Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-01-14
ANOTHER WAR SCARE
Wild Rumors Caused by the
Havana Outbreak.
WARsHIPS NOT ASKED FOR
United states Consulate and General Lees
Residence Guarded by Spanish Sold
iers. No Fears for The af-ty
ofAmerlcan Citizens.
fBy TeleEraph.)

WASHINGTON. Jan I3..-Late this
afternoon the first news Of the day
came to the state Department from
Consul General Lee. who telegrapned
vana today and that there was no cause
tor apprehension of trouble. Orders
nave been sent to the Marblehead to
proceed to NavaSsa to investigate coll
d4tions among the laborers there, thus
d.SpCsing Of :'he runor that she would
be ordered ITO Cuba.
Consu! General Lee has reported 70
the State Department from Havana.
under date of yesterday, The facts con-
'Gccted with the riotlng t::ere yestsr-
dag. while the State Department Off
Gals do not divulge the text OF the dis
patch. 1T is said that it corroborates
generally the newspaper reports on the
subject. According to General Lees
report the disturbance had been quelied
for the time being, but he was appre-
hensive of another outbreak at any mo-
ment. General Lee did not ask to have
a u'arship sent to Havana and in the
opinion Of the State Department Off
Gals anat lis a sufficient rea sOn for the
assumption that there is no occasion
FOR sending one. The officials are evil
IDENTITY not apprehensive OF any trouble
in the imme diahe future that will re-
qLire the forceful intervention of cur
government. The disquieting feature
of the situation is the horrible contii-
ton of the poor in Cuba. According to
General Lees advices no less than
100000 people on the island are in the
last stages Of restitution and are who'll
ly dependent upon charity. 10 feed
these people on ten cent ration per
diem would cost 100000 daily, which
sum is double the amount SO far re-
ceived in contributions during the past
ten days by the State Department. In
the opinion of General Lee, no less than
twenty per cent. of this people are
surely doomed 10 death from starvation
and disease. In such state of affairs
the existence of any form Of organized
government is threatened and the au-
tpnomy plans of the Spanish govern
ment command little ait ention.
Secretary Long was asked whether
any OF the American ships had been
ordered to be ready to sail for Havana.
He replied that, while he could not dis
cuss the matter, he would say mat he
had not made any change in the orders
to battleshp Maine. now lying at Key
West, inquiry developed the fact that
the Names last order was to go out for
target practice and upon falling In with
the North Atlantic Squadron, to attach
herself. Although there It's no eXpecta-
ton a the Navy Department Of any
trouble just now, still in case 1T should
occur the navy is more strongly repre-
scented in FLORIDA and West Indian wa
tiers than it has been i'm the past ten
y
ond class battleshp Maine, at Jack
sonville the dynamite cruiser Vesuvius,
at st. k!Hts is the Annapolis and III
Guadaloupe the Wilmington. The De-
troIt is on the way from Cape Haptien
to Key West, where she is now due.
This naval force is made up with one
exception, the Maine. of unarmored but
lightly protected cruisers and gunboats.
1t Will be powerfully reinforced, how
ever, in few days, by the North AT
lantic Squadron, under Admiral Sicard.
composed of heavily armored' vessels.
the most powerful fleet that the United
States has had together in many years.
1t is authoratively stated at the Navy
Department that the southern move
ment of the squadron is in no degree
attri buta BILE TO the troubles in Havana.
but that the movement is a part of the
program for winter manoeuvres of the
squadron, prepared by 1.-THE Navy De-
partment months go.
Senior De Lone. the Spanish minister.
has been kept constantly advised of
every development within the last TWEEN
ty-four hours at Havana and he sum.
med up his advices this afternoon by
sa ying that they show the uprising to
have been riot, pure and simple; that
order has been completely restored;
that the tumult was confined Ito Span
ish and Cuban residents and that no
WAS put upon any American
interest or citizen, public or private.
The official advces began arriving
. bout midnight last night. and have
come uninterruptedly since then. They
told the story of the disturbance fully,
and in the main corroborates the press
dispa tcheS. They made 1T clear. it is
stated at the legation. that the Demon
stration was an unorganiZed riot, telre
being Lgatl1fsred up from the
streets. without arms or ammuEi tion.
/I-fr iuega1i When few army officers
establishment, that paper being so
lukewarm toward autonomy that it was
suspected of having insurgent tenden-
cies. Later, as the people were lea wing
the shops al the close OF the days work
and the streets were filled with home
goers, the demonstration was begun
again by an attack on the establish
ments of La Discussion and the Diario
de la Marina. The dispatches state that
a small group raised cry against
autonomy, some few gave vivas for
General Weyler, while some scattered
shouts We're directed at General 'Blanco.
In the main, however, the vivas were
for Spain and the army. The mounted
police were brought into use and dis
persed the groups, so that order was re-
stored and the city was tranquil by
midnight.
During this excitement United States
Consul General Lee was in communi-
ca ton with the Spanish authorities.
Neither he nor the officials appear ito
have been appreheEsiVe, but 1T was
deemed the part of wisdom to guard
a gainst contingencies by sending a
guard of soldiers to the United States
lega ton and ITO the private residence of
General Lee. Accordingly twenty-five
Spanish soldiers were dispatched 10
the United States consulate and anoth-
er guard of twenty-five to the residence
Of General Lee. They acted as an
emergency guard. and no occasion
arose for their service to be brought
into actual requistion. Throughout the
disturbance. it is said at the legation,
there was not shout against the I'm
tied States nor q hand raised against
an American citizen.
MAINE STILL lat KEY WEST.
KEY WEST, FLA. Jan 1S.--The I'm
ited States ship Maine has not yet left
this port d; is believed that the sailing
orders received yesterday have been
countermnaded.
HAVANA Jan. 1S.-United States
Consul General Fuzhugh Lee absolute
ly denies that he has asked the authori-
Ties at Washington to send two war