Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-12-09
Four Days Lost Trying to Get
Heavily Laden Transport
Out of Mud.
OFF FOR NICARAGUA TO-DAY
Washington Orders -Four Mod
ern Warships Prepared for
Sailing Further Details
of Execution.

tho auxiliary cruiser Prairie last Thurs
dsy for central America but who got
! no further than Pea Patch island In the
| Delaware river where the heavily laden
! transport stuck in the mud flats. were
transferred to-day to the auxiliary cruis-
| or Dixie AMI will start anew tomorrow
| for Colon.
| Two more win attempts were made to-
day 10 free tho Prairie. Lighters had re-
moved more than 500 tons Of coal. all of
| the $4,000 rounds of ammunition and
| other stores but the warship would not
bulge for n,l OF tho half dozen tugs
which pulled on her.
! Orders from Washington that four Of
the modern warships now a. the yard
! be prepared for immediate sailing. caused
great activity to-day at the Philadelphia
navy yard. Tho new battleship Michigan
has been ordered put into commission and
is TO sail for Hampton ds next Thurs
day Another big battleship. tho Idaho
is also being prepared TO sail at Il NOM
ont but her destination Is being kept sec
ret The new ar,noreG cruiser Columbia
has been ordered to the Brooklyn navy
yard where she will he converted into a
transport and will be held In readiness 10
convey additional marines to Central
America II necessary.
AMERICANS ASHES DEFILED.
New Orleans Dec. 5-The Timcs- Dem
ocrat to-day said: Confirmation OF the
cremation Of the bodies Of the two Amer
leans. Groce and Cannon. by Presiden,
Zolaya's forces was received here yester-
day in private ltters to Nicaraguan fam
lilies.
The letters say the execution took place
on the banks of the San Juan river with
in sight of FL Castillo. the bodies being
burned and it it is charged some Of tho
soldiers spat on them.
1t is claimed some one ordered that the
ashes he swept along the public road
with the dust and other filth and finally
into the San Juan river. This was con-
sidered the greatest indignity which could
ho lcaped upon the Americans. and &C.
corling to the letters it was do:e in the
chest manner
JrNTA HARD AT WORK.
Washington, Dec 1.-The Central Ameri
can junta, composed Of diplomats and
patriots from the FIVE turbulent littlt
republics on the neck of land between
Yucatan and South America, Il one OF
the latest acquisitions Of the capital life
and Is holding daily and nightly session.
in the cafe of leading MOTEL at which
the policies of the Central American
States are threshed out. The junta il
the clearing house for all the information
that leaks out from revolution-torn Mica.
ragua while the diplomats have framed
up a half dozen new Arguments OF the
five republics each with a view TO the
equitable distribution Of the balance OF
power
Among the members of the iunta are
the ministers from Salvador, Costa RIGA
Guatemala, Honduras and i-uis +. Corea
former minister from Nicaragua and q
score of attaches from the various Latin.
American legations.
| Debates are carried on in Spanish and
in low tones. While none except the for.
mer representative OF the Nicaraguau
government is disappointed at the action
OF the United States in aiding the move
ment to overthrow President Zelaya. al
would like to know how far this govern
ment is prepared to go in its work oil
, policing and regulating the affairs OF
Central America.
| Secretary KnoXs letter to Zelaya has
been read and reread by these diplomats
Nuntil practically every member OF the
| iunta has il committed to memory
Around the guarded expressions Of the
letter, which are few In number, the de.
bate in the junta has ragged each menlbe,
entertaining a different view OF the state
departments implied intentions.
! DECISIVE RATTLE IMMINENT.
| President Taft tonight called Sec
rotary OF state Knox into consultation
at tho White House, and the repor,
| spread that the topic under discussion
was the matter OF sending TO Con-
Eress n singing special message on
The imbroglio with Nicaragua. Neither
the President nor Mr.. Knox would sa,
anything of their conference 1t Is
rcgs rded as likely, however that the
Nicaraguan matter was uppermost
ANA II is also minated that the dis
cussion took the form Of outlining a
policy which VIII cover the whole
central American country.
The state department received ne
Nicoraguan advioes to-day. according
to statement made late this evening
The navy department likewise was
without fresh information.
Senior Salvador Castrillo, the repre-
sentative here Of the insurrectionar ~
forces under General Estrada, the
President Of tho provisional govern
ment, received message Tonight
that General Estrada has left Blue
fields and has taken the field. a de.
cisive battle. the dispatch continued
is imminent In the vicinity Of Rama
II is believed this night may determin.
the war.