The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-01-05
Hubbard sets forth the facts more IN


which took place at Colon and Panama
in the interval between the arrival OF
the Nashville a Colon on the evening
oil November 2, 1903. and the evening
OF November 5, 1868, when by the ar
rival of the U. S. S. Dixie at Colon
was relieved as senior officer by Com
mander f. H. Delano, u. S. Navy.
q At the Tune of the arrival OF the
Nashville at Colon at $50 p. m. or
November everything on the lsthmus
was quiet. There was talk OF proclaim
ing the independence OF Panama, but
no definite action had been taken and
there had been no disturbance or peace
and order. At daylight on the morning
of November it was found that q YES
sci which had come in during the night
was the Colombian gunboat Cartagena
carrying between 400 and 500 troops.
had her boarded and learned that
these troops were for the garrison a:
Panama Tnasmuch as the independent
party had not acted and the Govern
nent OF Colombia was at the time in
undisputed control OF the Province OF
Panama. / did not feel, in the absence
Of any instructions, that | was justified
in preventing the landing oil these
troops. and at $50 o'clock they were
disemharked. The commanding officers.
Generals Amdya and Tobai, with tour
others, Immediately went over 20 Pana-
ma 10 make arrangements for receiving
ana quartering their troops, leaving the
command in charge OF an officer whom
later learned to be Colonel Torres.
The Departments message addressed TO
the care of the United States consul I
ireceived al 1880 a. M: it was delivered
to one Of the ships boats while / was
at the c0nsuls aud not the consul as
addressed. The message was said to
have been received at the cable office
at $50 a. Ia. Immediately on decipher
ing the message | went on shore to see
what arrangements the railroad COMP
any had made for the transportation
of these troops to Panama, and learned
that the company would not transport
them except On request Of the governor
of Panama, and that the project AT
Colon and the officer left in command
of the troops had been notified by the
general superintedent of the Panama
Railroad Company. | remained at the
company's Office until | was sure that
10 action on my part would be needed
to prevent the transportation of the
troops that afternoon, when I returned
On board and cable1 the Department
the situation of affairs. At about $50
.. m. l again went on shore, and re-
ceived notice from the general super
intendent of the railroad that he hal
received the request Tor The Transports
ton OF the troops and that they would
leave on the a. m. train on the fol
low To- oIy 10
the general superintendent, and learned
that it had just been announced that
q provisional government had been es-
tablishcd at Panama-that Generals
Amaya and Tobal, the governor of Pan
ANA, and four officers, who had gone
to Panama in the morning, had been
seized and were held as prisoners; tha7
they had an organized force of i 500
troops and wished the Government
troops in Colon to be sent over This
I declined to permit, and verbally pro-
hibited the general superintendent from
giving transportation to the troops OF
either party
1t being late IN the evening, ! sent
early in the morning OF November j
written notification to the geAe..i sup
erintendent of the Panama Ra, lroaa
to the) project of Colon, and to the
officer lett in command of the Colon
bian troops. later ascertained to be
Colonel Torres, that l had prohibited
the transportation of troops in either
direction, in order to preserve the free
and uninterrupted transit OF the 18TH
mus. Copies OF these letters are here
to appended; also copy OF my notifca
ton to the consul Except to a few
people, nothing was known in Colon
of the proceedings in Panama until the
arrival OF the train at 104S on the
morning of the 4th. Some propositions
were, l was later told, ma 20 Colon~l
Torres by the representatives of the new
Government at Colon. with a view to
inducing him to reembark in the Carta-
gena and return to the port of Carta-
gena, and it was in answer to this prop
osi ton that Colonel Torres made the
threat and took the action reported
in my letter No. SO, of November 5.
1903 The Cartagena left the port just
after the threat was made and / did NOT
deem it expedient to detain her. as such
action would certainly, in the then
state of affairs, have precipitated a
conflict on shore which was not pre-
pared to meet. 1t is my understanding
that she returned to Cartagena. After
the withdrawal of the Colombian troops
OH the evening of November 4, and
the return of the Naehville's force Oh
board, as reported in my letter No. 90,
there was no disturbance or shore,
and the night passed quietly On the
morning Of the 5th l discovered that
The commander OF the Colombian troops
had not withdrawn so far from the
town as he had agreed, but was occu
pying buildings near the outskirts Of
the town. l Immediately inquired into
the matter and learned that he had
some trivial excuse for not carrying OUT
his agreement, and also that it was
his intention to occv7y Colon again
on the arrival OF the alcalde due az
10.45 q. m, unless General Tcbal sent
word by the alcalde that he, Colonel
Torres, should withdraw. That Gener-
al ToSal had dechend to give any such
instructions I was cognizant of, and
the situation at once became quite as
serious as on the day previous. / i'm
mediately landed an armed force, reoc-
cupied the same building; also landed
two l-pounders and mounted them on
platform cars behind protection of cot
ton bales, and then in company with
~ I'll