Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1903-08-18
FROM WASHINGTON.
Correspondence of the Alexandra Gazette
Washington, d. c., August Is.

1COrrespOndence OF the AIeXandrla Oa1eIoe'J
Washington, d. c., August Is.
The United States government will
take possession of the protected cruiser
Chattanooga and the torpedo boats
O'Brien and Nicholson, being built by
the United States Shipbuilding Corpora
ton. by process of law. Acting Secre-
tary of the Navy Darling has given or
ders that the contracts with this com
pany for the construction Of these YES
sells be cancelled, owing to the fact that
no work has been done on any OF them
for several months, and because 1t APP
pears to the government that the United
States Shipbuilding Company is rot in a
condition which would indicate that 1t
would at any time in the near future be
able to continue the work on the vessels
as required by the contracts. The Bah
cock and Wilcox Boiler Company has
attached the Chattanooga for debt and
has threatened to sell the vessel on
the goth of September. This action
will now, however, be prevented by
the revocation by the Navy Department
of the contract for her construction.
Under the law it will be possible for the
federal government to take possession Of
the Chattanooga, O'Brien and Nicholson
by the filing of a writ of stipulation in
the New Jersey district court which will
also allow the concerns having claims
AGAINST the United States Shipbuilding
Company for work or material used IN
the building of the vessels, to sue the
United States government for the amount
of such claims. The District Attorney
for the federal government in New Jer.
sey will file the right Of stipulation i'm
mediately and the three vessels will De
completed probably at one of the gov
eminent navy yard not yetselected. The
Chattanooga is now IS per cent. com
pleted aud the OBrien and Nicholson
are over 90 per cent finished.
United States Charge d'Affairs Riddel
at St Petersburg cables the State Depart
ment that the following have been APP
D pinted as arbitrators for the settlement
of Russia's claims against Venezuela:
MouravieiI, Russian Minister of Justice;
Swiss Minister Lardy at Paris, and Prof
Matzen of Copenhagen University.
Additional details J, s-rding the re-
lection of the Panama cana. treaty by
the Colombian Congress are lacking.
Neither the State Department nor Mr.
Herran. the Colombian Charge DAT
flares have received any dispatches from
Bogota or from the isthmus Of Panama
this morning. Mr.. Herran is still I'M
able to understand the reasons which
induced the Colombian Senate to take
this action. In some quarters it is be-
lieved that the action of the American
government in sending instructions TO
u. 5. Minister Beaupre to inform Co
lumbia that no amendments TO the
treaty would be accepted by this coun-
try. made delicate situation worse and
probably had much to do with the
final rejection. 1t is possible that the
language of this communication or the
manner in which it was presented may
have offended the Colombian solous
and been regarded as an interference in
local affairs If the Colombian govern
ment had sent such dispatch here
when Senator Morgan was fighting the
treaty in the U. S. Senate it is probable
that it would have been so regarded
here. The news from Colon and
Panama is being watched with keen In
terest because it is believed that a seces-
sion movement will be started there as
result of the the action of the Bogota
Congress.
The claim of the Salvador Commercial
Company against the government OF Sal
yador which threatened at one time to
cause serious trouble between the United
States and that little Central American
republic has at last been amicably adj
iusted. At an early hour this morning
representatives of the company and of
the Salvadorean government signed
documents which settle the claim IN
manner satisfactory TO both sides. The
original claim was for about 81 600, 900
and grew out of the arbitrary cancella-
ton of concession held by the company,
which is an American organization.
Arbitration was finally suggested and
agreed to and the Hay-Zalvadorprotocol
was signed. Under this instrument Don
Dickinson, representing this country !;
Sir Henry Strong the chief justice OF
Canada, and DR.. Pacas, representing sal
..ol.~ mara aolacfa1 ac arbitrQfOrS