The age-herald., 1899-09-15
FOUND BY THE PAr'pAGNA
Masked Battery on Shore sTv on Boat
 From the "
THE WRECK FINh s ABANDONED
Part the Crew O.. S5aturnis Believ- ed to Have Been in League With the Enemy-All Are Report
 ed as Being Safe.

l Washington, September 14.-A report has | been received by mail from Manila at tho | war department giving an account of the | capture and destruction of the steamer 1 Saturnis, which carried $I0,O00 in cash and | valuable cargo. The report follows 1 The United States gunbot Pampanga ar- l rived here yesterday morning, bringing l news of the capture of the steamer Saturn l is, belonging to the Campania Maritime. | The facts as gathered from those who l know are as follows:
 l The Saturnis sailed from Manila on the morning of July 30 for San Fernando de Laueum, Cavayan, Currimao and Aparrix. 1 all of which are northern ports. It is sup | posed the vessel arrived off San Fernando | on the 31st ultimo.
 When discovered by the gunboat Pam panga, she was lying with her nose buried
 in the sand of the shore south of the city of San Fernando. Both anchors were out, and smoke, which lowered closely over the vessel, showed her to be on fire. Small
 boats with native crews could be seen car- rying the cargo of the burning vessel ashore.
 Boat Sent to Investigate Little suspectng the true condition of affairs, the gunboat Pampanga sent boat out to the burning vessel to investigate, but upon the approach of the boat with her | American blue jackets the natives immedi- | ately retired and opened fire upon the | boats crew, using Mauser and Remington l rifles from concealed trenches and sending l shells from two three-inch guns, which | formed a concealed battery. over and close l to the little boat
 The watchful officers on the Pampanga
 immediately ordered the fire from the reb- l els trenches to be returned by the crew of | the gunboat and under cover Of the guns | of the warship the boat reached the Sat
 urnis A brief inspection of the vessel showed every indication that she had been l footed by the rebels, but the examination | failed to disclose any sign of the crew or anything to indicate that a struggle had | taken place on board. The boats crew | then attempted to raise the anchors, but l failing in this, they cut the anchor chains l and attached a hawser from the Pampanga | to the propeller of the Saturnis. An at l tempt was then made to pull her out ot | the mud and sand, but was unsuccessful. The Wreck Abandoned The Pampagna then abandoned the wrecked Saturnis and sgnalled the Con- cord. which was sighted she was cross ing the gulf of Lingayan, and reported all the facts of the discovery to her com- mander. The Pampagna thereupon was ordered to Manila to report the affair, while the Concord remained to attend to the rebels and the wreck. When the gun- boat left the scene the flames on the Sa- turnis had enveloped the vessel and She, aA ha Ca turnis was commanded by Captain Antonio Aralucea, and had two officers, three engi- | neers and a crew of 36 natives It is sup l posed that all were taken prisoners by l the rebels.
 The cargo of the vessel consisted of 52O l ca ses of petroleum, of ten gallons to the | case. six hundred demijohns of wine, l43 barrels of wine, 80 sacks of rice ten cases of linen cloth, seven cases of money con- taining $40OO0 in cash and 1,9i6 packages and bales of various kinds. In addition 10 the cargo, tine vessel carried 26 passen-
 gers and two children, all of whom were
 either Fiipinos or Chinese.
 The Crew Not Assassinated There is absolutely no truth in the rumor
 of the assassination of many of the crew of the vessel. The steamer Union, which sailed few days after the Saturnis for the same port, returned yesterday with the information that the United States gun
 boat Paragua refused permission to her to enter the port of San Fernando and orr
 dered her to return to Manila.
 It is generally believed that a portion
 of the crew of the Saturnis and perhaps
 some of the passengers, were in league
 with the rebels, and knowing that the in-
 surgents had a concealed battery planted
 ttna pdar ba
 rebel guns so as to make the footing more
 easy and the capture of the vessel and It's valuable cargo, together with its officers,
 more complete and with little danger to themselves.
 A subsequent report received here states
 that the crew and passengers of the S., Iurnis were all safe and uninjured at Tar
 lac, the Filipino capital. It Is expected
 that the crew and passengers would ar-
 rive in soon as 1t was said that they were free to go where they pleased, unmolest-
 ed The Saturnis was fully insured against