Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1902-12-11
SEIZURE OF WARSHIPS
Action by the Anglo-Ger1nan Fleet
In Venezuelan Waters.
CRISIS Is GROWING ACUTE
A Dispatch From -GaracHs Tells of
Peremptory D~m,a nIs Made Ou
Castro by -l!t.sim of Brit
iah trui>". sicirSbutisr.

London. Dec. li.-1ha following dis
patch has been reer1ved from Caracas
| Venezuela:
| al o'clop; Tues Pay afternoon the
combined German and British tieets
seized and towtd outside the harbor
OF La Guayrh all theYesscls which We're
then there. These were the warships
General Crespo. Totumo. Ossun and
Margarila. The ships were manned
by 300 men. The news of the capture
OF the warships is not yet generally
known in. the capital. Great excite
ment undoubtedly will prevail when it
is announced.
at is said on good authority that the
captain of the British cruiser Retribu-
ton Tuesday afternoon sent special
courier from La Guayra to Caracas with
an ultimatum for compliance with the
note deposited by the British and Ger
man ministers at the home of the for
eign ministers before their departure
from Caracas. 1T is said the ultima
tum gives maximum of forty-eight
hours in which Venezuela is to accede.
"The note it is said, requests the i'm
mediate cash payment of 1000 each
to Great Britain and Germany and for
the adjustment of claims arising from
past revolutions by a mixed tribunal.
according to the method prescribed in
the last agreement made with France.
It is said also that the British minis
ter at the last moment failed to pre-
sent claims. except for $4,000. His
demand is not duly supported by legal
documents and facts and is considered
absurd. United States Minister Bow
EN- is understood to have assumed
charge of British and German inter-
ests."
StnteIM .nt to the Commons.
In the house of commons during the
day Under Foreign Secretary Gran
borne said that the government had no
official information of the seizure by
the Venezuelans OF POO British and Ger
man subjects or of the seizure of the
Venezuelan warships by the fleets of
Great Britain and Germany. as report |
ed in press dispatches from Caracas.
Lord Cranborne added that the Brit |
ish claims which necessitated coercion |
would be fully disclosed by papers to |
be laid before the house. They includ |
ed a demand for compensation for in !
reference with trading vessels. the
imprisonment and i'll treatment of Brit
ish subjects and the destruction of
property. He asserted that the govern
ment would follow precedent in the en-
forcement of analogous cases.
Replying to Mr.. Bryce, Liberal, Lord
Cranborne said the British minister at
Caracas had been instructed to wait
twenty-four hours after the presenta-
ton of the ultimate and, failing a re-
ply, to proceed to La Guayra, where he
was to wait another twenty-four hours
on board British ship. Unless in the
meantime a concession had been re-
ceived it would be necessary for his
ma jesty's government to take forcible
action. The government had not yet
been informed that such action had
been taken.
Later it was announced that the ad-
miralty has received information of the
seizure of the Venezuelan gunbOat Boil
war at Port of Spain, island Of Trim
dad
The attitude of the foreign Office here
is one Of relief, the arrest of the Brit
ish subjects, it is held, indicating pro-
vision against i'll treatment and conse-
Quent further complications.