The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-18
FIGHTING AHEAD
FOR NICARAGUA
Steamer Arrives at New Or
leans With Late News
A VESSEL rs CAPTURED
A Norwegian Steamer Is Taken By the
Insurgents and Sent Down the
Coast TO Intercept the Venus
If Possible
A VESSEL rs CAPTURED

New Orleans, May 17.-Confrming the
reported seizure Of the steamer Marietta
di Giorgio by the insurgents and relating
Rama May 70, several American passen-
gers who arrived here late this afternoon
on the steamer Navigator from Bluehelds
expressed the belief that there were still
prospects of serious land fighting and pos
sibly a naval engagement in the Mica.
raglan war.
The ship, which is a Norwegian steamer
in the service of the Bluefields Steamship
company was seized while at her wharf
at Bluef1elds on May 5. Manning the
steamer. the insurgents sent her to join
the Ometepe and BLANCA, small gunboats,
and started this little squadron out on an
expedition which had as its object the
ramming and sinking of the steamer
Venus. The Venus was the steamer
which recently left New Orleans for
Greytown with an alleged cargo of rffied
cannon ammunition and supplies for the
Madriz army at Greytown, Nicaragua
Unable to find the Venus, although the
squadron went to a point within sight OF
the Madriz troops at Greytown, the Ma.
rietta di Giorgio was brought back to
Bluef1elds, where the insurgents were
busy fitting her out with an armament
when the navigators sailed last Friday.
DR.. C. l. Moore of New York, who has
been a surgeon in the service of a min
ing company in Nicaragua, was among
the passengers arriving today on the
Navigator. He reported that the Pa
ducah and Dubuque. American gunboats,
are in the offing of Bluefields
All other passengers on the Navigator
agree with Dr. Moore in the belief that
there is probably serious fighting ahead
in Nicaragua. The Madriz army is esti-
mated at 5000 men and the insurgents
have slightly less than half this number,
but are well fortified and well armed
with abundant stores of ammunition and
supplies General Estrada is in command
of a reserve force of several hundred
men, camped just outside Blueflelds Gen.
Luis Mena and Emiliano Chamorro are
commanding about 1000 of the insurgents
at Rama, overlooking the only land pass
through the interior to Bluefields Rama
the insurgents still believe, is impreg.
nable- DIR. Moore says that Estrada sin
cerely believes that If Madriz attempts to
take Rama it will result in another over
whelming defeat. such as that experienced
by the government troops at Rama last
December.
General Lara commands the Madriz
army in front of Rama. He IL reported to
have well organized and we'll disciplined
troops and to have succeeded in bringing
up several pieces of heavy artillery While
the insurgents claim they are not fearful
of Laras ever taking Rama, there was
report current to the effect that Lara was
planning to cut through the bush and
thus avoid the insurgents stronghold
The insurgents claim that such a plan is
not feasible.
A steamer, supposed to be the Venus,
was sighted off Bluefelds on May r. but
owing to the fact that the armament had
not been placed on the Marietta di Gior-
gio, the threatened naval engagement did
the passengers on the Navigator they
had to sail away without a chance to
watch and see the fun
According to DR.. Moore the insurgents
feel confident of success on land, but did
entsrtain some fears recently in connec-
tion with the report that the Venus would
take on an armament and either lombard
Bluefields or establish a blockade at that
pert The latter course would have bot
tied up the Estrada army and cut it off
from all supplies. The insurgents now
believe that they can equip the Marietta
di Giorgio in such manner that she will
prcva formidable rival of the Venus, and
t. is also rumored that mines have been
planted in the Bluef1elds harbor.