The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-27
State Troops Near Tampico,
Mexico, May Devastate
Nearby Region
GUNBOAT BRAVO
HOLDS ADVANCING
REBELS AT BAY
One Hundred Thousand Barrels of Oil
Will Be Destroyed if Threat Is
Carried t-Constitutional-
lists Surrounding Port

Mexico city, November 26.-Remove
the gunboat Bravo or we shall fire on
shc oil tanks I'm the city of Tnmp7co
and along the banks OF the river
above" This threat, according to pri-
vate information, received here today.
was sent to the commander of the fed
erals at Tampico yesterday.
So long as the garrison at Tampico
Is aided by the guns of the Bravo,
which Is anchored in the river just Off
Fiscal pier, there appears to be little
chance for the rebels to capture and
hold the city. But they might cas-
lily devsstate the entire region by
carrying out this threat. to shoot UP
the tanks up river be fired, the float
at 100000 barrels. should the oil in
the tanks u priver be fired, tn efioat-
ing flame would be carried, into the
heart OF the city, most effectually re-
moving the menace offered by the gum
boat, destroy all shipping and probably
a fair part OF the town.
May Carry Out Threat
That the rebels will carry out their
threat is regarded by some of the Of
fieials here as by no means improb-
able, although foreigners owning prop
erty in the neighborhood of Tampico
are depending on the promises of the
rebels not to molest the wells or
tanks
Advices from Tuxpam and Tampico
sic meagre because the lines of COM
munication are Interrupted. Practically
The only method of communication Is
by-wireless from the warships to Vera
Cruz, from which point the informa-
ton thus obtainedsds relaxedz to tina
capital.
There is a growing beiief here that
the campaign fnaugurated by the reb-
sis against Tuxpam is directed against
Iampico more than against the formel
port. II is suggested that the rebels
a have sought to attract attention to
ihefr approach upon Tuxpam so that
the advance against Tampleo might be
overlooked and the government send
troops away from Tampico.
The central point of concentration
OF the rebel forces is at Tamiahua a
town at the head of the lake, about
half way between the two ports Rebels
also are moving southwark from the
nefghborhood of Victoria in the state
Tampico there are said to be about
ZOO federals supported by the gunboat
Bravo.
There is no prospect of the resump
tion of traffic over the main line OF
the National railway. The rebels who
blew up a train recently at Carneros.
south of Saltil1o also destroyed several
bridges. Reports have reached here
that In the engagement precipitated by
the dynamiting. the rebels were VIC
torious, the incident developing the
fact that between Carneros and Saltillo
the rebels were concentrated in force.
Situation Difficult
The federaTs under General Velasco,
who were dispatched from Saltillo
westward to recapture Torreon. have
thus been placed In a difficult situa
tion, as communication with the cap
ital has been cut.
A serious situation again has de-
veloped in Morelos and adjacent states
through the temperance of the bandit
forces under Emiliano and Eufemio
Zapata. These two chiefs now are at
HuautIa. Travellers from the south say
they have issued orders for the con-
centration of their followers in the
neighboring hills. For some weeks past
there has been slight lull in their
activities. This was due to the rainy
season, which made operations diff
cult and to the fact that about a
thousand of them had been detailed to
gather corn and other CROWS IN the
isolated portions of the state of Guer-
zero.
The orders OF the Zapatas men are
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