The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1894-01-31
PROTECTING OUR SHIPS
Admiral Benham's Prompt Action
at Rio Janeiro.
a WARNING TO ADMIRALDA CANA.


The American Ship Amy Escorted Up the
Harbor by the Cruiser Detroit - A
Blockade Of American Vessels WIN
Not be Permitted.
RIO DR. JANEIRO, Jan 91.-The following
statement has been made to the Assooi-
ated Press correspondent by Admiral Ben
ham, commander of the United States
fleet in this harbor; 4
"The insurgent forces on Cobras Island
last Friday fired upon a ship flying the
| United States flag. Iprotested to Admiral
| Saldanha da CANA against this action,
and his response was that he had warned
the commander of the ship when it was
Rt the bar at Rio de Janeiro as to the
| whereabouts of the danger line, | ordered
Admiral da Cana to cease the firing.
| Both the guns on the Island of Cobras
and the guns of the insurgent warship
Trajano opened fire Saturday upon the
! bark Agate a vessel hailiug from New
| York.
81 warned Admiral da CANA more than
once that if the fire was repeated would
| fire back. ! also warned him that if he
| touched an American ship or American
|
told him that | would protect American
property absolutely from the fire Of his
guns and that l should retaliate upon
him for any damage done unless it was
entirely apparent that the damage was
due to chance shots"
Admiral Benham says that he notified
Admiral da CANA, unotlicially that firing
| by the insurgents upon the wharves for
the purpose merely of creating terror and
to prolong a blockade would not be per
! mitted so far as Americans and American
vessels were concerned. To this commune
| cation the insurgent admiral made no
answer. The captains of three American
vessels, Admiral Benham continues, init
mated that they wanted to go to the
| wharves and the American admiral noti-
fled Admiral da CANA that it was his in
tention to convey them at sunrise on Mon
day Fearing trouble, Admiral Benham
ordered that the vessels of his feet be
cleared for action. The three ships re
ferred to were the Amy, the Good News
and the Julia Rollins
The captains of two of the ships weak
ened and failed to come into the harbOr.
The Amy was the only one that ventured
in and she was escorted by the United
States cruiser Detroit. As a precaution
!
of the insurgents the cruiser New York,
Charleston and Newark were assigned to
watch the action of Da Gama's ships
Aquidaban and Tamandare, while the
Detroit and the San Francisco were sig
nailed to take positions near the Traiano
and the Guanabara. These precautions
certainly proved effective, and the insur-
gents in the face of the formidable array
of American vessels made but the feeblest
attempt to hinder the Amy's progress to
her wharf. No guns were opened on her
by Da Gama's vessels, and as a matter of
course the American vessels did not fire
upon the insurgents ships. The insur-
gent protest consisted of this:
As the Amy got abreast of the Guiana
bara a marine on the last named vessel
aimed musket at her and fred Two
musket shots were fred at the Guanabara
and the Traiano from the Amy's escort,
the Detroit, in return This was all the
firing done during the Amy's trip, and it
was enough. All opposition ceased at
once, and the use of heavy guns was not
| considered necessary at any time. The
reason that the other two ships which
had notified Admiral Benham that they
wished to go to their wharves failed to do
80 is that their commanders were per-
suaded from entering the harbor by
man named Rollins, who is believed to be
the agent of an English firm which has
been furnishing the rebels with money.
At later hour Admiral da CANA CON
ferred with his officers upon the advisibil-
ity of surrendering to the Detroit in CON
sequence of the musket shots fired He
was dissuaded from doing so, but it is
thought possible that he may yet decide
to surrender to the merican commander
There is no doubt that Admiral da Cana
is in a bad way. A proposed compromise
has been refused by Peixoto's government,
and it seems to be only a matter of time
when he will have to give up the struggle.
The complications of the insurgent sit
uation are increased by the absence of
Admiral de Mello. The failure of the
latter admiral to arrive here to the as
sistance of the insurgent feet has given
rise to the report that he is dead The
commanders of sixteen warships here. in
cluding five American and four English
and French, have sent messages to Ad-
miral Benham cOngratulating him upon
his prompt action. The Austrian COM
mander cleared ship and made ready to
help the American admiral in case help
was necessary
Alarming reports have been received
here of government disasters at Curutiba,
Paranagua and Antonina, 1t is stated
that these places have been captured by
the insurgents and that the government
troops have fed, abandoning their arms
and munitions of war.
Big Steel Works to Resume in Full.
CLEVELAND, Jan. 3l.-For the first time
in many months work in all deDartments