The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-10
AFTER ENGLISH COMMERCE.
arm AGENTS SAID TO HAVE CON-
VERIFIED A YACHT.

,o,orted That They Will Strike Out
sor English Merchantmen on rhe
,1ontie Coast-One of Their
mis-. Steyn, said to Have Made
M. headquarters in Savannah.
p,ors related by Capt. Hill Who
,Y,s offered a Commission.
,,ls7ta. Jan. 9-The United States may
srd themselves mixed up in the war
sor, Going on in South Africa.
a., erst blush this sounds like sensa-
....,l predictions but In the light of events
utisb have come to the surface here to-
.,,.srd Yesterday, it is not, for while this
..,,rtrv has been most interested in view
inc ,he movement in the Transvaal
.s.,,-h the press reports, at long range
noor,- PauTs agents have been at work
stti1a out naval expedition TO harrass
rDe-fs3 commerce right under our noses.
1rnrfss the plans fail this expedition will
he already well launched by the time this
..sn,rcu has become public properrttyy.;.
hs:. 80 SIRE e.s Ike, '.si' 10 Keen
tbe expedition secret, and how successful
,bo.e measures have been is shown by the
t,cr talt only now when Dom PauFs first
,,rsll-p is ready to take the high seas,
doss the plan leak out. The Morning
Neys correspondent in this city came into
nosse-siou of the facts of the expedition
to-i3v from Capt Charles H. Hill, who
mas offered a commission on the raksh
Httle craft that is soon to fling out the
coiors of the Boer republic and make
hold dash at the English merchant marine
along the Atlantic coast.
Can't. Hill Declined.
Capt. I'm has had varied experience as
q naval officer, and only recently played
a Iead,ng role in one of the South -Ameri-
can revolutions as executive officer of the
Ntctherov. the first dynamite cruiser He
is dashng and daring, just the man TO
Command such ar adventure as he declares
Is now starting out from secluded shelter
nj the Windward passage. However, the
command win be in other hands, as he de-
cined II.
several days ago Capt. HILL who is now
in Atlanta received a letter from Lieut..
Mcdonald Craven, with whom he served
on the Nictheroy, Craven being senior Of
fcer of the watch on that ship. The
letter conveyed the information that an
expedition was being organized by Dom
PauTs government, with Lieut. Craven
managing one end in the East and Earl
F. Steyn at the Southern end.
Mr. Steyn. according to Capt. Hill, took
up his headquarters in Savannah, at the
De Soto where he still it. Yesterday Mr..
Sevn came up TO Atlanta to see capt.
Hill. and they had long conference over
the expedition. Capt. Hill declined to
20 into the matter. His decination of
the proposition left Lieut. Craven in COM
mand and it is supposed that he and
the converted yacht have by this time
shipped their crew from the Bahamas
and are headed for sea.
Lieut. Craven is a son of Admiral T. T.
Craven of the United States navy, and is
declared by Capt. Hill to be a man whose
dash and daring would make him the hero
for naval romance.
Is n Swift Craft.
According to Capt. Hills information.
the yacht which has been secured by the
Beers to take up this work among Eng
lsh merchant ships on this side of the
Atlantic, is as swift craft as was ever
foated He saw her at Charleston some
time ago Her owner was an English
man, and the purchase was made a Hall
fax by Lieut.. Craven, the English owner
having no suspicion that he was selling
his cr,:t - la used against his country
men on the high seas or as
warship Her armament is said to consist
Of couple of 4.5 inch French guns capa-
ble OF sinking any British merchantmen or
liner that floats, to say nothing of the
uoopships she is likely to intercept once
headed toward the African coast.
The agents of the Boer government, it
appears, have taken every ,precaution to
prevent this country from getting into
trouble on account of this expedition, It
Is reported that not only was the yacht
bought in British waters of an English
man, but the fitting out has been done in
English waters as well, so that beyond
the fact that the agents of the Transvaal
republic have operated from New York
and savannah, England can have no COM
paint TO make.
In speaking about the mission of the
expedition, Capt. Hill compared it to the
career of the Alabama" BY springing
Such surprise in the situation, with
highlands commerce on this side unpro-
leeted the dashing little Boer warship
may be able to do a lot of damage before
she is finally overhauled. The story of
tne expedition is apt to cause a sensation
IN TINS country anyway
Inquiry at she De Soto and the other
notes last night failed to discover any
cue 10 r. Steyn or anybody that answers
lhe description of a Boer expedition pro
ho'er No such person as Steyn has reg
N,eIed the De Soto within the last
"o months If the alleged expedition or
s4uizer mas been in Savannah he has been
gHner some other name, and has been
Aeepng very quiet.