Arizona republican., 1896-08-28
THE PALACE BOMBARDBD'
British Warships at Zan-
 Zibar.
Palace Fired Upon
 and Burned.
The Usurper Ignored the Ultimatum Of the British-The Fire
 Returned.


 ZANZIBAR, Aug. 27.-The palace of the sultan of Zanzibar was bombarded dIhis morning and at noon was a mass of blazing ruins. The usurping chief tan, Said Khalid, and the commander of his forces, Said Sales, escaped to the German consulate, where they will re- main under the protection of the German flag. AS cabled exclusively to the Associated Press, Rear Admiral Henry Rawson, c. B., who is in com mand of the British Cape of Good Hope and West Coast Africa stations, i and the British consul general, MT. A. H. Harding, after holding conference yesterday, communicated by cable to the government of Great Britain that Said Khalid, who had seized the pal ace and proclaimed himself tlhe sultan on the death, apparently by poison, of Sultan Hamid Bin Twain Bin Said, has been strongly reinfored and posi- lively refused to surrender.
 Said Khalid had with him about 2,500 we'll armed and we'll disciplined men, including 900 Askiras, trained under British officers, plenty of ann munition, field guns and other pieces of artillery, which were trained on the British warships, Flagship St. George, third class cruiser Philomel, third class cruiser Racoon, first class gun boats Sparrow and Thrush.
 Later in the day cable instructions I rd ultimatum was sent to Said Khalid, ordering him to haul down his flag and surrender with his forces not later than o'clock this morning. At the same time the British residents of Zanzibar were notified to be on board of Admiral Rawsons ships by o'clock. During the past night the disturbances among the natives in the outskirts were promptly suppressed by $50 Brit ish marines and sailors, ssho were landed to protect property and guard the consulate of Great Britain. It is understood that Said Khalid received further endorsements from the slave dealers who f1ocked to his support, as the formal hoisting of the British flag over Zanzibar would mean the libera tion of about 250000 slaves and be a death blow to slavery in this part of east Africa
 By a. m. today over a hundred British subjects and some other for eigners had embarked on the warships, the Italians going on board of the | Italian gunboat VOlturnO and the Ger mans seeking safety at the German consulate. A naval officer was sent to the palace square with another mes sage for Said Khalid, asking him if he was prepared to surrender and again notifying him that the palace would be shelled by g o'clock promptly if he failed to haul down his flag. Said re- piled that he would die sooner than surrender. His answer was conveyed to Admiral Rawson. At g o'clock the flagship signalled the Racoon, Thrush and Sparrow and they commenced firing. IA moment later a cruiser and two gllnboats opened fire with their heaviest guns. Ten minutes later they had sent storm shell and shot into the palace, tearing great gaps in it, causing death and confusion among its defenders.
 A few minutes later the palace was CuulDllllS LII IuluS ctlu idl SO ItlrlS lldu been made in the barrieade of the Said's followers, who answered the fire of the warships with persistency and gallantry and did not stop firing until in response to the fiagship's sig nal of "cease firing" Then the guns on the warshaps stopped showering shot and shell on the shore. The losses of the besieged are not known but must have been heavy, especially among the defenders of the palace proper.
 During the bombardment the sul- tan's armed steamer Glasgow opened fire on the British warships. A few we'll aimed shells from the heavy guns of the Racoon, and a shot or two from the four inch guns of the Sparrow
 which crashed through and through her, silenced her fire in short order Ultimately she sank at her moorings Soon after that the palace caught f1rt and the walls and roof were sent fly
 dng here and there by the exploding
 shells. Said Khalid and Said Sales
 commander of the usurping sultan! army, escaped with some of their fol lowers through the back part of th'
 palace and hurried to the German con
 sulate, where protection was accorded them.
 } BOTTOM FALLS OUTA