Birmingham age-herald., 1895-03-15
NO. OFFICIAL REPORT
OF THE INCIDENT AT HAvANA-coLoN, i,
 HOWEVER, HAS HEARD OF IT.

HOWEVER, HAS HEARD OF IT.
 NEW YORK, March 14.-A special cable dispatch from Havana, signed by the editor of the La Lucha, says: "No official report the American flag by Spanish war vessel has been made here. It is thought that since the Cuban coast is being watched by Spanish naval vessels, one of them fired on a suspicious vessel which did not obey Its signals to stop.'
 special cablegram from Colon, refer ring to the same episode, says: "The Colombian Line steamer Alliance, which was fired on by Spanish war vessel of the eastern point of Cuba March 8, took no war materials from here when she sailed, March 5. Her 1700 tons of general freight and POO tousof bananas quite filled her. Cubans here say the Allianca was fired on probably ia the belief that she was a fili- busterer. They say it is the old Spanish custom to fire on any suspicious vessel It Is rumored that two schooners flying the American flag and carrying arms are wan dering between here and Yucatan.
 CAPT. JAMES GROSSMAN
 OF THE ALLIANcA EXPLAINS THE SHOOT
 ING AND MAKES A REVELATION.
 NEW YORK, March 14.-Capt. James Grossman of the steamer Allianca, which was fired on by Spanish gunboat near the eastern point of Cuba while on her last trip from Colon, has received the following let ter from the department of state, Washing ton:
 To Capt Jamas Grossman, Commander of the
 Allanca-
 SIR: have received your letter of March, without date, but which reached the de- partment today, March 13, which reports the circumstances under which the above steamer, on her homeward voyage from Colon -Colombia, to New York, off the north Cuban coast, on the Sth Instant, was fired upon by Spanish gunooat.
 The department desires to receive from you statement of facts in the form of an affidavit, accompanied, if possible, by sketch chart, showing the course oi the Allianca in passing Cape Maysi and the distance of the vessel from the nearest point of the island of Cuba. The affidavit should be explicit upon these two points. Await ing such, l am, sir, your obedient ser-
 EDWIN F. UHL, Acting Secretary.
 Captain Grossman said that he would send chart to the state department show ing where the attack occurred. It was in latitude 20:10 north, longitude 7a:15 west. four miles off Cape Maysi, which is the east ernmost port of Cuba. Captain Grossman continued:
 "The man of war which attacked us was broad of our port quarter. will say right here, and this is 8 statement which have not made before. that had the man-of-wa signaled us with the international code would have stopped immediately. She raised no such signals, however. Her lire was practically command, and am not a man to take orders from any body except my superior officers."
 A little more of the identity of the Spanish man of war was learned this morning Capt. Grossman said that he could plainly ses that she had a copper bottom. In the opin- ion of experienced seamen this indicates that she must have been wooden hulled ship, for coppsr bottoms are, as general rule, used only on wooden ships. If that be SO, the Allianca's assailant was evi- dently one of Spain's old ships, for Spain has not built wooden ship within the last ten years. The state department should therefore, the maritime circle thinks, have little difficulty in discovering the identity of tho n, a n . of- war