The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-05-18
Band to the South of Vera Cruz Is Now Meet ing With Much
 Success
ARE BACK TO ROUTINE
 LIFE ON SHIPBOARD
Shore Liberty Not Granted to Avoid Clashes With Natives-Everything Spick and Span and Officers and Men Are Ready
 for Action at a
 Moments Notice

Vera Cruz May 17.-That const. tutionalist detachment which has been
 campaigning along the coast north of Vera Cruz may be sent on a short cut across the country directly toward the capital. is move regarded by military
 men here as not improbable But 1t Is
 not considered likely that the consti- tutionalists will attempt to worry the | federals now in front of the American | lines
 It generally = believed that the greater part Of the constitutionallst army under General Gonzales will be sent forward from Tampieo to unite with the main body in the campaign
 against Saltillo and San Luis Potosi,
 but that those under Gen. Canddo Az
 uilar. who occupied Tuxpan. will be
 sent to the vicinity of Necaxa. where
 electrical energy is generated for Mex leo City.
 This would place them in q posi- tion to cut the capital off from light
 and power. General Aguilar also could utilize to advantage that part of the country to organize numerous bands of independent constitutionallsts TO the south of Vera Cruz n band of constitutionalists under Dr, camancho
 has been meeting With considerable succesa. His forces last were reported as surroundng Tierra Blanca. a divi-
 sion point on the Vera cruz and
 Isthmus railroad--There was only t
 small garrison there and he would have little difficulty in gaining s@s,..
 session. The occupation of this point
 would enable the constitutionalists to break General Huerta's last line of communication with the east coast
 Would Stop Train Service
 Another point connected with the oc- equation of Tierra Blanca is that it would probably result in stopping tho train service from the capital to Puerto Mexico and interfere seriously with the departure of refugees
 Sanitary work at Vera Cruz under the American administration is pro ceeding vigorously. Col II. F. Bir mingham of the medical corps k d- recting the work. His staff has been aided by Dr. John Guiteras. chief san itary officer of Havana.
 A Mexican lawyer from the capital Is aiding in the work of eodifying the
 
 ican officers. Vera Cruz once was considered the pest hole of the gulf coast. Under Perfirio Diaz 1t was
 thoroughly cleaned up, modern sewers Were established and crude oil was ap- piled to standing water mosquitos be- ing virtually eliminated The American authorities are merely enforcing rigid fly the regulations then enacted. The provost marshal Is handling the native population on similar lines, ap- plying the Mexican laws. Foreign resi- dents are held accountable under mill Iitary laws promulgated by Brigadier General Funston and are being dealt with entirely by the soldier police. Customs House Records Gone The customs house reports show that 25. .o00 pesos (ss00o) in gold was collected yesterday on inbound shipments, making
 total of more than 100000 pesos re- ceived since the occupation Warehouses are jammsd with goods, largely con signed to interior points. It Is esti- mated that the goods in storage amount
 in value 10 l.000000 pesos, They con- l sist principally of mining machinery and general merchandise and liquors. No at- tempt has been made by interior mer- chants to get their goods through. Evi-
 
 sCoufguued TsyOl