. Word
was sent to Captain Ingraham that the
Austrian would await the arrival of the
note from Mr.. Brown. The ConsuFs
note, which came by July 1. commended
Captain Ingraham's course, and advised
him to take whatever action he thought
the situation demanded. Captain In
the Huzzar formally demanding the re-
lease of Mr.. Koszta. Unless the prisoner
was delivered on board the st. Louis by
4 O'Clock the next afternoon Captain In
graham would take him from the Aus
trians by force. The Archduke sent
back a formal refusal. At s o'clock the
next morning Captain Ingraham once
more ordered the decks cleared for action
and turned his batteries on the Huzzar.
The seven Austrian war vessels cleared
their decks and put their men at the
guns.
At 10 o'clock an Austrian officer came
to Captain Ingraham and began to tenn
porize. Captain Ingraham refused to
listen to him.
ITO avoid the worst" he said, II will
agree to let the man be delivered to the
French Consul at Smyrna until you have
opportunity to communicate with your
Government But he must be delivered
there, or will take him. | have stated
the time
At12 o'clock boat left the Huzzar
with Koszta in it, and an hour later the
French Consul sent word that Koszta
was in his keeping. Then several of the
Austrian war vessels sailed out of the
harbor. Long negotiations between the
two Governments followed, and in the
Ctria ta6 hof no
States was in the right, and apologized.
1t was just year after Captain Ingra-
ham compelled Austria to recognize the
rights Of the United States, that another
occasion arose where our Government
felt obliged to terminate negotiations by
force of arms.
1t was with Nicaragua that difficulties
arose this time, and in June, 1854, after
unsuccessful attempts at a peaceful set
tlement, it was decided to insist upon
reparation by resort to force. Various
wrongs, the United States commended,
had been committed on the persons and
property of American citizens dwelling
in Nicaragua. The repeated demands
for redress made by our Government
were not complied with. Peaceful ne
gotiations having failed, in June, 1854,
Commander Hollins, with the sloop Of
war Cyane, was ordered to proceed to
the town of San Juan or Greytown,
which lies on the Mosquito coast of Mic
aragua, and to insist on favorable act on
from the Nicaragua Government. Cap
tain Holllns came to anchor off the
coast, and placed his demands before
the authorities. He waited patiently
for response, but no satisfactory one
was offered him. Finally, after waiting
in vain for number of days, he made a
final appeal, and then proceeded to carry
out instructions. On the morning of
July 10 he directed his batteries on the
town of San Juan, and opened fire. I'm
til o'clock in the afternoon the cannons
poured out broadsides as fast as they
could be loaded. By that time the
greater part of the town had been de-
troyed. Then party of marines were
destruction of the place by burning the
houses.
A Lieutenant of the British navy com
manding a small vessel of war was in the
harbor at the time. England claimed
species of "protectorate over the settle
ment, and the British officer raised vio-
lent protest against the action taken by
Americas representative. Captain Hol-
lins hover, paid no attention to the in
reference, and carried out his instruc-
tions. The United States Government
later sustained Captain Hollins in every
thing that he did, and England there
upon thought best to let the matter
drop.
The incident in our naval history
which had in it. perhaps, the most points
of comparison with the present CHILEAN
situation was the one that began in 1855
in an offence given to the United States
by Paraguay. In 1852 Captain Thomas
Jefferson Page, in command of small,
light-draught steamer, the Water Witch
started out for South America to explore
the river La Plata and its large tribu-
taries, with view to future commercial
intercourse between our country and the
interior States of South America. The
expedition was ordered by the United
States Government, and the countries
having jurisdiction over those waters
signified their concurrence in the pro-
ject. The Water Witch pushed her way
up the river slowly, carrying on Ter in
vestigations without trouble until Feb
ruary 1, 1866. On that day she was
steaming quietly up the river Parana,
which forms the boundary between
Paraguay and Corrientes, one of the
States of the Argentine Confedera cy,
when suddenly, without any warning,
battery on the Paraguayan shore
opened fire on her. The little Water
Witch was not fitted out for hostilities,
and lost no time in getting of out range.
One of her sailors, however, the helms
man, was killed.
As far as the Water Witch was con-
cerned, there was apparently no cause
for attack. President Carlos A. Lopez,