Omaha daily bee., 1903-01-24

pectedIy attacked BY Fort San Carlos.
which opened a heavy FIRE. To this Panther
replied and a cannOnade was exchanged /
for half an hour. Owing to the difficulties
Of navigation Panther then deslsted.
In order to exact an immediate punish 1
ment for this attack. the more so as the
Venezuelan government proclaimed II a ,
victory, ! bombarded the fort with Nineta
on the 2lst Inst. and destroyed II.
The Foreign Office has not received any
representations from Secretary Hay rela-
tive to the bombardment.
ReichstaR Discusses Battles.
In the Reichstag Foreign Secretary Won
Richthofen expressed the hope that the
Venezuelan difficulties would soon be set
tied. He said:
THE negotiations at Washington. il is
hoped. will show en- carly result. rendering
It possible to raise the blockade. So long
as the blockade exists, however. respect
for IT must be enforced. The action against
Marscaibo was undertaken for this pur-
pose
1T has been said" continued the for
eign secretary, that we went into this
AFFAIR 'dashingly. with drums aDd trum-
pets Dashlngly, | admit. from the mo-
ment when we appealed to arms. But with
drums and trumpets' cannot admit. On
the contrary, We went to the extreme limit
OF patience and ong-sufering.
The Venezuelan government not only
refused TO settle the debts contracted with
Germans, as is generally admitted. but at
the same time committed brutal acts Of
violence against Germans and German
property.
1--WE made complaint Of these matt ers I
through diplomatic channels. but did not
succeed in making progress on this basis.
In one memorandum communicated to us
through a note, Venezuela characterized
our intended course in the affair as in
sulting, inadmissible, outrageous and ple-
posterous.
I'VE made proposals to settle the con-
t~roversy by arbitration as early as July.
1901, at a time when, by way Of excep-
ton, no civil war prevailed in Venezuela,
and the president was perfectly able to
satisfy our claims"
Reasons for the BOmbardment.
The correspondent of the Associated
Press has received written replies from the
chief Of the foreign office to these ques-
lions:
First. Why did the ships lombard Fort
A~nswer-omcial news regarding the PAN
Tiers reasons for forcing the entrance of
the lagoon of Maracaibo has not yet been
received. So far as the situation can be
understood from here the seizure of the
lagoon was necessary to an effective block
ade Of the harbor of Maracaibo. Otherwise
1t would have been possible 20 convey all
sorts of merchandise over the adjacent
Colombian frontier. particularly arms and
ammunition, across the lagoon to Mara
caibo. and thence inland. thus rendering
the blockade completely futile. Appar-
emily Fort San Carlos tried to prevent the
entrance of the Panther into the lagoon,
and It must have been. therefore, neces-
sary to silence Il.
second. Why did the German ships alone
take part in the bombardment?
Answer-The fact that only German ships
took part in the bombardment Is obviously
explained. Maracaibo harbor lies in the
western part of the coast line, which was
being blockaded by the German forces.
Third. When will the blockade he raised?
Answer-No decision has yet been reached
by the. interested powers as TO when the
blockade of the Venezuelan coast shall be
raised.
Venezuela Claims Position.
MARACAIBo, Jan. 23.-At 2 p. m. today
Fort San Carlos was in the possession Of
the government forces and the lombard
ment by the German warships was still
going on.
There has been no material change in the
situation. The gunboat Panther was the
only vessel to come inside the bar.
German Report Confirmed.
LONDON. Jan. 2l.-In a dispatch from
Willemstad, Curacao, the Daily Mail says;
"On Wednesday the German gunboat Pan
Their, which was insecurity anchored off
San Carlos. moved in close TO the Castillo
battery, which fired one shot as a warning.
Panther disregarded the hint. Another
shot was fired from the Castillo battery.
Thereupon Panther opened fire and con-
tinued the cannonade for half an hour.
when it retired. Vineta Immediately began
a heavy bombardment of the fort, seriously
damaging It and the houses in the vicinity"
Captured ship Visits La Guayra.
LA GUAYRA, Jan. 2s.-The former vene-
zuelan gunboat Restaurador, now in the
possession OF the Germans, arrived here at
2 this afternoon frCm Puerto Cabello and
anchored near the shore. It's presence
caused great popular indignation. 1t 3
several rife shots were heard in the dis
lance. Shortly afterward Restaurador left
its anchorage and moved TO a position out
side the harbor under the protection Of the
British cruiser Tribune.
Caracas Denies RumOr.
CARACAS, Venezuela, Jan. 23.-1O a. n
Up to this hour no news has been re-
ceived here tending TO confirm the report
that the German warship Panther had en-
tered Lake Maracaibo and that the Vene-
zueland cruiser Miranda had surrendered
10 II. Tue IumoI 10 uelltNtu 10 oe Will
out foundation.
Irritation Felt AZ Washington.
WASHINGTON. Jan. 23.-Notwithstand-
ing the irritation felt in government circles
at what is regarded as the purely needless
and revengeful bombardment of the Ven
ezuelan forts by the German warships, the
conclusion is hat this incident will not
prevent Mr.. Bowen from successfully car
rying out his mission of peace.
The utterances of Count Won Buelow in
the Reichsag yesterday are regarded here
as conveying the intimation that the Ger
man warships are acting by direct orders
from their government, for the purpose OF
avenging themselves for the repulse Of
Panther In its first attack upon these forts
However this may be. the United States
government cannot at this moment see any
proper excuse for entering into this guar,
rel beween Germany and Venezuela.
1t is again, and emphatically, stated that
when the United States exercised its good
ofhces to the extent OF bringing the allies
0 and the Venezuelan government into ne
Q gotiations II exhausted it's proper func-
! tions in that direction and could do nc
0 more.
Q Mr.. Bowen is again declared 10 be moi