Show I STARVATION THREATENED A State of Affairs Worse Than War Probable Canea Feb 2SA new danger threatens this unfortunate Island and if I is to be averted a speedy settlement settle-ment of the present difficulties must be arrived at Every day the situation situa-tion is becoming more desperate owing I to the fact that throughout the island the state of war prevents any attention atten-tion Being paid to the crops The towns I which are beseiged by the insurgents are in a much worse condition than those in the country districts In Heraklion alone where there has I been a very large influx of refugees the outlook is very serious There Is now In town counting the regular Moslem population and the refugees I fully 25000 persons Provisions are I j very scarce and a famine is imminent The regular numbers of the refugees I are already dying of starvation and i was the knowledge of this fact that led Korahas the Greek leader to issue his order to permit the cultivation of fields near the town The lines of the besiegers are absolutely Impassable as has been proved by the failure of several sev-eral sorties that have been made The officials in the town have telegraphed to Canea imploring the assistance of foreign warships in raising the siege but it is not considered likely that I their supplication will receive a favorable favor-able response though provisions may be sent to the starving Korahas has not yet cut off the water supply of the town which he threatened a few da sago s-ago to do Should he carry this threat into effect the condition of the besieged be-sieged people would be pitiable Indeed Korahas with a part of his forces Is advancing upon Hierapetra He will pass through the turbulent district of Lasithi and the populace there is certain cer-tain to join him I is pretty certain that the garrison at Hierapetra will have to capltUIte when the insurgents insur-gents reach there unless the foreign warships help the Turks On March 3 the armistice of a week agreed to between the Moslems and Christians at Seline will expire The position of the Moslems there is very precarious The insurgents are so incensed In-censed over the bombardment of Ak rotiri that it is considered doubtful whether they will listen to the persuasion per-suasion of Colonel Vassos the commander com-mander of the Greek army of occupation occupa-tion who has promised to use his influence in-fluence to obtain the release of the besieged be-sieged Moslems I has been learned that the fighting at Malaxa resulted In the killing of eight Turks and the wounding of many others The Christian losses If any are unknown The engagement caused the most intense in-tense excitement here and prompted I incendiarism In the vicinity of the town Two villages and several isolated iso-lated houses were destroyed |