The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-02-08
CANEA AFLAME AGAIN
FIRES STARTED BY MUSSULMANS
LAST WEEK BREAK OUT AFRESH.
Christians and Their OppressOrs
Fighting Outside the City-MOre
War Ships Ordered to Crete.

LONDON. Feb. s.-Dispatches from the
Island Of Crete say that throughout Sunday
the town of Canea itself was comparatively
quiet, but the fire. started as result of
last weeks conflict between Mussulmans
and Christians, has broken out afresh, and
several villages In the suburbs are in
flames. Outside the walls of Canea there
has been a continuous fusillade since Satur-
day, the soldiers siding with the Mussul-
mans. All of the Christians have left the
town. Fifteen hundred Christians have
gone aboard the British vessels, while 200
subjects of France went aboard the French
cruiser. The palace of the Christian gov
ernor Of the Island George Berovitch,
Prince of Samoe, being blockaded by Mus
sulmans, Berovitch Pasha accordingly dis
tributed arms with the view of dispensing
the besiegers. At Halepa 200 armed Chris
tians are facing an armed body of Mussul-
mans. The situation at Retimo is serious.
The insurgents hold the vice consuls, the
bishop and other notable prisoners as
hostages. The Turks have already pillaged
several villages. and it is feared the insur-
rection will involve the whole of Crete. The
Greek squadron has arrived at Canea.
A dispatch to the Times from Athens says
that the Grecian ironclads. Spelcia and
Psara. now being repaired at Toulon, have
been ordered to get ready for an expedition
to Crete. The government has submitted
measure in the legislative chamber, apprO-
priating $4,000 to the relief of the Cretan
refugees at Milo and elsewhere.
A dispatch to the Standard from Athens
announces that an EngliShman was killed
and an Austrian subject wounded during
the Cretan troubles
The French cruiser Troud has started
from Toulon for the Island of Crete.
Canea, or Khania, as it is sometimes
spelled, is the principal seaport of Crete.
and since the renewal of the Turkish do
minion. in 1910. the town has been the cap
ital of the island. The city is beautifully
situated on the northern coast of Crete
about twenty-five miles from it's western
extremity, on the isthmus of the Akrotvir
peninsula. Surrounding it is a massive
Venetian wall. OF late years a few of it's
streets have been widened, but the town is
very overcrowded. and the houses are close
ly and Regularly built. Most of the houses
are of wood, which makes them an easy
prey for incendiaries. but the more impor-
tant buildings are built of stone. Its pres
ent population is about 5000 souls made up
of Greeks. Turks. Jews and Arabs. The
Turks have several handsome mosques, and
there are a number of Greek churches and
also a Jewish synagogue The city is the
official residence of the vail Tor governor
generaD and of the foreign consuls. 1t is
the harbor being very shallow all large
vessels have to anchor four or five miles
out.
To the east of the town there is a large
Arab village. populated mostly by natives
of Egypt and Cyrenaica, who act as boat
men, porters and servants. A mile beyond
the city proper is the suburb of Khalepa
where the consulS and merchants live.
The present troubles in Crete are the out
come of the instruction against Turkish
rule, which first broke out in the island last
May. The Cretan question has always been
a thorn in the side of Turkey. This is not
surprising. owing to it's peculiar mixed pop
u.ation of Mussulmans and Christians. A
strange feature about the Cretan insurrec-
lions is that the dividing line between the
cOmbatantS is creed only, and not race.
Substantially the whole population is Greek
by race, but while the Greeks by religion
number 100000 they live side by side with
about 10000 MuSsulmanS. The latter are
almost all descendants of the renegade
Greeks. hating the Christians ardently. and
hated cordially by the Christians. These
turbulent factions have both chafed against
the rule of the Sublime Porte whom they
have accused and usually falsely, of all
kinds of crueltieS and acts of oppression
British diplomacy did not neglect this op-
pOrtunity to berate the ''unspeakable Turk
and, pressed by England and the powers
the Sultan agreed to recognize the native
gendarmerie.