St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-04-28
TROOPS LANDED.
Nicaragua Immediately Declares
the Port Closed.

Nicaragua hmm ediateIy Declares
the Port Closed.
WASHINGTON, April 81. : The
events of the day in diplomatic circles
here were the landing of the British
troops at Corinto, Nicaragua, the
abandonment of the town by the
native officials and the population.
and the shrewd move of the Mic
araguans in declaring Corinto a closed
port. The first news of these events
came in the afternoon. DR.. Guzman,
the Nfcaraguan minister here, had
been waiting for several hours at the
state department to see Secretary
Gresham. He was in fever of anx-
lety, and in the absence of news from
his own government came to learn
what the department had received as
to the British movements at Cirinto.
He was unable to see the secretary
this morning, as Mr.. Gresham had
been suffering from a severe tooth
ache, and was obliged to spend some
time in dentists chair. At noon
the minister returned to his home for
luncheon, and found there were two
cablegrams from his government for
warded from San Juan del Sur, the
Nicaraguan cable port, about 125 miles
south Of Corinto. The first cabiegram
stated that the British troops had
LANDED AT CORINTO,
and that a British flag was flying over
the town, which had been deserted
by the Nicaraguan officials and the
native inhabitants. The second cable
gram showed that the 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 communi-
cate with their home government ex-.
cept by sending a boat to the cable
station. The main body of the Mic
araguans who had abandoned Corinto:
had crossed lagoon which separates
the town from the mainland, and had
strongly entrenched themselves. This.
information was promptly communi-i
Gated to the state department.. Mr.,
GuZman, who has been in ill 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 COM
municate the substance of his cable
grams to him. The news it was ap-
parent was not expected by the state
~, ial, 6o n hn1
that the Nicaraguans would go to
the length of permitting the occu-
patton Of Corinto in preference to
paying the indemnity. That the only
difficulty in the way of a speedy
settlement of the trouble was that
arising from raising the money hast
lily, and that the British admiral
would be indulgent on this point
when once satisfied of the disposition
of the NicaraguanS to comply with
the terms of the ultimatum otherwise,
had never been doubted by the de-
partment.
For this reason the first reports of
the occupation of Corinto received at
the department from Unofficial
sources were discredited, and doubt
expressed as to their accuracy. The
secretary had been unable to obtain
any direct information from any of his
own agents as to the action of the
British, probably 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 consular agent at Corinto,
Henry Palazio, but he is not an
American, and could scarcely be re-
lied upon in a matter of this kind to
keep the department informed in the
absence of express orders. The situ-
ation-at Corinto is. now
REGARDED AS OMINOUS
of serious trouble, for the dispatches
indicate that the Nicaraguans are dis
posed 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, being separated from the
mainland by a stretch of marshy
ground This is traversed by bridges
and without them Corinto is cut off
from the shore. The Nicaraguaps