Omaha daily bee., 1902-12-15
Venezuelan Guns Quickly silsnOed and
Quiet Restored Once More.
SEIZURE OF STEAMER CAUSES RUPTURE
Ultimstum is Presented, but Answer
Comes Too Late.
REPUBLIC STILL EXPECTS INTERVENTION
Leading OmciaI Claims Monroe Doc
trine Must Soon Operate So as 20
stay Further Proceedings by
Britain and Germany.


The British cruiser Charybdis and the Ger |
man cruiser vineta bombarded the fortress |
here at this afternoon and quickly |
silenced 1t. The bom5ardment lasted for |
forty-hve minutes
The fortress is composed OF Fort Soano |
and the Castle Libertador. After the firing |
ceased Charybdis sent marines to occupy |
the castle.
The fortress was almost demolished |
though 1t is probable only a few persons |
were injured. The commander of Castle |
Libertador has been taken prisoner and |
the cruisers remain in port.
At this morning Charybdis and Vineta |
arrived searching for Venezuelan gun
boats. They sent their boats into the |
inner port, which, finding nothing, quickly |
returned. |
The captain Of the British merchant
steamer Topaze which was seized by the |
mob here last Wednesday, then visited
the British commodore on board Charybdls |
and lodged a protest against the violation |
OF his ship. He returned an hour later |
with a detachment OF fifty marines, who |
took charge OF Topaze. The populace was
greatly excited at this incident and raised
the cry "to arms" but there was no dis
order
The British commodore next sent mes
sage to the authorities at Puerto Cabello,
demanding immediate satisfaction for the
action OF the mob in hauling down the
British flag from Topaze, saying that II IT
was not forthcoming in. two hours, at o
o'clock, the fortress and the custom house
would be bombarded.
Answer Arrives Too Late.
The authorities sent a message to Presi-
dent Castro asking for instructions, and
a committee of merchants approached the
American consul hero, petitioning him to
intervene. He accepted the mission and
visited the cruisers, but could obtain no
modification of the ultimatum.
At fifteen minutes to word was received
from President Castro authorizing the chief
officer here to give the British commodore
ample satisfaction, but before this answer
could be communicated to the American
consul rthe hour stipulated for its receipt
had arrived, and the cruisers Immediately
opened Are. ~.
The FIRE was returned from Fort Solano
and Castle Libertador but the Venezuelan
guns we're soon silenced. While the firing
continued there was intense excitement in
this port. Every house in town was closed.
The British marines propose to make use
OF the cannon in Castle Libertador. No
damage was done to the town. The excite
ment of the people is subsiding.
The entrance into the inside harbor at
Puerto Cabelo is through a narrow chan
mel not more than a few hundred feet
wide. To the left. as one enters the har-
Dor, situated on a low sand spit is the
fortress which was bombarded by the Ger
man and British cruisers. II is an old
fashioned structure, which was rebuilt in
The eighteenth century. Its sides are COM
paratively low and would offer but poor
resistance to modern shells. 1t is not prob
able that the Venezuelan government had
any modern cannon there.
The customs house is situated on the
right, or mainland, side OF the channel.
1t is a long. two-story brick building and
contains, besides executive Offices. large
warehouses. Steamers dlscharging at
Puerto cabello tie up Immediately in front
OF the customs house.
The town itself is fat and stretches
from the water front inland to the base
OF the hills. a distance OF two or three
miles.
The outside harbor is hardly more than
large bay. offering comparatively little
protection to shipping. The inside harbor
Is very secure and quite commodious.
Bowen Confirms Report.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 14.-Mr. Bowen this
afternoon cahled the State department that
President Castro had informed him that
British and German warships were bonn
harding Puerto Cabello.
In an earlier dispatch received at S:22 on
Sunday morning Mr.. Bowen said the situa-
tion at the Venezuelan capital, Caracas
was much quieter. The great excitement
At the outset Of the affair was caused by
the preeipitate flight of the British and
German minister's the arrest OF all the
seizure OF the Venezuelan gunboats with
out blockade having been declared, thus
causing the people to fear that lombard
rnent would follow at once
Aside from the dispatches from Mr..
Bowen there were no important develop
ments today in the Venezuelan plans so far
as the State department is concerned. The
officials are watching events with keen in
terest, so as to be able to &C. promptly
should such step become necessary.
Secretary Hay took Mr Bowen's dis
patches over TO the White House and dis
cussed the situation for some time with
the president. but he had nothing to make
public on the subject
In the matter OF the blockade the secre-
tary has instructed the ambassadors at
Berlin and London to represent TO these
governments that the United States must
not be understood as givins its consent to
any extension OF the international right OF
peaceful blockade This representation
was made simply as a precautionary meas
ure in case any development should arise
making the governments position a matter
OF importance
It was confidently hoped that before
this time some answer would have been
received from the German and British gov
ernments 10 President Castro's request for
arbitration. hut up to this time Secretary
Hay has not received any reply.
The visit OF President Castro TO the bed
side OF the invalid wife Of the German
diplomatic representative created a good
impression here, whereas the necessity for
the bombardment OF Puerto Cabello made
an equally unfavOrable one.
Il Is regretted that the commanders Of