The sun., 1903-12-25
6ooWRE MARINES TO PANAMA.
NAVH DEPARTMENT DECIDES TO
SIND THEM ON THE DIME.
Brit Gen. Elliott TO Go and Take Command
'of the whole Isthmian FOrce-Panama
Has Established OutpOsts to watch for
Any Colombian Invasion by Land.

| WASHINGTON, Dec. 24.-Secretary of the
| tavy Moody to-day determined definitely
10 send additional battalions OF marines to
Ithe Isthmus. These troops. numbering 800
men, will sail on the Dixie, which Is
taking stores aboard at League Island, and
will probably be ready to sail on Monday.
Brig Gen. Elliott, commandant OF the
Marine Corps, will accompany the expe-
dition, and upon his arrival at Colon will
assume command of the marine forces on the
Isthmus. His staff will consist of Capt,
Leonard, who lost an arm In the Pekin
campaign, and Lieut.. Evans, who was
with Cen Elliott in the Philippines; aides,
Major Radford, Chief Quarterlnastrr. and
Capts. Matthews and Powell. Quarter
masters.
The battalions will be commanded by
Lieut. Coils. Biddle and Waller and Majors
Mahoney and Cole. The other officers to
go on the Dixie are Capts A. S. Williams
and G. H. Lyman. Regimental Adiutants:
First Lieuts f.. B. Miller and Mccormick,
Battalion Adjutants; Capts. Reid, Bootes,
Hopkins, jolly, c. c. Carpenter and Wal
lace, and Second Lieuts. Wills. Smith. Kill
gore, Merriam, Yates and Hamilton
The cruiser Olympia. flagship of Rear
Admiral Coghlan, has been ordered to
Cartagena to get Minister Beauprt, who
ia returning to the United States from
Colombia on leave Of absence,
Mail reports from Rear Admlrals Glass
and Coghlan. who are respectively at Pan
anna and Colon, were received by the Navy
Department to-day. Under date Of Dec.
II Admiral Glass reported as follows:
Since my last report by letter. dated the
lat inst; perfect quiet has existed in Al parts
fNf ,ltp nf
Atty men at Noel de santa Maria. on the
the he Colombian frontier; also post at Chepo
ON the ,Chepo River,
on the sth inst the Boston pSroc;esd[ed to
to Moai de Santa Maria and Yavin9 TO com
municate with the inhabitants ana Inyesu-
by Colombian forces and to obi ain inforna =
ton as to the practicabty OF such an in
vaslHn The Boston 5ntnrGea s n to hn ,S nGr
visited and no know ledge OF any movements
Of Colombian troops. The informatl9n 1.. ob:
made to me that while an Invasion is possible.
the progress Of any considerable force must
necessarily nee be very slow as ROADS 'hrongs rS ss
facilities for transporting large bodies OF men
by the rivers are Inadequate.
u, maHd '', an ,"sb tbe west ronst of pannma to
communicate with the local authorities and
to obtain information as to the condition OF
affairs in that neighborhoOd. The COM
mandng officer of the Concord reports having
been received by the local authorities in a
the Canal treaty and other acts OF the Panalna
Government were fully approved at Il ratilca-
tion meeting.
Until the 10th inst the vessels OF the Carih-
bean squadron effectively patrolled the north
coast OF Panama to Cape Tiburon, but having
learned of the reported landing of body Of
Colombian troops on, the Colombian coast
somewhere between Cape Tiburon and the
Atrate River. j directed that the patrol be
extended to the mouth Of the Atrate and
somewhat to the eastward. for the purpose
of verifying the reports Of the movements :
OF the Colombian troops. Up to the present
time no very definite news from that quarter
has been received. Reports have been very,
conflicting. but after carefully sitting them
gunboats Pinzon and Cartegena landed
about 500 men at or in the vicinity OF Acantl
have directed the marine battalion from
the Dixie to 90 into comp at Umpire, on i tho
position is at high elevation. has a number
Of buildings available for quarters and \
being taken as to sanitary conditions
Admiral Coghlan, in report dated Dec.
Is, had this to say:
The Atlanta arrived here the 18th from
San Bias She found trail by which small
parties can go from San Bias to Colon. She
neither heard nor saw anything OF any Co
lomban troops having been down IN that
vicinity She was at Port Gandi on the 9th
with the natives. but obtained no inform alton
NJ any yessel or troaf,s hn wing visited there.