The sun., 1899-05-22
SUNK BY THE DETROIT!
RUMOR THAT 4 SIC4RiGUIS Gun
BO1T FIRED At orr CRUISER,
And That the Detroit Returned the Fire
and Sunk the Gunboat-No Confirmation
of the Rumor Received IN washington-
Origin of the Troubles at BIueaeId..

~ 81
s.-,,..,,.
'"'' D''D'''' " luz Sun
COLON, Colombia May 2l-\ rumor which
mas reached here from Bocas del Toro says
'hat the Niraragunn gunhoat San Jarinto fired
nj the American cruiser Detroit. and thar the
Iattcr replied. sinking tn" gunhoat. The re-
port hcES continuation
NAsHlNHToN. Nav " y" official cOnnrma-
ton of the reported engagement between tho
'hi'eu Hth,'s cruiser p'ti"it ana til" Nica-
raguan gunhOat san Jacintu had been received
ni,h, .,'J, ''''
"'H"' -, ,'''"IN LOW. h"u I'''t'" ahu c"u'u NOT
be sccn but Mr.. Charles II ALEU-. the Assists
ant Secrrtury of thn \n,v. .nil th,, ho hnd
L.,,rI ,,,ti,, I, =, ,r, WA. '' ~
hearu ho'hih@ a""u' IT, ia" standard BOOKS
on naval subjects do not contain any reference
to the San Jaciutn. but She il rrnb,Ilv . very
srnl ye,,eI rnurn,,,I rr,,,, ''',.,. ~. ' ,r,
and not an actual mau.ot.war
Granting that the rcror, from Coon ia true.
it i, not likely that a war between Nicaragua
and til" United States will result If tho an
Jacinto fired first. as reported. this Govern
mont will probably demand an immediate
apology and the payment of a heavy indemnity.
\in,ro,,,', l., ~, m. ',''.' 49," '''''.'
N'rntaSun .'I, IS not ''N'y |" make c"'n'n"''on
The existing difficulties in ylc,ru,no orc ths
ontgrov,,h - ,I, ,.n,,, t,,,ti'n ','o
p"rmont of . zcaya ~ % Of Witch . n".%. .%' s the TS'
capital Col Reyes. the head Of the revolu-
tionnry movement, ornucI the Dus.
levy duties at the % rates "" charged nr'GUI 10y the
,'"Ferhm"ht' lhrrc are large american IN
tsres6 6 at b,nrields chieIiyin the hands Of the
American merchants raid duty To Reyes on
rnnsirnmentS nr rood. r.,,ivnL ,,uri1y ,ha
revSIsi"n and IGI9 nr 't''r hoJ endnI ,hs hs
jioyernmant of Si"nr,,t-un inSistad That the
American merchants sh"nld nav the duties
over again The merchants refused to nav.
and were subjected to per.cruton by tGS3SI..
w4n had n "nce Iw M nsr te ths orinto
trouble, on the demand Of ihe United states.
Tn" merchants were adyis"d hvthe Tnited
States to pay the extra duties under protest
dipIomatir means hut thny d"rlineI and seal.
ing un the warehouse in which their goods
these huiIiuUs CnI TnrrnS than naied
the attention Of the merchants to the law
~ Nirnrarun. thnt no inreiun aaps shoWid
be flown except over the legations and
consular offices or on national holidays The
merchants soij they did not vive n ran for ths
law. and keut oId (IISry on the roles Torres
was evidently afraid to 0pen the warehouses
over Them and thn goods ware not seizsT
Finally II was arranred between Mica.
ragua and the United States that the
duties shnuld hc pniI nv the merchants to
tn" BritiSR Consul at at san an Juan del Norte or or
dpomntic aIustm"nt This was satIsioo.
ter is now being discussed automatically.
The feelings enrendernd by these incidents
have been Gitter, however, and Americans are
iraunht the Detroit hns hrcu unnhle to pet
wtht,i several miis. nf Hnnnnids nnd ina ' con-
verted yacht Vixen has Jist started from