The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-05-22
REPORTED
SINKING OF
A CUNBOAT
Nicaraguan Vessel San ia
cinto Said to Have Fired
on the Detroit.
THEN SENT TO BOTTOM
While the Story Lacks Confirmation
1t Is Probable, Owing to the
Friction at Bluefelds.
THEN SENT TO BOTTOM
Special Dispatch to The Call.

COLON, Colombia, May 21-A rumor
which has reached here from Bocas del
Toro states the Nicaraguan gunboat
San Jacinto fired at the American
cruiser Detroit, and the latter replied,
sinking the gunboat. The report lacks
confirmation.
Bocas del Toro is town on the island
adjacent to the southern entrance of
the great Chiriqui lagoon This en-
trance is also called Bocas del Toro
(bulrs jaw, from it's peculiar shape).
The town has about 5000 people and is
in Costa Rican territory, as is Chirlqul
lagoon. The cruiser Detriot is of 20S9
tons displacement and 1871 knots speed.
She carries ten five-inch rapid-fi
guns, her main battery and also eleven
siX-pounder and smaller guns. No in
formation as to the size or armament
of the San Jacinto is obtainable, but it
is known that nnue of the Central
American States has war vessel able
to cope with even an unprotected
cruiser, such as the Detroit.
WASHINGTON, May 21.-No official
confirmation of the reported engage
ment between the United States cruiser
Detroit and the Nicarguan gunboat San
Jacinto had been received by the
naval authorities up to a late hour to-
night. Secretary Long had retired and
could not be seen, but Charles h Allen,
Assistant Secretary of the Navy, said
he had heard nothing about the mat
ter.
The Detroit is commanded by Com
mander James H. Dayton She has
been stationed at Bluefields ever since
the beginning of the existing troubles
between American merchants and the
Nicarguan Government over the pay
ment of duties on goods which had al
ready been taxed. The Detroit recently
went to Colon. Colombia. to coal and
to communicate with the Navy Depart
ment, messages from Commander Day
ton having failed to reach Washing
ton. She has just returned. or is re-
turning, from Colon to Bluefields
Standard books on naval subjects do
not contain any reference to the San
Jacinto, but she is probably a very
small vessel converted from a yacht
or tug and not an actual man of war
The existing difficulties in Nicaragua
are the outgrowth of the recent rebel
lion in the Department of Zelaya of
which BluefieldS is the capital Colo
mel Reyes, head of the revolutionary
movement, opened the Bluefields Gus
tom-house and proceeded to levy
duties at the rates charged by the
government There are large Ameri-
can interests at Bluefields, chiefly in
the hands of the Bluefields Steamship
Company of New Orleans. American
merchants paid duty to Reyes on con-
signmentS of goods received during the
revolution, and after it had ended
through a mutual agreement between
Reyes and the government the latter
insisted that the American merchants
should pay the duties over again The
merchants refused to pay and were
subjected to persecution by Colonel
Torres, the new Governor of the de-
partment, who had once been removed
after the Corinto trouble on the de-
mand of the United States. Torres
hates the Americans, and he did not
hesitate to show his dislike Mer-
chants were advised by the United
States to pay the extra duties under
protest and trust to the refunding of
the money through diplomatic means,
but declined, and, sealing up the ware
house in which the goods were stored,
raised the stars and stripes over the
buildings. Colonel Torres then called
the attention of the merchants to the
law of Nicaragua that no foreign flags
should be flown except over legations
and consular offices or on national hol-
idayS. The merchants said they did
not give a rap for the law and kept
Old Glory on the poles.
Torres was evidently afraid to open
the warehouses forcibly while the
American flag was floating over them,
and the goods were not seized. Final
ly it was arranged between Nicaragua
and the United States that the duties
should be paid over by the merchants
to the British Consul at San Juan del
Norte or Greytown and held by him
pending diplomatic adjustment This
was satisfactory to the merchants, and
the matter is now being discussed dip
lomatically.
The feeling engendered by these in
cidents has been bitter, however, and
Americans are not popular in Nicara-
qua. Owing to her draft, the Detroit
has been unable to get within several
miles of Bluefields, and the converted
yacht Vixen has just started from
Hampton Roads for Bluefields to give