Birmingham age-herald., 1895-03-13
A Merchantmen of Uncle Sam's
 Fleet
FIRED ON WITH SOLID SHOT
By Spanish Man-of-War in Neutral Waters Satlsfac-
 ton Demanded.

Allianca of the New York and Colon line, which arrived today, was fired upon and chased by Spanish gunboat when off the east end of Cuba on March 8. The affair is likely to lead to international complica- tions. The owners of the line are very iu- dignant at the insult, and say they will de- mand reason for the attempt to stop an American mail steamship on the high seas in the time of peace. The following letter has been sent to Secretary Gresham:
 To the Hon. Walter o. Gresham. Secretary of
 State:
 The American mail steamship Alliauca, under my command, while on her home- ward bound voyage from Colon, k. C., to New York, was on the morning of March s off the east end of Cuba. At 6:30 o'clock barkeutine rigged steamship was sighted under the land bearing directly for us. At 7:15 she set her colors, proving to be Spanish gunboat. I immediately or- dered the American ensign hoisted on the Allianca and saluted the Spaniard, which salute was duly returned by her. l then saluted once more and supposed the matter was at an end.
 But about five minute later the Spaniard fired blank cartridge, and few moments later another one, followed shortly after wards by three solid shots, all of which felf short of the Alliauca, but showing conclu- sively that the Spaniard was firing at us. l being fully six miles of shore and on the high seas, paid no further attention to the Spaniard, but kept upon my course. The ually dropping astern, fully twenty five miles. I desire to know if the Span iard had any right to fire on my ship with the probable chance of endan- geripg the lives of the passengers and crew under my charge or compel me to heave to, as he probably intended.
 l respectfully ask for information on that subject, as did not and do not propose to heave 10, thereby losing lime on my voy- age, to oblige Spanish gunboats or any oth- ers except in cases of distress. Respect fully, JAMES A. GRossMAN,
 Commander.
 The story told by the ships officers is that at daylight last Friday morning, about 6:30 o'clock, while going through the windward passage from the Carribean sea to the Atlantic, ship was seen coming out from under the land of Cape May, the eastern point of Cuba. The stranger laid her course with the evident object of in- tercepting the Allianca and at 2 crimson coiors, which, taken with her build and general appearance, left no doubt in the minds of those aboard the Allianca that she was a Spanish man. oi-war. No sooner were the gunboat's colors seen at her miZzen peak than Cap tain Grossman of the Allianca ordered the stars and stripes to be hoisted on the jack staff over the staff-rail and dipped three times in salute. The marine courtesy was returned in kind by the war ship, and the Allianca's ensign was unbent from it's halyards and slowed away.
 Hardly had this been accomplished than the Spaniard again displayed his colors and as @ mark of extra politeness Captain Grossman ordered the Allianca's flag to be run up and dipped again, and then left fly ing. Again was the salute acknowledged, and then to the utter amazement of those aboard the, American steamer, g blank shot was fired from one Of the war vessels forward port guns. The shot was probably meant as an invita- tion to the Allianca to heave to, but Cap tain Grossman had no intention of obeying this summon. He remarked to Second Officer Russell, who was on duty on ohe bridge, "Ihe spaniard seems to be firing shot, ' and then calmly kept to his course. Soon another blank shot was fired, which the captain greeted by saying, 'sAlI right, let him shoot.''
 A third shot was fired, but this lime it was a shot in earnest. 1t was a solid shot and not harmless blank cartridge with which the gunboat next charged her bow port rife, and she waved from her course that the gun might be aimed at the yankee merchantman. The course of the shot could be seen where 1t ricochetted along the water before finally going to the bot tom, full quarter of mile short of it's mark. Still Captain Grossman kept his course ard waited for the gunboat to over take him if it could. The black smoke began topour from the gunboat's funnel and the water around her bow heaped up in way that showed that her fires were being vigorously stocked and steam forced up to it's big head limit. The gun boat fired again ten minutes later. and still again after another equal interval of time. But observation through the glass showed that she was gradually falling astern, and after a chase lasting for twenty-fi five miles she gave it up and laid away ou her course.
 Captain Grossman was very indignant over the occurrence when his ship was tied up this afternoon. He said: "We were from six to eight miles of shore when the occurrence took place, and not in Spanish jurisdiction at all. We were to the sonth- ward of Cuba when we first sighted the where, understand, they have been having trouble in that country. had seen in the Aspina Star and Herald of February 2S, be. fore sailed from Colon, a dispatch from Paris which said that advices from Madrid told that it was known that a considerable body of troops had been sent to the dis turbed provinces, and that gunboats were cruising along the eastern coast of Cuba in order to prevent the landing of flibustersl
 'In consequence of this took parlicu, lar pains to keep off my ordinary course, l usually pass within a mile of Cape May, but on this trip was from four to fouf and half miles from the Spanish shore. would have stopped my ship, but was pot compelled to, and he had no right to stop me. We were going along at our usual speed, of thirteen knots when we met the war ship, and we kept it up. Although he fired up he could not make more than eleven knots and we slowly dropped him astern. suppose he wanted to show the authority and prestige of warshIp, but time is valuable in this business and nave none to waste on gunboats. Besides, any one with tue hall eye of a seaman could see that this was an ordinary passenger steamer, with awnings spread fore and aft, just going about her business. He set no signals till wewere so far away we could not read them. IL may be that the ship was new one on that station. One Ihing which