The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-15
ADVENTURE OF The ALLIANCA.
HER CAPTAIN CALLED on FOR AD-
OPTIONAL PARTICULARS.

Know the Exact Position of the
The Steamer Not SignaIeG to stop
by Means of the International Code
The War ship an Old One.
New York. March ls.-Capt. Crossman Of
the steamer Alliance, which was fired
on by Spanish gunboat near the east
ern point Of Cuba while on her last trip
from Colon. has received the following
letter from the department Of state at
Washington:
ITO Captain James Crossman. Com
mander Of the Alliance: Sir. / have re-
ceived your letter of March. without
date, but which reached the department
to-day March 49,, which reports the cir
cumstances under which the above-named
steamship 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 the form of an
affidavit accompanied. if possible by a
sketch 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. I am. sir. your ODE
dent servant, Edwin +. Uhl.
Acting Secretary"
Capt Crossman said that he would
send chart to the state department
showing where the attack occurred. IL
was in latitude % degrees " minutes
north, longitude "A degrees l. minutes
west. He said he knew his vessel was
at least four miles off Cape Maysi, which
IS the easternmost point of Cuba.
Capt. Crossman continued: THE man
of-war which attacked us was broad of
| OF our port quarter. l say right here.
| and this statement which I have not
made before, that had the man-of-war
signalled US with the international code
| would have stopped at once. She raised
no such signals, however Her fire was
| practically a command and l am not
man to take orders from anybody, except
my superior officers"
little more in regard to the Identity
| of the Spanish man-of-war was learned
| this morning. Capt Crossman said that
| he could plainly see that she had
copper bottom. In the opinion Of expert
enced seamen this indicates that she
| must have been a wOoden-hulled ship.
| for copper bottoms are as a general
| rule, used only on wooden ships. II
that be so the Alhancas assailant was
| evidently one of SPANS old ships, for
Spain has not built a wooden ship with
| in the last ten years.
The state department should. therefore
the maritime circles thinks. have little
| difficulty in discovering the identity of
! the man-of-war
Washington, March 14-At noon to-day
| the Spanish minister Senior Muruaga
had received no reply from the cap
| tain general of Cuba regarding the firing
upon the American steamer Alliance by
Spanish gunboat on March 8. Senior
Muruaga is satisfied that the moment the
! captain of the guI.boat makes his re-
| port to the captain general it will be, in
! turn, forwarded to the minister. When
| this report is received It will be at once
! laid before Secretary Gresham, in order
that he may be made acquainted with
/ the Spanish side of the case, which will
then be carefully Investigated.
Senior Muruaga regrets that Capt Cross
man of the Alliance did not stop when
! the Spanish gunboat fired a shot across
| his bows Had he done so and had moth
! ing of an discriminating nature been found
in his cargo he would have had a strong
claim against the Spanish government
! Being so close TO Cuban shores. and still
/ refusing TO stop, the captain Of the gun
| boat naturally assumed that his pres
| ence in that vicinity was so suspicious
| as to demand investigation, and conse-
| quently took the action that he did Mar
tial law has been in force in Cuba for
! a month, and in view of the aid which
has been promised the Insurgents on
the island from American sources the
/ Spanish authorities naturally look with
4 distrust upon the movements of all YES
4 sells lowering about their coast
Senior Muruaga has received no infor-
! nation that a secret store of arms and
/ an ANN ,aA far
ban insurgents, has been discovered near
| Savannah, Ga. The Spanish consul at
| Savannah would undoubtedly have com
rnunicated with the minister if there had
! been any foundation to the story.
New York, March IA special cable
! dispatch from Havana signed by the edi-
! tor of La Lucia says: mo official report
| of the firing upon a merchantmen flying
an American flag by a Spanish war yes
l sci has been made here. 1t is thought
! that since the Cuban coast is being
/ watched by Spanish naval vessels, one of
them fired on a suspicious vessel which
did not obey its signals to stop"
A special cablegram from Colon, refer
! ring to the same episode, says:
! THE Colombian line steamship ALI
anca, which was fired on by Spanish
war vessel off the eastern point of Cuba
! March s. took no war materials from here
when she sailed on March s. Her l. 700
! tons OIL general 1relRnt ana 100 tons of
! bananas quite filled her Cubans here
/ say the Alliance was fired on probably
/ in the belief that she was a filibuster
! They say it is an old Spanish custom to
! fire on any suspicious vessel. 1t is ru-
mored that two schooners flying the Amer
lean flag and carrying arms are wander
| ing between here and Yucatan."
Senior Mauruaga, the Spanish minister.
expressed his opinion tonight that the
story of Can't Cheeseman's firing on tho
Alliance was pure fabrication, as all
efforts on the minister's part to secure
information on the subject from the Span
ish authorities in Cuba have been unsuc-
cessful-
HaHana. March 14.-Nothing is known
here officially as to a Spanish cruiser fir
ing upon the American steamer Alliance
off the Cuban coast last week The de-
partmcnt of marine affairs has, tele-
graphed to Santiago and Gibara for de-
tails.
RATT, AND CROGsTTEr