The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-11-02
Yesterdays Grea' War Scare Was
 All for NOught
NO DANGER OF FRICTION NOW
Negotiations Looking to Settlement of Difficulty Are Progressing Favor. ably and the Whole Thing
 Will Be Adjusted.

London, November 2.-Negotations be- tween Great Britain and Russia looking to settlement of the North sea affair are progressing favorably, and there is not the slightest danger of any friction arising between the two governments. The constitution of the international commis- sion under The Hague convention Is on the verge of settlement
 In spite of these pacific conditions Great Britain today experienced a war panic that only can be compared to the panic | created on Sunday, October g, when the | news of the sinking of the trawlers in the North sea was received. Not for years have So many alarmist rumors and fam ing extras flooded London. The most ex- traordinary feature of this scare which was serious while it lasted is that there was not one single circumstance to jus tify 1t.
 The excitement started early in the day when the newspapers announced the de- parture of the Russian Baltic squadron from Vigo. The public was not in posses sion of the information cabled by the As soeiated Press to the United States that only the officers concerned in the firing on the British trawlers would be detached, and jumped at the conclusion that Rus sla had broken faith by not detainng the vessels involved in the affair." On top of this came the wild report of tremendous activity at Gibraltar. Hour by hour the rews from Gibraltar became more serious, until at last the climax was reached with the announcement that the British fleet had cleared for action. Some even said that the fleet had sailed to meet Rojest- vensky's squadron. In huge type the pa pers made the parallel statements. The
 British Fleet Has Cleared for Action'-
 ''The Russian Fleet Has Sailed" No One Able to Explain.
 No newspaper and no person seemed
 able to explain these events. The re-
 assuring information available in the
 United States that the sailing of the
 Baltic squadron from Vigo was with the
 knowledge of and agreeable to the Brit
 ish government. was not even hinted
 at by the newspapers.
 The news from Gibraltar became more
 and more alarming. and finally the for
 eign office was overrun with reporters
 some of whom brought the rumor that
 Admiral Beresford had already sunk the
 remnant of the Admiral Roiestvensky fleet. Ambassador Benkendorff at that
 moment was quietly discussing with For eign Minister Lansdowne the personnel
 of the international commission, but 1t , was also rumored that he was receiving 1 an utimatum. Premier Balfour, Sir John 2 Fisher, commander in chief at Ports mouth Lord Selbourne, first lord of the f admiralty, and Prince Louis of Eaten f berg, director of naval intelligence, were l all In conference, and 1t was openly hint ed that they were planning the f1rst F stroke of war. As a matter of fact ike Lord Lansdowne, they were engaged in 2 considering names that had been suggest
 eu for the international commission.
 When all London was in this state of
 mind and when anybody who might be
 supposed to know Gnything was being
 constantly asked ha1 war been declar-
 ed?" the foreign office decided to adopt course most unusual for It. and in
 order to allay public excitement gave , out to the press a statement covering tho arrangements to detach the Russian of , ficers to remain for the court of inquiry. I and all other steps taken.
 . Thought Rojestvensky Doomed. Although it contained nothing that had not been published in the United States ! some hours earlier in the Associated Press dispatches from St. Petersburg and
 London, it served to inform the people o here of the exact situation. The general public however, went to bed tonight firm . in the conviction that 1t would wake uI F to hear that Admiral Rojestvensky was al l the bottom of the sea.
 Today's furore would be ludicrous ex. cept for the striking instance it has af
 forded to the willingness of the British
 public to believe that almost any devel
 opment is possible after the North ses
 affair and for the enthusiasm produced by Gibraltars war-like news. The for
 eign office Is intensely irritated at the
 construction placed upon what they de- < clare must have been mere fleet and
 garrison exercises.
 The Associated Press is authorized to state that no orders have been given the huge fleet now concentrated at Gibraltar 8 to make any preparation in connection d with the departure of Admiral RoJest- n vensky's squadron. Some annoyance was |, caused in Downing street earlier Tn the " day by the announcement of the sailing Il of the fleet coming from the British con
 sul at Vigo before the Russian govern d ment officially informed the British gov l. ernment that the officers whose testimony
 is desired had been detached.
 'r Ambassador Benkendorff soon made r, | annends for this omission. while Ambas- II eador Hardinge confirmed the news from n st. Petersburg. Both the Russian embassy = l and the foreign office affairm that the Ia negotiations today were entirely confined "a to the selection of the international com s mission to which no hitch has occurred. o Benkendorff Is Amazed.
 l. Count Benkendorff, who twice saw Lord - I,ansdowne in addition to visiting King | Edward at Buckingham palace. was per-
 fectly amazed to see flaming war posters
 as he drove back from his later visit to f the foreign office. In his two conversa-
 tions with the British foreign minister ! the question of the sailing of the Baltic l squadron had not even been raised except z when the ambassador informed Lord { | Lansdowne that four officers had been de- 1 | tached. the news of which had already unofficially reached Lord Lansdowne
 through the Associated Press St. Peters
 burg dispatches
 : It is said that at the cabinet meeting I tomorrow a decision will be reached as g to the date, place of meeting and person l nel of the commission.