The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-12-19

ed down the British flag, saying il
this satisfaction was not Forthcoming
in two hours at 5 o'clock the fortress
and custom house would be lombard
ed, the authorities sent a message tc
President Castro asking for instruc
lions. M ~
A committee of the merchants OF
Puerto Cabello then approached the
American consul here ,petitioning him
to intervene. The consul accepted this
mission and visited the cruisers, but
he could obtain no alteration in the
| decision of the allies.
At a quarter before 5 o'clock a reply
was received from President Castro
who authorized the chief official here
to give the British commodore ample
satisfaction. Before this answer
could be communicated to the Ameri'
can consul the hour stipulated for the
reply arrived. The cruisers imme'
diately opened fire on the fortress.
The fire was returned from Fort
Solano and Castle L%ibertador, but the
Venezuelan guns were soon silenced.
While the firing continued there was
intense excitement in this port. Ev'
cry house in town was closed. Eve.
The people of Puerto Cabello cannot
account for this precipitate action on
the part of the allies, which they con
slider to be proof that Great Britain
and German intend forcing war upon
Venezuela. The British marines pro
pose to make use of the cannon in
Castle Libertador. No damage was
done to the town. The excitement OF
the people is subsiding.
Fortress Was Not Modern.
The entrance to the inside harbo1
and Puerto Cabello is through a mar
row channel, not more than a few
hundred feet wide. To the left of this
channel as one enters the harbor, sit
uated on a low sand spit, is the fort
ress which was bombarded by the
German and British cruisers. It is an
old-fashioned structure which was
built in the eighteenth century. Its
sides are comparatively low and would
offer but poor resistance to modern
sheels. It is not probable than the
Venezuelan government had any mod
ern cannon there.
The custom house at Puerto Cabellc
is situated on the right, or mainland
side of the channel. 1t is a long, two
story brick building and contains, be
sides executive offices, large ware
houses. Steamers discharging at
Puerto Cabello tie up Immediately in
front of the custom house. The town
itself is fiat and stretches from the
water front inland to the base of the
hills, a distance of two or three miles
The outside harbor at Puerto Cabel
10 is hardly more than a large bay, of
fering comparatively little protection
to shipping.
The inside harbor is very secure anc
quite commodious.
The Delayed Answer.
ITO the Commodores of the Char
| ybdis and Vineta:
1--WE have the honor to reply tc
| your message through a commission
composed of the American, Italian
and Dominican consuls. The author
tiles at this port did not countenance
the lowering of the British flag or
the steamer Topaz, which act was
perpetrated only by the populace.
"On account of the events at La
Guayra imprisonments were, made or
superior orders. The Germans and
English here enjoy full guarantees
Here follows the signatures of the
| authorities.
This answer was delivered to the
Italian consul at 5 o'clock in the after
noon and he was making signals when
the bombardment began.
A German resident and two servants
at San Estoban, three miles from
Puerto Cabello were killed in the
Smelling of the fort.
ITALY WILL DEMAND PAYMENT