Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-03-18
SPAIN IS SLOW
CONTINUED from pagei.)

man OF the AllLSuCos "ssS W.
Saturday. at the doubt expressed by
Spanish Minister Murugua as 70 tne coz
rcctness Of his affidavit. lie said:
.sThe Spanish minister ins,nuales that
of the four passengers who were on Doard
the Alliance at the time al the snooting
two Of them were Cuban revOlutionists,
one being mulatto. AS mater OF iact
there was not mulatto on the snip.
One of the passengers was MI. Googins,
who is employed by fruit company OF
this city, and who lives in Sullivan, Me
The other passengers were a Frenchman,
who had run out of funds at Colon ana
who promised to pay his fare through
friends on his arrival here, which ne mas
done, while the other two passengers We're
Cardoza, Portuguese whaler, and Grad
dick, an American miner. Both OF these
men had come from San Francisco. 10
say that any of these men were Cuban
sympathizers is absurd. The Spanish
minister is evidently hard pressed for an
excuse.
SIT strikes me that while the Spanish
minister may be diplomat he has lost
his temper. 1 SENT yesterday, an affidavit
made in the proper form, as the notary
called on me and said the first was merely
a sworn statement. also sent draft OF
the chart showing the course OF our YES
sells, and it gave the positions OF The two
vessels from the time. we first sighted the
SPANISH gunboat, showing where they
were when we exchanged signals and the
shots were fired, and the course of each
when we parted This chart is plain to
any one familiar with nautical affairs and
can be readily understood.
can error crept accidentally into the
first statement. 1t was that we were nine
or 10 miles off shore when the signalling
and firing occurred. We We're that dis
tancc from shore when we first signalled
the Spanish boat, and were between six
and seven miles from shore when she fired
on US.
"When we sighted her she was not in
position to head us off r'ward. If she
had continued in straight line she would
have passed far astern of us. She followed
and kept hauling up. If they will examine
the chart sent they will find out we were
not less than four miles from the shore.
The naval experts criticisms will not
hold.
"We continued on our course, and did
not diverge from it for moment. We
were going north by northeast, at IL knots,
and had travelled nine miles from the
time of sighting the Spanish vessel, when
the signals were exchanged, and hive
minutes later or less she began to fire, but
she was then fully two miles off, and too
far astern and too much in line to read
them. After the shots were fired the
Spanish vessel slowed down and headed
towards the shore. My chart will easily
explain everything, and it will be clear to
the officials at Washington. l was on
deck and kept my vessel of shore. The
officers will corroborate every statement
i have made.
When seen at No. 232 Fulton street, Mr.
Googins said:
"On the morning.of March s I looked
out of the portfolio Of my statcroom. l
saw a steamer, which estimated as about
one and a half miles distant l thought
we were about eight or nine miles from
the shore, but Captain Crossman said we
were only six miles distant. When /
went en- deck to get a better view of the
vessel was told she was Spanish vessel
and had fired on us. did not see the
shots, but 1 could plainly see that she was
chasing us. She kept up the chase,
should say, until about half-past
O'Clock"
Purser Churchill of the Alliance, said
that he had not been asked to make a
sworn statement about the shooting, but
he was entirely willing to do so, and that
it would be the same in its general fea
lures as that made by Captain Crossman.
First Officer Benjamin Cornins and
Seaman John Nostrand claim to have
been on deck at the time CT the firing by
the Spanish ship, and to have witnessed
it. They are also willing to make affida-
Wits to the fact.
Secretary Drake Of the Panama Rail
road Company, when his attention was
directed to dispatch from Washington
which criticized Captain Crossman's re-
port of the shooting, claiming that naval
experts and others held that the captains
chart and the facts set forth in his affidavit
did not agree as to material facts, said:
81 may say that Captain Crossman
has the full confidence of the officials Of
the PaDama Railroad Company, and that
his course is entirely approved of. If the
Spanish minister wants fuller explanh-
ton he can have it. "