The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-12-07

1 ulefS had threatened to attack Colon and 1 kill all Americans was made known by l Senor Melendez at about half-past F on 1 Wednesday. The Nashville was at once signaled that the presence of Captain 1 Hubbard was needed on shore. Fifteen minutes later he landed al the small l boat wharf and the situation was explain l ed to him His plans were formed at l once. No time was to be lost. for seri- ous fighting could be expected in an hour. The landing force at Captain Hubbard's 1 command woefnlly small, but he did l not hesitate to face a desperate chance. l Forty men and two one-pounder guns l from the Nashville, as big force as possibly could be spared, were landed 1 and sent to the freight house of the Pan- anna railroad. This force was in command 1 or Lieutenant Commander Witzel. All | the entrances to the freight house were l fortified with bales of cotton and other 1 available merchandise. One gun was mounted to command the approach at the rear of the building. while the other was set up on a flat car at the main en- l trance in front to command that side, l and in readiness to be run down the rail- 1 road track and give range up the side streets crossing the track All this was done by o'clock or in little more 1 than an hour from the time Captain Hub 1 bard first came ashore.
 Every Precautlon Taken.
 
 meet the threatened attack of the Co., lombians and to protect American lives and property. Women and children were sent on board steamers in the harbor. But the Co1ombians did not carry out their threat They could be seen in small parties moving about the streets, but the majority of them stayed in their barracks.
 It was agreed between Captain Hub bard and Go1onaI night that each withdraw his troops until morning, consequently the Americans and their two guns went back to the Nashville. The Colombians should all have returned to point about mile and half outside Colon; some of them did so, but the majority remained in their barracks in Colon all night.
 A few words describing the theatre of the events of Wednesday and Thursday are necessary. The place where small boatT and launches dock at Colon is a wooden landing about 250 feet long, run ming parallel to the beach line. Here all troops are disembarked There is an open space shoreward from this landing as big, perhaps as city block.
 Royal Mail Steamer Pier.
 At the eastern end of the landing the pier of the Royal Mail Steamship com pany, a partially covered wooden affair, runs out into the harbor. At the eastern end of the clearing and on straight line with the pier of the English Steamship company, is the front of the Panama railroad freight house. a well built stone l structure of two stories with a frontage 1 of about 100 feet. Crossing the south or | land side of the clearing is the main street 1 of Colon and the railroad tracks running out of the freight house to the west; parallel to the beach line. The shore end of the Royal Mail pier joins the land 50 l fact s.F flax nrl f1.O freight house and the tall picket gates to l the pier form right angle with the fa- l cade of this building It is only thirty l steps from the center entrance of the freight house to the gates of the pier. Early Thursday the 40 men and the two
 guns from the Nashville again came ashore and took up thir positions of the l day before Major William Black and l Lieutenant Brooks, of the United States engineer corps, had meanwhile come in l from the Culebra Cut and offered their 1 services in the defense of Colon ,and a. score of Americans, residents of Colon. 1 also had joined the defenders. They were
 armed with rifles from the Nashville.
 Negotiations Continued.
 Thursday morning was spent by Senor | Melendez in further negotiations with Col
 onel Torres, The former employed the
 arguments of reason and of common
 sense, and finally the argument of gold, | and to this the Colombian colonel suc-
 cumbed. For ss0O0 gold Colonel Torres | promised to embark the troops on board
 the Royal Mail steamer Orinoco, then in
 port. and be Transported to Savanilla.
 This sum was to be paid when the troops
 were on board the Orinoco. The soldiers demurred at this arrangement, but Torres l found way to make them accept it and 1 at o'clock Thursday afternoon they 1 obeyed his orders and began to move T ,tx. of Colon in small squads of 20 to 30 men, crossing the clearing in front of the freight house where the handful of Amer jeans were gathered behind their guns and the cotton bales, and then on to the Royal Mail pier where the Orinoco was moored. As they passed they looked curiously and sulleny at the Americans. Some of the older of the Colombians seemed to have realization of the significance of this move and to see in 1t the downfall Of Colombia on. the isthmus. Others were apparently indifferent to what they did or where they went; but the threatening and warllke attitude of the vigilant Am ericans showed all that something was wrong. and the watchful presence of these | silent Americans made them all suncom- fortable.
 Melendez Makes Payment.
 The payment to Torres of the sS0O0 was | made by Melendez in a house on the | main street out of sight of the pier. Mel endez supposed the soldiers were on board the Ornoco when he turned over the | money. but he was mistaken; they had not embarked and were still on the pier. Torres returned to his men with the money. The soldiers at once emphatical- ly refused to board the steamer unless their two generals went with them and 1 they clamored for their leaders This | sudden development called for decisive action on the part of the Americans in