The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-28
Further Complications in the
Attempt to Forcibly COL
IeCt Indemnity.
wARsHIPs READY TO lombard
1t Is Probable That the United
States May Be Forced Into
the Difficulty.

events of the day in diplomatic circles here
were the landing of the British troops at
Corinto, the abandonment of the town by
the native officials and the population, and
the shrewd move of the Nicaraguans in de-
claring Corinto a closed port. The first
news of the great event came in the after
noon Dr. Guzman had been waiting for
several hours at the State Department to
see Secretary Gresham. He was in fever
of anxiety and in the absence of news rom
his own Government came to learn what
the department had received rs to the
British movements at Corinto. He was
unable to see the Secretary this morning,
as Mr.. Gresham had been suffering from a
severe toothache and was obliged to spend
some time in a dentists chair. At noon
the Minister returned to his home from
luncheon and found there two kilograms
from his Government forwarded from San
Juan del Sur, the Nicaraguan cable port,
about lbs miles south of Corinto. The first
cablegram stated that the British troops
had landed at Corinto and that the British
flag was flying over the town, which had
been deserted by the NicaTaguan officials
and the native inhabitants.
u6 sCCOuu CdOISSidIu SuOHSu IudG tIlc
authorities had gone to San Juan del Sur,
cutting the wires connecting The cable
port with Corinto so that the British forces
at the latter place could not communicate
with their home Government except by
sending a boat to the cable station. The
main body of the Nicaraguans, who had
abandoned Corinto, had crossed a lagoon
which separates the town from the main
land, and had strongly entrenched them
selves. This information was promptly
communicated to the State Department.
DR.. Guzman, who has been in lll-health
and has suffered so much from the nervous
strain of the last few weeks as to be obliged
to take to his bed this afternoon, would
not do so until he had gone through the
rain TO see Secretary Gresham, and
officially communicate the substance of
his cablegram to him. The news, it was
apparent, was not expected by the State
Department, which had never believed
that the Nicaraguans would go to the
length of permitting the occupation Of
COrinto in preference to paying the in
demnity. That the only difficulty in the
way OF speedy settlement of the trouble
was that arising from the troTble ex-
perienced by the Nicaraguan CONTINENT
in raising the money hastily, and hat the
British admiral would be indulgent on
this point when only satisfied of he dis
position of the Nicaraguans to comply wish
the terms of the ultimatum otherwise, had
never been doubted by the department.
For this reason the first reports of the
occupation of Corinto received at the de-
partment from unofficial sources we're dis
credited and doubts expressed as tt their
accuracy, The Secretary had been unable
to obtain definite information from bis own
agents as to the action of the British prob
ably for the reason that Mr.. Baker, our
Minister to Nicaragua, is not at present in
that country and there is no charge at
Managua. There is a consular agent at
Corinto, Henry Palazio, but he is not an
American, and could scarcely be relied
upon in matter of this kind to keep the
department informed in the absence of
express orders. The situation at Cornto
is now regarded as ominous of Serious
trouble, for the dispatches indicate that
the Nicaraguans are disposed to resist any
further advance by the British.
The information reaching here is to The
effect that the Nicaraguans may further
isolate the British at Corinto by burning
the bridges across the lagoon separating
the town from the mainland. The British
position is said to be very bad from a
strategic standpoint.
The town is practically on an island, BE-
ing separated from the mainland by .
stretch of marshy ground. This is tray.
ersed by bridges, and without them Corinto
is cut off from the shore. The Nicara.
guans have retired to the shore end OF the
bridges, and those we'll informed on the
situation believe that if the British make
any movement to cross the lagoon the
bridges will be burned and the little band
of Nicaraguan troops will make stand
against further encroachments. The Brit
ish are evidently apprehensive of trouble
on this score, as indicated by the cable
grams from Colon showing that the three
vessels, the Royal Arthur, the Wild
Swan and the Satellite, have been so
placed as to command the town with their
guns. 1t is probable that this disposition
has been made so as to insure the occupy
ing forces, numbering about 400 armed
men, from an attack from the Nicara-
guans rather than with any deliberate pur-
pose of bombarding the town, for there is
no evidence that the British desire to adj
vance into the interior at present, and it
was certainly not part Of the original
programme of operations as made known
TO our Government to lombard the place.
The news of the situation, at Corinto
created 1 commotion here, and particularly
In the State Department. Sir Julian
Pauncefote, the British ambassador, came
to the department. and after remaining in
private consultation with Secretary
Gresham for short time the two repaired
to the War Department to consult with
Secretary Lamont. The latter was absent
at the time, but, coming in later, repaired
Immediately to the State Department and
talked over matters with the President
Later on the news came to the department
by the Associated Press from Colon, that
the Nicaraguan Government had made a
sharp move by declaring Corinto closed
port. This was evidently a disturbing
element in the calculations, for Assistant
Secretary Uhl was at once dispatched to
the British embassy to confer with Sir
Julian Pauncefote, a most unusual pro-
ceedlng IN departmental etiquette.
1t was said at the embassy that Sir
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