OCR Text |
Show MARINES LANDED AT FIVEJLACES: U. S. Armed Forces Are in Santiago, Cuba, Patroling the City. SANTIAGO, Cuba. March 12. From his base at Guantanamo Admiral Henry Hen-ry T. Mayo, commander of the United States Atlantic fleet, received reports today from at least five Cuban shore stations where American forces have beer, landed. From none of them, however, how-ever, came any evidence that the putting put-ting ashore of the Americans was the; beginning of intervention. Five hundred marines and blur-jack els are in Santiago patrolling the city,) while smaller detachments are doing a similar duty in Guantanamo. Mnn-zanillo Mnn-zanillo and Nuevitas. The only interior inte-rior station where American men-of-war's men have been placed is at the El Combre mine, a few miles from Santiago. The Americans here have been careful not to interfere in the least particular with the conduct of the civil government, the officials appointed ap-pointed by the Liberals before the evacuation of the city by their troops remaining in control. Just what the situation Is in the interior in-terior is not known by the Americans The government advance forces, commanded com-manded by Pablo and Fausto Menoeal, arrived at San Luis today, which was evacuated yesterday by General Com-acho Com-acho after brief fighting in which there were a few casualties Rigoberto Fernandez, Fer-nandez, with his forces of rebels is at Santio. east of San Luis. This district dis-trict Is about 20 miles north of Santiago. San-tiago. The Menoeal brothers said they would await reinforcements before be-fore advancing further. The banks here remain closed under orders from thir main offices. It is thought that the most practical reason for the closing of the banks is that much of the lunds have been withdrawn with-drawn by depositors and that all the government funds, something In excess ex-cess of $800,000, have been taken, by the rebels. Santiago Ceasec to Be Closed. Santiago ceased to be a closed port yesterday. The Cuban gunboat Ma-tanzas Ma-tanzas which had been at the mouth of the harbor for two days, left this morning for Guantanamo. She had not been permitted to enter Santiago bv Command' r LVginald R Belknap, commanding the American naval forces, who has the mine-layer San Francisco and the cruiser Olympia in the inner harbor Last night there was scattered throughout the city a circular purporting pur-porting to have been signed bv Colonel Jose Nicolas Jane, who was on board the Matanzas as the Bpecial representative represent-ative Of President Menoeal. The circular cir-cular called on loyal citizens to lay down their arms, promising clemency to tnose who did so and dire punishment punish-ment to those who continued to revolt. The local Liberal authorities arrested the distributors of the circular, but later released them. Another circular received today was addressed by President Pres-ident Menoeal to P Merrill Griffith, the American consul at Santiago It asserted that an election would be held in Oriente province ten days after the Menoeal troops were in possession of Santiago. The residents of Santiago have known little of the conditions in the other parts of the island since February Febru-ary 12. as they have been Isolated dining din-ing this period. Between here and Camaguey all business of the Cuban railroad has been destroyed Estimates of i he sugar cane burned by the rebels vary widely, but apparently no grind ing machinery has been destroyed. In the city of Santiago there has been no looting. It Is estimated that General Fernan dez has between three and four thou sand men, while the government rorce Is reported to amount to about five thousand The presence of American bluejackets bluejack-ets and marines in Santiago is due in uireciiy iu reyieBeiikauuiia maue the chamber of commerce, supplemented supplement-ed by conversations between Consul Griffith and Commander Belknap when it was decided that the evacuation of the Liberals presented a situation making imperative the protection of foreign lives and interests. The bluejackets were first landed. They were followec by the marines, whose ranking officer is Captain Joseph Jo-seph D Murray of the Forty-third company. com-pany. Lieutenant L. F. Kimball of the San Francisco is in command of the forces ashore. The headquarters of the Americans is opposite the consulate. con-sulate. AA |