The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-04-28
Wires Cut and Bridges Likely to BE
Burned by the Nicarnguans to
Harnss the Invaders.
SITUATION NOW SERIOUS
POSSIBILITY THAT UNCLE SAM MAY
BECOME EMBROILED.
All the Ports of Nicaragua Likely to
BE BlOckaded by England and
War May He Declared.

WASHINGTON, April 27.--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 Nicaraguans in
declaring Corinto a closed port
The first news of these events came in the
afternoon. DIR. Guzman, the Nicaraguan
minister here, had been waiting for several
hours at the State Department to see Sec
retary Gresham. He was in fever of
anxiety and, in the absence of news from
his own government, came to learn what
the department had received to the Brit
ish movements at Corinto. He was unable
to see the Secretary this morning, however,
as Mr. Gresham had been suffering from a
severe toothache, and was obliged to spend
some time in the dentists chair. At noon
the minister returned to his home for
luncheon, and found there two cablegrams
from his government forwarded from San
Juan del Sur, the Nicaraguan cable port
about 120 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 Nicaraguan
officials and the native inhabitants. The
second cablegram showed that the authori-
ties 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 sepa-
! rates the town from the mainland and had
strongly intrenched themselves This infor-
nation was promptly communicated to the
State Department s
GRESHAM SURPRISED
DIR. Guznlan who has been in ill health
and has suffered so much from the nervous
strain of the past 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 off,
cially communicate the substance of his
cablegrams 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 indemnity. That
the only difficulty in the way of speedy
settlement of the trouble was that arising
from trouble experienced by The Nicaraguan
government in raising the money hastily,
and that the British admiral would be in
dulgent 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
department. For this reason the first
ports 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
not at present in that country and there
is no charge at Managua There is con-
sular agent at Corinto, Henry Palazio, but
he is not an American and could scarcely
be relied en- in matter of this kind to
keep the department informed in the alb
sence of express orders.
The situation at Corinto is now regarded
as ominous of serious trouble, for the dis
patches indicate that the Nicaraguans are
disposed to resist any further advance of
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 island, being separated
from the mainland by stretch of marshy
ground. This is traversed by bridges, and
without them Corinto is cut off from the
shore. The Nicaraguans have retired to the
shore, and those well informed on the
situation believe that if the British make
any move to cross the lagoon the bridges
will be burned and the little band of Mica
raguan troops will make stand against
further encroachments.
BRITISH FEAR TROUBLE.
The British are evidently apprehensive of
trouble on this score, as indicated by the
cablegrams 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 as to insure the occupy
ing forces, numbering about four hundred
armed men, from an attack by 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 a 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 a commotion here and particularly
in the state Department Sir Julian Paunce-
fote, the British ambassador, came to
the department and after remain
ing 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 laer, went i'm
mediately to the State Department and
talked over matters with the official. Later
on the news came to the department from
Colon, that the Nicaraguan government had
made a sharp move by declaring Corinto
closed port. This was evidently a dis
turbing element In the calculations, for AS
sistant Secretary Uhl was at once dispatched
to the British embassy to confer with Sir