The record-union., 1895-03-15
ALLIANCA INCIDENT.
The Department of State Moving
With Great Caution
IN MAKING UP THE CASE AGAINST
THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT.


the humiliation of a RetractIon
Through Making a Demand That
Gould Not be Sustained by Evidence.
| Special to the REcoRD-USI0y
| WASHINGTON, March IA. - The De-
partment of State is moving with de-
! liberation in making up Its case against
the Spanish Government, based on the
firing by Spanish cruiser on the Amer
lean steamship Allianca holding that
III matters of such moment it is abso-
lutely essential that our Government
should be in possession OF the exact facts
so as to avoid the humiliation of retrac-
ton through making a demand that
could not be sustained by the evidence
So far no reply has been received at the
department In response to the request
made upon Captain Crossman, of the
Alllanca. for further particulars of the
incident. In the meantime, the officials
are lndustrlously looking up precedents
for their guidance. and Mr.. Uhl, who is
still acting Secretary of State during the
| continued illness OF Secretary Gresham
superior at his rooms in his hotel.
| One OF the precedents which has been
uneaTthed and brought to the attention of
| the Acting Secretary as having a direct
| bearing on the Alliance incident was
found IN the proceedings of the Alabama
Claims Commission. In one of the de-
cIslons announced by Judge Fitch the
court held that there was no authority for
! the stoppage or detention of a mail
! steamer which is pursuing her usual
route, even If that route lay at the places
! within the three-mil shore limit, and so
Within the marine Jurisdiction OF the
! power seeking to stop the ship. If this is
! held to be sound doctrine, then, of course,
the Spanish Government Will make
| reparatlons for the action of its cruiser,
even should 1t appear that the Alliance
was within three miles Of Cape Maysi,
as the Spanish Minister here believes,
| On the other hand, if this decision is not
in effect, then what is known as the head
! land theory of jurisdiction will proba bly
! play an important part in the adjustment
of the matter.
! According to the contention of Great
Britain in the Fortuna Bay fisheries case.
| In which the I nited States has acquiesced,
| the line OF marine jurisdiction is drawn
three miles from a line running across
| from headIand TO headland, in the case of
| bay or depression i'll the general coast
! line. The Spanish authorities evidently
take the position at this time, in the ab-
! sence OF exact advlces. that the Alliance
| was within such line, and so within
| their Jurisdiction, although the ship may
! have been actually more than three miles
| from the nearest shore.
! Probably based on the Alabama de-
cision above referred to, a rulnor was in
/ circulation to-day to the effect that the
/ State Department has sent a sinister
warning TO the Spanish Government To
| attppt a Of
| follow repetition of the Alliance affair.
Acting Secretary L hi this afternoon said
/ he had no further information to give 10
the press than he had already given out,
and, taking their cue from hlm, the other
! officials OF the State Department declined
to say anything about the matter. But
| from the TACT that no intimatiOn of any
| such preclpltate action in the absence of
/ knowledge OF the facts have been COM
| munlcated to the Spanish Minister here.
which would certainly be the case if usual
| diplomatic amenities were observed.
even II such message had been sent to
! the Spanish Government directly through
/ | nited States Minister Taylor at Madrid.
/ the story tailed to find much credence.
Senor Muraga, the Spanish Minister.
has noI, as yet. received word from Cuba
as to the gunboat which fired on the Alli-
anca, nor does he know the name of the
warshlp. The delay is due to the fact that
! the gunboat is cruising off the eastern
coast OF Cuba, 100 miles from Havana.
NEW YORK, March 1.-THE following
is the letter received by Captain Cross
man from the State department at Wash
| ington:
80 CAPTAIN James CroSSnaaa, COM
n1djtder Ot.the -4ttl0nca-SIR: 4 [ have re-
! celved your letter of March, without
date, out which reached the department
! to-day, March 14th, which reports the
circumstances under which the above
named steamer, on her hOmeward vow
age from Colon, Colombia TO New York
! oil the north Cuban coast, on the Sth
+ inst, was fired upon by Spanish gun
/ boat. Inc department desires to receive
/ from you a statement OF facts in the form
/ OF an affidavit ompauied, if possible
! by a sketch chart showing the course OF
/ the AlIlanCa IN passing Cape Maysia, and
! the distance OF the vessel from the nearest
| point of the Island of Cuba. The aiIida-
Wit should he explicit upon these two
! points.
Awaiting such, am, sir, your obedi-
ent servant, EDWIN +. UHL,
Acting Secretary"
! Later in the day a dispatch was re-
| ceiyed from Secretary Gresham, asking
! Captain Crossman to send to the State
! Department exact data of the affair The
! Captain wired that the report would be
sent at once.
SEARCHED FOR ARMS.
| SAVANNAH (Ga.), March I4.-Under in
structlonS from the Costa Rican Govern
ment, the British steamship Elliott,
which cleared for Costa Riean port, has
/ been searched for arms and ammunition.
| being suspected of having been engaged
! by CubanS for that service although
cleared tor Costa Rica. The crew of the
vessel, which has been lying in this port
| for three months unchartered, say that
| the Captain informs them that he cannot
! tell them yet when they are going. Large
! boxes, weighing LOO pounds each, ar
rived from New York to-day, and have
been placed about thirty feet from where
the steam yacht Padro Pablo is lying.
| Negroes handling them told the Associ-
/ ated Press correspondent that they were
| to be put on the boat. Collector Beck
! with will investigate Senor Petiuto
admits that this port is viewed with the
most suspicion by the Spanish authori-
a rigid outlook here.
! EMBARGO ON TELEGRAMS.
! MADRID, March 1.-THE Government
has issued an order forbidding the deliv-
cry of private kilograms communicating
! Cuban news of a character unfavorabIe
! to the Government. 1t has also ordered
| That no cipher messages be sent to Cuba
CAPTAIN L. q. SHEPARD.
Ihe Chief of the Revenue Service of
Treasury Department. Dead.
WASHINGTON, w March 14.-Captain I. G.
shepard, Chief of the Revenue Service
OF the treasury Department, died here
to-day from pneumonia. Captain Shop
| xxytfl y