Arizona republican., 1913-02-14
After Five Days Fighting Present Government" of Mexico Is Unable to Show Single Advantage Over Rebels
MAKES THREATS
 AND THEN FAILS
American Club Building Is Storm Center For Shrap- nel and Rifle Bullets and Many Members Narrowly Escape
ASSOCIATED PRESS DIsPATcHl


 MEXICO CITY, Feb. 13-Without decisive advantage to either the gov ernment or the rebel forces, the fifth day of fighting in the capital ended at nightfall. Firing continued until after sundown.
 Madero. himself. stated two hours earlier that General Huerta would re- new the effort for the subjugation or Diaz immediately and authoritatlVely stated that the government forces were planning to take the rebel positions by assault between six and seven o'clock but the days operations came to an end with the federals only feebly aggres- sive
 It was another day of terror for the hundreds of thousand of noncombat- ants. Included in these were a large number of foreigners who find no part of the city free from danger.
 Shells raked the principal streets Of the capital and tore their way through private homes and business buildings as we'll as through the public struc- lures for which they were intended. Bullets of the machine guns, rifles pen- etrated all corners. finding lodgment in buildings even in the remote sections. unofficially but tacitly designated as neutral zone Both sides insist on fight to the finish.
 At five o'clock tonight it was re- ported that General Felix Diaz had demanded the surrender of the national palace. All through the day the rebel batteries of heavy guns throwing fierce fire shrapnel around the palace. Many of these were dropped into Zocalo which fronts the building and the fed eral soldiers were compelled to move to cover.
 Before dark the fire of both sides be- came intermittent, but apparently was less vigorous from the federals. The government troops are receiving am- muniton in small consignments which it is said is running short. The fifth day of the battle began at eight o'clock. 1 the battery of the federal artillery op- ening fire on the arsenal but although i the bombardment was kept up without cessation for an hour or more, 1t had no apprecfable effect on the rebel de- lenses.
 That Diaz is prepared for the 1 threatened overwhelming movement | by the government, which Madero promised would be carried through l today was shown by the fact that he l had stationed sharp shooters on the roofs of the adjoining buildings, had | dispatched a force outside the lines to the west of the city, and placed
 his heaviest guns in positions com
 manding all approaches to his strong l LoI6 Htrn nO federals, had promised to storm the I rebel position but he elected instead
 to employ his artillery from various l points of vantage.
 Only once in the early part of the
 day did the infantry come into &C.,
 tion During the heavy shelling of | the palace, Diaz apparently moved some forces to the southeast of the
 city and shortly after 12 o'clock the palace was made a target for both
 shells and rifle fire from that district.
 Coincidentally the rebels succeeded
 in extending the zone of activity in
 other directions
 The rebel fire towards the palace
 was intended not only to bring about
 surrender. but had for its purpose
 also the clearing of the intervening
 buildings, the machine guns and ri-
 flemen. silencing the federal batteries operating on San Juan and Letran
 streets at points midway between the arsenal and the palace. This smelling
 wrought havoc among the buildings in that section of the city. The American club was riddled. The interior of the second and third floors
 was completely wrecked. Of the forty Americans within at the time
 several had almost miraculous escape: from death Seven shells tore througf the walls The first two crashed t through the reading room at the iron Q of the second story. Others entered l. about the second story on both sides f In addition to the shell fire, the in e terior as well as the exterior of thu t American club, was perforated Il h scores of places by bullets from rifle t and machine guns. The shells whicl = entered rooms. tore their way through . the stone window castings and de
 | molished the heavy leather chairs am O exploded with terrific force. d Shrapnel was hurled in all direc d tions, cutting the furniture into rib t bons, ripping the floors and walls an S puncturing in a score of places tn O portraits about the room. The DOT O trait most seriously damaged wa
 that of President Madero Presiden t MCKinley's face was set in circl
 Continued on Page Five)