The evening times., 1898-07-26
CONSUL Ill H0aIE's coal
The Supply at ST. Thomas .
Puzzling Question.
An. RICA'SDRAFT DIsRONORED
The Nav. 0mcinls Refusc to Pay for
Three Thousand Tons Of Coal Pur-
chased by Our Consul W2Ahea1
Authority. nnd Cchsequcnccs Are
Becoming Intricate.

The Administration is struggling with
the problem: What shall be done with
Consul Van Horres coal and his bs,l?'
1t Is problem growing out of the war
directly and 1t involves-severai questions
in international law. but Secretary Day
smiles over IT eRce in a while and Secre-
tary Long has been known to grow quiz
zical and argumentative in semi-sar-
castle manner.
The early events which started Consul
Van Horne's coal and his bill into the
realm of great international questions
are briefly as follows:
Consul Mahlon Van Horne is the Amcri-
can representative at st. Thomas, Danish
West Indies. He is a colored man and
has been a preacher. There IL no re-
iection whatever on his honesty In what
has occurred.
At the beginning Of April before the
war broke out Consul Van Horne cabled
Secretary Day that there was a ship load
of coal at st. Thomas which he could
secure and which the Spanish naval au-
thorities desired. After consulting with
Secretary Long Secretary Day cabled
back to purchase the coal. This was done
by Consul Van Horne and he paid some
thing like 50 a ton for 10000 tons of very
poor quality Of coal that is worth only
$l.5O in American markets. The st.
Thomas merchants explained this by say
ing that the Spanish authorities were
willing to pay S..
Some time later after the war began
Consul Van Horne sent another cable
gram telling of a second ship load of coal.
The circumstances were exactly similar
except that Consul Van Horne believed
that this ship load was intended for San
Juan and Cervera.
The fact seems to be that the coal was
really sent directly from Philadelphia for
the express purpose of selling it to Con-
sui Van Horne. There were 5000 tons of
1t, and Consul Van Horne cab!ed that 1t
could be secured for SO a ton.
This cablegram Is now at Havana. 1t
was censored by Gen. Blanco and not al
lowed to pass on North to Secretary
Day.
| Mr. Van Horne waited a few days and
at last took plunge on his own ac-
count. He purchased the coal without
authority. He wrote draft on the Gov
ernment for $4,000 and handed 1t to the
owner of the coal. and the 1900 tons were
dumped on a wharf at St. Thomas with
the 1900 already acquired by Mr.. Van
Horne.
The Government in Washington receiv-
ed this draft and Consul Van Horne's
written explanation of this later trans
action on very nearly the same date. The
Navy Department said 1t did not wan
the coal and would not pay for It
! The department experts SAID that a
hundred shiploads of that variety Of coal
| could be purchased any day at $50 a
| ton. or 81. 500 for 3,O90-ton lots.
| Iraf t,anl IL 20
and is now on a hook at the teller's win
| dow at the St. Thomas Colonial Bank
marked IN. c."
At about this time an American man.
| of-war put in at st. Thomas. and tool
! a little of the coal at Mr.. Van Horne's
| suggestion. 1t is not known how much
was taken.
A month or two passed and another
man-of-war arrived and desired to Sc
pay off its seamen. A draft on Uncle
| Sam was rendered to the Colonial Bank
| for several thousand dollars
The teller of the Colonial pushed II
back through the bars, and said Uncle
Sans credit was not good at that bank
The provisions were finally obtained by
giving drafts to the tradesmen, but ths
payroll was not settled until another
port was reached.
Meanwhile. Gov. Hedeman of st
Thomas. had been thinking the entire
matter over very carefully. and he q.
nally made a prosest to CosuI Van
Horne against the use of St. Thomas as
a coaling station. He said hts govern
ment would hold him responsible for
| breach of neutrality. and that Spain
might protest to Denmark and cause all
kinds of international complications.
Mr.. Van Horne has written very
long letter. and perhaps several of them
to the State Department. telling every.
thing, and asking what he shall do.
The State Department has not ye,. de-
cided. 1t is even limited that 1t may
be necessary to purchase st. Thomas tc
end the difficulty.