The herald., 1898-03-04
4 BRITISH AUTHORITY
TALKS ON PROSPECTS OF War
OVER CUBA
SPAIN CANNOT SECURE SHIPS
If She Could They Will Soon Be
Needed to Put Down Rebellion
at Home

Associated Press Special Wire
LONDON, March 3.--"The United
States will have every town on the
Spanish coast blown to atoms, / am
ready to wager, a month after the begin
ming of hostilities," said VIM. Allan, NJ.
p, to the New York Worlds correspon-
dent.
II consider that America has some of
the very finest ships afioat, and know
the American sailors to be as good as
any in the world.
"Why, Spain Is a retrograde-a mori-
bund nation. If she should snap up
all the warships available all over the
world, she could not give the United
States cause for an instant's concern.
81 believe in the grit, tenacity and
fighting capacity of the Anglo-Saxon
race as against these Spaniards, who
are fed on oil and garlic, and are with
out stamina. Why, in the olden days
our buccaneers used to beat them, and
they have not improved since then
rather the contrary.
"It would be an easy matter for the
United States to capture the principal
Spanish arsenal at Truba, near the
north coast and not far from Oviedo. The
place is not defensible, as your Navy De-
partment doubtless knows.
But there will be no war. The Span
ish government knows it would be the
signal for a Carlist rising. They will
have some kind of revolution in Spain
before long. but as to war with the United
States there will be none.
II have never believed that the United
States wants Cuba, but l expect they will
employ all their influence to establish
a republic there
Mr.. Tweddle, the manager of Thorny-
croft's torpedo boat works at Chiswck-
on-the-Thames, said to the World cor
respondent: Il don't think the Spanish
Navy can cause the United States much
concern I really don't think Spain has
much Of chance in getting warshps in
English yards from the governments for
which they are being constructed. The
great majority of the ships now on the
stocks are for the British government,
which. of course, won't SELL
Il don't know of any for Chile, but
Argentina has three under construction.
Argentina won't sell, for I know when
France offered to buy some torpedo
catchers we were constructing for Ar
gentina the latter declined to sell.
Spain has four torpedo catchers,
each about 220 feet long and with speed
of % knots on the stocks in Clyde, but
they are not yet delivered, as the speed
trials were not successful.
''If Spain wants to buy ships here for
war purposes, she must act before a
state of belligerency arises. The in
stant war is declared the British govern
ment will place an embargo on all the
war vessels being constructed. and not
one will be permitted to leave our ports,
except to go to some power other than
the belligerents.
"If our authorities suspected that or
dinary steamers were being fitted for
use in any way by either bellgerent
they would be stopped in the same way"
Inquiries by the World correspondent
at Yarrow's torpedo boat works, Black
well, elected the statement that the firm
is building four torpedo catchers for
Japan and four for Austria Neither
power would sell the ships to SPAIN At
the Thames Shipbuilding Company's
works, where the largest and most power
full line of battleship ever built is in
course of construction for Japan, the
manager said: I'VE have nothing Spain
could purchase, as we are building only
two line Of battleships, one for our
government. the other for Japan If
Spain is looking for ships, her agents
have not been inquiring on the Thames
as yet"
SIMPLY ABSURD
No.
that Spain is negotiating to buy from
Chile three warships now in course of
construction in England is character
ized by government officials here as alb
surd, says the Valparaiso correspondent
of the Herald. Chile has only two ships
in Europe. the armored cruiser O'Hig-
gins which is nearly finished and is ex-
pected here in April, and the school ship
General Baguedona, which will be fin
ished about the end of the year. The
Chilean transport Augamos left for
England several days ago with officers
and crew for the O'Higgins.
A NEW COMPLICATION
CHICAGO, March ga special to the
Daily News from Washington says:
Spain will have to reckon with Japan as
we'll as with the United States in the
event the responsibility for the Maine
explosion is laid at the door of the Dom
The Navy Department has ascer-
tanned that on the Maine were several
Japanese subjects, employed as cooks
or other servants, and they were lost
The fact of their death has been made
known to the Japanese government
through the State Department.
The State Department has ascer-
tanned at the instance OF the Japanese
Legation that the following Japanese
were on board the Maine at the time of
the disaster: I. Sugaski, o. Ishita, S.
CHIME. NJ. Dye, L. Kitagata, T. Nagam-
inc and X. Suguki.
There was a disposition in some quar-
ters to attach considera BILE significance
to this statement, but so far as could be
learned from official sources the infor-
nation was given at the request of the
japanese Legation for the purpose of al
lowing the Legation to notify the friends
and relatives of the deceased. Soon
after the disaster the Navy Department
sent the Japanese Legation an unofficial
list of the Japanese on board the Maine
at the time of the disaster The peculiar
character of Japanesenames caused some
confusion in identification, particularly
as to the two who were saved
There are number of Japanese in the
American Navy, serving as stewards,
fta, 1,;v lit, I.