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Show CHASING THE ITA'll i The Favy Department Decides That the , Chilean War Ship Mast b J,; Recaptured. THE CHARLESTON PUTS TO 8EA. . i i i - HavaA Men Think That Our South Pacific , Squadron Will Have no Trouble j Heading Her OtF. WAsntNfiToN, May 11. The air of secrecy surrounding the Itata rase is just as pronounced over at tho navy department today, and it is evideut the officials have no desire to take the pub-lio pub-lio into their conlideuce. The convio-, tion.however.is gtuuralthat tho United States cruizer Charleston was sent out will aecret orders to capture the Chilean Chil-ean steamer. Just how far these orders" ord-ers" 'extend or how much authority au-thority they vested in Captain Cap-tain ' Reiney is still unknown, and none of the otlicials here will venture ven-ture to give any information on the subject. The order, it is said, was a lon one and was wired west in the cipher of the bureau of navigation. The officers required four or live hours to translate the order into cipher. It la said there is information in the hands of the government to wairaut tha belief that the Itata will be next heard of touchirg at some Mexican port and probably tho Charleston will make ber first stop shout midway down the west coast of Mexico in the hope of picking up hints as to her whereabouts. BHEMfSTBE KhTAKKS. Washington, May U. The Itata must be recaptured. That is the do-termination do-termination of the navy department. Cipher telegrams have been Hashing over the wires, and cables have been flying between Washington aud nenrly every point on the Pacific coast from San Francisco to Valparaiso. Instructions Instruc-tions have beau sent Admiral McCaun and Admiral Brown, and the Baltimore, Pensacola and San Francisco will soon be searching for the runaway. Tho old flagship Omaha, of the China station, arrived Thursday at San Diego, and orders have been sent her commander. Captain Cromwell, to participate in tha bunt. AS TO THE RIFLES. , Naval officers in Washington who are conversant with the coast of Lower California say it is likely the schooner Robert and Minnie may have deposited the rides intended for the Chileans on some one of the small outlying islands near the coast, and the Itata procured them there instead of taking chances of sighting the schooner at sea, as this was the most practical !e scheme and. moreover, more-over, would not arouse the suspicion of the, United States authorities, as would bt t he case should the schooner be seen on the coast. Hyi AWOMTRWK ......... .,, Th Itata is au iron screw propeller" ship of 1200 tons aud was built in England Eng-land in 1873. She has compound engines en-gines of antiquated tnnke. 'and is not capable, probably, of steaming more than nine or ten knots an hour. She was formerly owned and operated by the Chilean steam and navigation company, com-pany, aud how she came into the nanus of the insurgents is not known here, unless she was seized by them at the beginning of the insurrection. OUR SQCATKON IN THE PACIFIC. The United States vessels in Chilean waters are the Baltimoro and flagship Pensacola, with Rear. Admiral McCaun in commaud. The San Frsncisco when last heard from had left Peru and will likely join the Baltimore and Pensacola early this week. With the Charleston the admiral will have under his command com-mand three of the finest ships of the navy, besides the Pensacola which is the best of the wooden class in the service. ser-vice. With those four ships it is not aniicipated by naval officers that much opposition would be met with should the United States see tit to capture the Itata even should she be reinforced by the best ships of the insurgents. THE CHARLESTON Pf TS TO SEA. San Francisco, May 11. The Charleston yesterday received a cipher dispatch from tho navy department which took over three hours to translate. trans-late. All visitors were then ordered ashore and the Charleston is provisioned provis-ioned aud coaled for a long cruise and instead of going outside to try her guns as was the general supposition, it is stated she has gone in pursuit of the Itata. If the Ctiarleston does not catch her the orders are to keep on until Admiral Ad-miral Brown is encountered in Chilean waters. The Data has a start of thirty-six thirty-six hours and 500 miles. ITI.OT HILL UNDER ARKEST. Los Anueles, Cal., May 11. Before the schooner Robert and Minnie was captured by the United States marshal. Supercargo Burch and Pilot Did, who took the itata out of San Diego harbor, went ashore. Dill was arrested at San Pedro. Burch came to Los Angeles snd was arrested by a detective, aud is now in custody of the United States marshal. Burch says he landed the arms, but declines to say at what point, but it is supposed to have been at Cata-lina Cata-lina or Sau Clements. THE CHARLESTON GOES SOUTH. San Pedro. Cal.. May 11 The cruiser Charleston, which arrived off here last night, remained until this morning, at which hour sho left, going going south. THEY EXCHANGED SIGNALS. Los Angeles, May 11. A dispatch from San Pedro savs the United States war vessels Omaha and Charleston came to anchor at that plice last evening even-ing aud exchauged signals. |