The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-09-08
WITH THIRTY SHOTS
GERMAN GUNBOAT SENT FIRMINIsT
GUNBOAT TO THE BOTTOM.
SURRENDER WAS DEMANDED.
FIRMINIsT TOOK OFF HIS CREW
AND FIRED HIS SHIP.

of the Haytian Boat Asked Fifteen
crew and Surrender His vessel
As His Men Were Leaving the Ship
Was Fired-PRnther Sent the Hay
tian Boat to the bottom.
Port-au-Prince, Hayti, Sept. THE
German gunboat Panther arrived here
Sept. 5, and received instructions from
the German government to capture the
Firminist gunboat Crete-a- Periot.
She left Immediately of Gonaives, the
seat of the Feminist government. The
Panther found the Crete-a-Periot in
the harbor of Gonaives, and the COM
mander of the German gunboat in
formed Admiral Killick, on the Crete
a-Periot, that he must remove bis crew
and surrender his vesesl in five min
utes' time.
Admiral Killick 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-Periot should be
abandoned when her crew left her.
The crew of the Crete-a-Periot 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
We're to take possession of the Firmin-
ist gunboat. When these men had ar
rived at a point about thirty yards
from the Crete-a-Periot, flames were
seen to break out on board of her. She
had been fired by her crew before they
left her. The Panther then fired on the
Crete-a-Periot until she was complete
ly immersed. Thirty shots, all told,
were fired.
There is much feeling here against
the Firminists, and their cause is con-
sidered to be abad one. Soldiers are
leaving here to attack st. Marc. Port
au-Prince is calm.
Strength of the GunbOat
The -Pierrot was a steel YES
sci of $50 tons displacement. She was
armed with one 6.2-inch gun; one Al
inch, four 3.9-inch. two Maxim ma
cline guns and four Nordenfeld ma
chine guns. The Crete-a- Pierrot was
formerly in the service of the Haytian
fleet.
On June 81 of this year Admiral Kill
lick disembarked troops from the
Crete-a-Pierrot to support Gen. Fir
min, one of the candidates for tine
presidency of the republic, and, after
refusing to recognize the constituted
authorities, he threatened to lombard
Cape Haytian. The consular corps
protested against such action being
taken, but their efforts failed of sue
cess, for a few days later the admiral
did lombard Cape Haytian, although
little damage was done by the Crete-a
Pierrot's fire. Since June q the Crete
a-Pierrot has been operating in the
interests of Gen. Firmin.
The Haytian government disavowed
the action of Admiral Killick in bonn
harding Cape Haytien and ordered his
arrest.
The Panther is a steel cruising vessel
of 977 tons. She was built at Danzig
in 1901, and is 206 feet long. She is
armed with eight 4-inch quick firing
guns and two machine guns. The
Panther left Germany July 20 for the
Caribbean Sea. Capt. Scheder, the
newly-appointed German commodore of
the American station, had an audience
with Emperor William to receive spe-
cial instructions before starting for his
post on the Panther.
Panther New Boat.
The present revolution in Hayti
started in the month of April of this
year, and Gen. Tiresias Simon Sam,
president of the Haytien republic, re-
signed his office and left the island in
May. For the last two months Ameri-
can interests in Hayti have been look
ed after by the United States gunboat
Machias, Commander McCrea. 1t re-
tIxr e-f.y
European nations had consigned the
protection of their interests in Hayti
wholly to the United States naval
force in Haytian waters. The Machias
sailed Aug. 80 from Gonaives for Bos-
ton.
The Crete-a-P ierrot stopped the Ger
man steamer Markomannia, sent an
armed force on board and took pos
session of the war munitions she car
ried after Commander McCrea had told
Admiral Killicx that he had no right
to visit or search any foreign vessel
attempting to enter Cape Haytien, and
the admiral admitted his blockade to
be Intellectual.
Three Trying to Be President.
There are three candidates for the
presidency, Calisthenes Fouchard,
Seneque Monplais Pierre and M. Fir
and in some cases successful in their
engagements with the forces under
command of Gen. Alexis Nord, minis
ter of war under the provisional gov
eminent.
NJ. Firmin is considered by many
people to have the best chance of gain
ing the presidency In 1889 he was
minister of finance and foreign affairs
in the cabinet of President Hyppolite,
and under President Sam, in 1897, M.
Firmn was minister of finance and
foreign affairs, and in 1900 was minis
ter of Hayti to France, where he was
decorated with the ribbon of the Lee
gion of Honor.
The German gunboat Panther arrived
at Port-au- Prince, Sept. 5. 1t was an
nounced from Cape Haytien on Sept
3 that the German steamer Markoman-
MIA. Capt. Nansen, belonging to the
Hamburg American Packet Company
having on board arms and ammunition
sent by the provisional government to
Cape Hayden, had been stopped Sept
z by the Firminist gunboat crete-a-
Perlot, az the entrance 10 the harber
Of Cape Hayden, and that an armed
force sent on board the steamer from
the glnbOat took possession Of the war
munitions, in spite o fthe prOtestatiOns
II Capt. Nansen and the German con-
sui
The seizure Of the Markomsnnia has
been characterized 50 an act Of piracy.
Spt Dispatch from Berlin 70 the As