Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-14
The Cuban That Fired at the Al
ianca.
NOT MERELY A SHOT ACROSS Her BOWS
Captain Crossman Says the State
ment is Absurd.
WHERE HIS VESSEL WAS

NEW YORK. March 14.-Capt. J. A.
Crossman of the Columbian line steamer
Alliance, which was fired upon by a Span
ish gunboat off Cape Maysi, Cuba, on the
morning of March last, said today that
he had received no reply from the State
Department at Washington in answer to
his letter of March u.
Il have seen the statement in the morn
ing papers," Capt. Crossman said. that I
was to receive a reply from the State De-
partment asking for further particulars Of
the firing my ship, but beyond that I
have no news of Sucn a communication.
The only further details can give the de-
partment Is to send the authorities a
sketch of the chart Showing The ships po-
sition at the time of the incident, pricking
out upon it the course We followed on our
passage northward.
Il can tell you exactly, after a little
figuring, just what the position of the AL
lianca was. and l know that at no time
were We nearer to any headland of Cuba
than four miles. This reference to outly-
ing islands. making the marine limit far
ther off shore, does not hold good in the
case OF Cuba, for the nearest land to Cape
Maysi is Hayti, whicl; is fifty miles away
across the Windward Passage"
1t was pointed out to Capt. Crossman
that there was some .loubt in the minds of
the State Department officials as to wheth-
er the shots from the Spanish gunboat
were fired directly at the Allianca, or
merely across her bows.
The captain smiled sarcastically at this
statement and said very decidedly:
Look here" reaching for TWO cigars as
he spoke and holding one in each hand.
using them to illustrate the positions of the
two ships. Here is the Allianca heading
northeast, we'll to the southwark and west
ward of Cape Maysi. good four miles off
shore. The Spanish gunboat steams out
from under the land bread off from us and
then followed the incidents as l described
them the other day in my letter to the
State Department ard to the representa-
tive of the Associated Press.
1T would be impossible for a ship that
We We're leaving astern rapidly to fire a
shot across our bows. The attempt that
was made was made to hit us, for the
Spaniard deliberately altered his course SO
as to bring one of his forward port guns to
bear on us, not only once. for he repeated
the mancuver. To say that they were at
tempting to shoot across our bow is alb
surd."
Later in the day a dispatch was received
from Secretary Gresham asking Captain
Crossman to send the State Department
exact data of the affair. The captain tele-
sraphed that the report would be sent at
once.
The following is the letter received by
Capt Crossman from the State Depart
ment.
To Capt. James Crossman, commander of
the Allianca:
Sir: have received your letter of March
without date. but which reached the de-
partment today, March Is. which reports
the circumstances under which the above
named steamer, on her homeward
voyage from Colon. Colombia, to New
York. off the north Cuban coast on the
Sth instant, was fired upon by Spanish
gunboat.
The department desires to receive from
you statement of fact in form of an affi-
n iaA xSiIa a1a rl-o
chart showing the course of the Allianca
in passing Cape Maysi, and the distance of
the vessel from the nearest point of the
Island of Cuba. The affidavit should be
explicit upon these two points Awaiting
such l am. sir, your obedient,
EDWIN F. UHL, Acting Secretary.