The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-31
DAUNTLESS MAKES A DEMAND.
COLLECTOR OF THE PORT Or
DERED TO GRANT CLEARANCE.

Her Owner, COnsignors and Master
Must First Make the Oath Re
Quired Under the Revised stat
utes of the United States--She Is
Allowed to Carry Munitions of
War to the Cubans, But Can Not
Garry an Armed Expedition.
Washington. Dec. SO.-Whether or not
the tug Dauntless shall clear from Jack
sonville, Fla, for Neuvitas, Cuba, with
cargo of munitions OF war, is a question
that the owners of the cargo and master
of the vessel will have to answer, keeping
in mind the law on the subject. A tele-
gram was received at the treasury depart
ment yesterday from, MIR. Eldredge, attor-
ney for the owners of the cargo, asking
that the collector of the port of Jackson
vile be instructed to issue clearance pa
pers to the vessel for the port of Neuvi-
tas with cargo of war material, which
was on board and ready to be transport
ed, the telegram stating that they would
not make any affidavits in the matter.
Later in the day telegram came from
the collector setting forth the same facts
and asking for instructions.
This morning Secretary Carlisle tele-
graphed the collector that if the vessel
was entitled to clearance papers and the
officers and owners made the oaths re-
| quired by sections 4197, 4l9S and 400 of the
! Revised Statutes of the United States, he
| should issue them upon proper application.
| Section 4l97 provides that the master or
| person having charge of a vessel bound
n q ba1 IN fha nj.
lector manifest of the cargo the value
thereof and shall swear to the truth there
| of; whereupon the collector shall grant
| clearance papers for the vessel and cargo.
! Section 419S provides the form of oath
| to be taken by the master that the mani
! fest is true; that the duties on foreign
merchandise have been paid, and if 1t be-
comes necessary to Ireland the cargo in
the United States will make just and
true report to the collector of the cause
of the disaster or accident.
Section 4200 provides, before clearance
shall be granted, that the owners, ship
pers, or consignees of the cargo, shall de-
| liver TO the collector a manifest of the
cargo and shall verify the same by oath.
And before clearance is granted the mas
! ter, owners. shippers and consignees of
the cargo shan state, upon oath, to the
collector, the foreign port or country in
which the cargo is truly intended to be
landed.
The Secretary of the Treasury in his
message to the collector did not assume
to decide whether or not the Dauntless
is entitled to clearance, but left for the
owners Of the cargo and the master of
the vessel, together with the collector,
to settle the question.
Up to the hour of closing the department
no information had been received by the
Secretary of the Treasury respecting the
action of the collector at Jacksonville up
on his telegram as to granting a clearance.
| A dispatch from Jacksonville, however
stated that the tug was down the coast
somewhere, and that no application for
| clearance had been made by her master.
| = This afternoon an application was re-
| ceived at the department for clearance for
| the steamer Commodore, with cargo of
arms and munitions of war for Cienfugos,
| Cuba. The collector was instructed to
| follow the same course regarding that APP
plication as in the case of the one for the
Dauntless.
Jacksonville. Fla. Dec. 3o.-In answer
to dispatch from John E. Hartridge at
torney of w A. Bisbee, owner of the tug
Dauntless. TO Secretary Carlisle. the fol-
| lowing instructions in substance were re-
| ceived by the collector of the port to-day:
To grant clearance papers to the Daunt-
| less with a cargo of munitions of war for
| Nuevitas Cuba, and require the master,
owners and consignors to make the oath
required in sections 4,197, 4,198 and 1920 re-
| vised statutes. This oath is the same re-
| quired of masters of all vessels with
| general cargo bound to foreign ports.
| The collector was instructed to notify
! the captain of the Boutwell, so that he
would not interfere with the vessel other
| than to see that an armed expedition was
not carried.
In consequence of this authority the
4 4
modore are preparing to send heavy car
goes of arms and munitions of war 10
Cuba. Two cargo loads of these war-like
supplies arrived in this city this morning.
Owner Bisbee declares that If the Daunt-
| less is molested on this voyage he will APP
ply to the Secretary of the Treasury for
an armed escort of United States cruisers
to protect the vessel on future trips.
The clearance of the Dauntless was au-
thorized in the following communication
from the collector of the port to Owner
Bisbee:
"Sir-Responding to your application
made yesterday of clearance for the
steamer Dauntless, l have to inform you
that 1 am authorized by the honorable
Secretary of the Treasury to clear said
steamer Dauntless in a strictly regular
way for the port of Nuevitas."
The Daunuess left Jacksonville Tuesday
on a wreckng trip and has not been since
HedTu from, Dul HeT OWueT expects the
vessel in port tomorrow morning.
The Commodore has been on the ways
for some time, but is now ready for sea.
All the indications point to the loading
and departure of those two vessels within
the next forty-eight hours. Regular
clearance papers will be secured for them
under the secretary's ruling, from the
custom house tomorrow.
s-o-s
WON'T ACCEPT INTERVENTION.