Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-11-04
REIMBURSEMENT
Independence of the Isthmus Is
 Proclaimed.
NIGHT COUNCIL IN WASHINGTON

United States War Ships Ordered to
 Scene of Action to Protect Our In-
 terests-Revolution Caused by Fall
 ure of Colombia to Ratlfy Treaty.
 Washington, Nov. Sensational ad- vices were received here last night from the isthmus of Panama to the ef- feet that revolution was in progress and that Independence had been pro claimed.
 President Roosevelt at 9 o'clock sent for Secretary Hay, Acting Secretary of the Navy Darling, Assistant Secretary of State Loomis and Rear Admiral Tay- Tor, chief of the bureau of navigation, to come to the White House, where after conference lasting nearly two hours orders were dispatched to the Dixie and the Atlanta on the Atl~I'tic side and to the Boston on the Ia .lic coast to proceed with all possible speed to the isthmian waters to aid the Nash vile in protecting American interests and maintaining free transit across the isthmus in accordance with the treaty of 1S46.
 War Ships Ordered to Be Ready.
 Orders also were sent to Rear Admi-1 ral Glass, commanding the Pacific. squadron, consisting of the Concord, Marblehead and Wyoming, at Acapulco to coal immediately and hold itself in readiness to proceed on a moments no- tiee to Panama. When the Baltimore reaches Santo Domingo orders will be cabled her to go to the isthmus if the situation demands her presence.
 The rejection of the Panama canal treaty is generally supposed to be the moving cause of the revolution, but no official information on this subject was obtainable.
 After the conference the statement was authorized that the sole purpose of tIie dispatch of the vessels was the pro- tection of American interests and the maintenance of open transit on the isth- mus. The most explicit instructions are being cabled to the American consuls at Panama and Colon and to the com mander of the Dixie, who will be in charge of the vessels on the Atlantic side, to direct all their movements with this end in view.
 The further statement was authorized that the state department regards the situation as serious, but that the arrival of the Nashville and the immediate dis patch of the other vessels insures the protection of American interests.
 Herran Not Surprised.
 Dr. Tomas Herran, the Colombian charge, received his first information of the revolution at Panama from the press dIspatches. He was much inter ested, but not surprised, as he has been aware for some time of the des- perate feeling of the people on the isthmus and had gone so far as to warn his government that some such occurrence was likely to take place. pr. Herran expects to get information from his government very soon, as, in his judgment, the revolution will not interrupt cable communication with Bogota. According to his estimate there are less than 1000 government troops in the state of Panama at the present time; but, according to his latest in. formation, there are three Colombian government war ships on the Pacific side of the isthmus and three or four on the Atlantic side.
 The state of Panama has popula. ton of about 250,OOO people, and it is declared is really the poorest portion of the republic.