Waterbury Democrat., 1902-09-08
HAITIAN SHIP SUNK.
The German Gunboat Panther
 Takes Decisive Action.
WAS UNDER ORDERS FROM BERLIN.
Crew of tSe Firminist Warship Given Fifteen Minutes to Leave Their Vessel - Fire Her
 Before Departing.

| CAFE HAlTIEN, Haiti, Sept. B. l The gunboat Crete-a- -Pierrot, which was in the service of the FIrminist l party, has been sunk at the entrance | of the harbor of Gonaives by the Ger man gunboat Panther. Details of the occurrence are lacking. The crew of the Crete-a-P -Pierrot left her before she 1 went down.
 The German gunboat Panther af- rived here Sept. 5 and received instruc- t1ons from the German government. to capture the Firminist gunboat Crete a-Pierrot. She left immediately for Gonaives, the seat of the Firminist government.
 The Panther found the Crete-a-Pier- rot in the harbor of Gonaives, and the commander of the German gunboat in- a-Pierrot, that he must remove his crew and surrender his vessel in five minutes time.
 Admiral Ekillick asked that this time be extended to fifteen minutes. This request was granted on the condition that the arms and ammunition on board the Crete-a-Pierrot should be abandoned when her crew left her.
 The crew of the Crete-a- -Pierrot left that vessel amid great disorder. At the end of fifteen minutes the Panther sent a small boat carrying an officer and twenty sailors who were to take pos session of the Firminist gunboat. When these men had arrived at a point about thirty yards from the Crete-a- Pierrot, flames were seen to break out on board of her. She had been fired by her crew before they left her
 The Panther then fred on the Crete a-Pierrot until she was completely inn mersed. Thirty shots all told were fired.
 There is much feeling here against the Firminists, and their cause is con sidered to be bad one. Soldiers are leaving here to attack St. Marc. Port au Prince is calm.
 The present revolution In Haiti started in the month of April of this year, and General Tiresias Simon Sam, president of the Haitian Republic, re- signed his office and left the island in May. For the last two months Amer ican interests in Haiti have been looked after by the United States gum boat Machias, Commander McCrea. It recently developed that at least six European nations had confded the pro- tection of their interests in Haiti wholly to the United States naval force in Haitian waters.
 Admiral Killick recently declared Cape Haitien to be blockaded, but thiss blockade was admitted to be inef- fiain oy1d 1Sof h 4la miral after Commander McCrea had made certain representations to him concerning it. In a letter to the Fir minist admiral Commander McCrea in- formed him that he was charged with the protection of British, French, Ger man. Italian, Spanish, Russian and Cuban interests as well as those of the United States and that he would pre- vent a second bonn bardment of Cape Haitien without due notice.
 In reply, to this letter Admiral Kill lick wrote Commander McCrea promis- ing to observe the ,usages of civilized warfare in case it became necessary to back with his guns the military forces operating near Cape Haitien and called his attention to q decree order ing the port of Cape sHaitien in a state of blockade. Commander McCrea communicated the fact of the block ade of Cape Haitien to the foreign consuls there and advised them to make a formal protest, which they did. It then became apparent that the blockade was intellectual, as an Amer ican schooner had come in, reporting no blockade.
 When this fact has been established, Commander McGrea proceeded to Ga gnette, found the Crete-a-Pierrot in that port and sent Admiral Killick a letter, in which he said that the gov ernment of the United States consid- cred the blockade of Cape Haitien not effective even as a de facto blockade and that the United States denied him (Admiral Killickl the right to search, or { visit any American or foreign vessel attempting entrance to the harbor of Cape Haitien. F
 To this cOmmuSAcatio Admiral Kill lick replied that he appreciated the conditions and admitted the ineffi cien- cy of the blockade, which he aban- doned.
 The blockade incident was thus closed, and the Machias sailed Aug. 30 from Gonaives for Boston
 The Crete-a- -Pierrot stopped the Ger man steamer Markomannfa, sent an armed force on board and took posses sion of the war munitions she carried after Commander McCrea had told Admiral Killick that he had no right to visit or search any foreign vessel at tempting to enter Cape Haitien and after the admiral had admitted his blockade to be Intellectual.
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