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THE MORNING NEWS " * ” Established 1850 . Incorporated 1888 t Vl'AI 1)111) „ 0 . H - ESTILL, President. i ' * -’1 HK I? 1 t .524. THOUGHT FISHING VESSELS JAP TORPEDO BOATS ADMIRAL ROJESTVENSKY SAYS IT WAS PURELY ACCIDENTAL Two Boats Seemed to Discharge Torpedoes Then Russians Began to Fire Vigo, Spain, Oct. 26.—The Asso ciated Press has succeeded in obtain ing an interview with Admiral Rojest vensky, who expressed great regret over the Xorth sea incident. The admiral stated that the unfor tunate occurrence was purely acci dental. The weather on the night in question was rather hazy. About la. m. two torpedo boats, which the Rus sians supposed were Japanese craft, suddenly appeared between the two divisions of tile squadron and seemed to discharge torpedoes. The Russians immediately opened fire. They saw no fishermen and were not aware that any damage had been done. Evidently, the admiral said, the fishermen had shown no lights. The admiral repeated that he great ly regretted that any Injury hud been done fishermen, and added that he had no doubt the Russian government would make ample compensation. RUSSIANS DIDN’T KNOW IF THEY WOUNDED ANY. Madrid, Oct. 26. —A telegram from Vigo to the Correspondence says: “Officers of the Russian squadron give the following explanation of the North sea incident: “While steaming by night they saw two torpedo boats within the lines of the squadron. Supposing a Japanese attack was impending they opened fire. They say they did not see any sailors looking like fishermen aboard the two boats fired at. “The officers say they do not know if any members of the clews were wounded. They express regret at the error.” FEVERISH ENERGY OF THE BRITISH NAVY. Prepared to Meet the RnsKlnnn Should It Prove Necessary. London, Oct. 26.—The tension in creases as time passes without a defin ite settlement of the situation creat ed by the Russfan blunder in the North sea. Ambassador Benkendorff’s tenta tive communication to Foreign Minister Landsdowne to-day and the fact that this was regarded as unsatisfactory on ly served to inflame the public mind; and while official circles are giving out intimations that it is their confident belief the whole matter wdll be satis factorily arranged, it is now quite evi dent that only a short lime will be al lowed Russia in which to give final and complete assurances of her inten tion to comply wdth any ‘and all de mands Great Britain may make within reason. The arrival of Admiral Rojestvensky at Vigo and the certainty that he is in direct communication with his govern ment removes at once the possibility of any delay on account of the inability of Russia to get his side of the occur rences of the night of Oct. 21. ■With this official version before the Russian government, together with the official statement of the members of the Pshing fleet, it is unlikely that the British public or the British gov ernment will allow another twenty four hours to pass quietly without re ceiving a satisfactory reply to the note, which demanded a quick answer. Meanwhile the admiralty is not Idle. Reports from all naval stations show that a tremendous state of activity ex ists. This is especially true of Gibral tar. from which place it is announced that some of the best of Great Britain's war vessels are under orders to pro ceed in the direction of the Russian Baltic squadron, and that all the ships of the British channel fleet are ready to go to sea at a moment's notice. Hitherto there has been no Indica tion that a time limit had been set by Great Britain for Russia's reply to her demands. But the fart that three battleships and three cruisers are un der orders for the morning of Oct. 28 Is construed in some quarters to mean that Great Britain will not wait longer than that date before unleashing her sea dogs, while It is also evident that the Russian cruisers and smaller boats of the Baltic squadron may find dif ficulty In passing the gateway to the East unless the crisis Is completely over by tbe time they reach the en trance to the Mediterranean. Information has reached the Associ ated Press from an authoritative source that puts a brighter light upon the situation. It is understood that practically everything has been decid ed upon to the satisfaction of Count I.amsdorff, the Russian Foreign Minis ter, except the question of the punish ment of the offending officers of the Baltic squadron. It Is further under stood that Great Britain is not de manding final and formal written un dertakings before announcing that she Is satisfied, but that an undertaking In general terms on the pan of Rus sia will be .accepted as sufficient guar antee for an official announcement that <b crisis bus imftaed. jsabannab Jfofniwa ffatogL DOGGER BANK AFFAIR. There is an accentuation of Reel ing in Great Britain over the de lay of the Russian government in procuring from the commander of the Baltic squadron his version of the attack on the Hull fishing fieet. Admiral Rojestvensky. who is at Vigo, Spain, has, so far as the pub lic is informed, made no official explanation of the events of the night of Oct. 21, but in an inter view with the Associated Press he has put forward the statement that two torpedo boats, presumably Japanese craft, appeared among his ships off Dogger Bank and failing to comply with a demand to retire or state their nationality, were fir ed upon. Six of the best ships of the British channel fleet are under orders to sail to-morrow morning presumably to shadow the further movements of Russian warships sailing for the Cape of Good Hope, and all other vessels of the channel fleet are ready to put to sea at a moment’s notice. Besides the five Russian ships at Vigo, there are others reported at Villag*arcia and Arosa bay. They have been notified that they will not be permitted to coal in Spanish ports. Five German colliers are at Vigo. Admiral Rojestvensky has In formed the Spanish authorities that his ships at Vigo have sustained such damage that they will not be able to leave port within the twenty four hours allowed warships of a combatant in a neutral port. The tone of the London press is notably more bellicose to-day than it has been at any period of the existing crisis. FULL REPARATION IS PROMISED BY RUSSIA. London, Oct. 26, 1:18 p. m.—The Rus sian reply to Great Britain's note on the subject of the North Sea tragedy has been received by the British gov ernment. It expresses deep regret at the occurrence and promises full repa ration as soon as an official report is received from Vice Admiral Rojestven sky. The reply was received by Ambas sador Benkendorff during the night and was forwarded to Foreign Secretary Lansdowne in the shape of a formal letter, in w'hich the ambassador, acting on cabled instructions from St. Peters burg. gave the above assurances, add ing that while the Russian govern ment at the time of cabling was still without official knowledge from its own sources of the occurrence in the North Sea, it feels so certain it was an er ror that it wishes at once to express its regret and assures the British gov ernment that full compensation will be made as soon as the details are re ceived. IT IS SAID THAT THE CZAR HAS ADMIRAL’S REPORT. St. Petersburg, Oct. 26.—1 tis as serted on high authority that Emperor Nicholas this afternoon received Ad miral Rojentsvensky’s report. Vice Admiral Avelan, chief of the admiralty, has gone to Tsarskoe Selo and will not return until late this evening. Ambassador Hardinge has sent an other note to Foreign Minister Lams dorff, expressing the opinion that the measures reported to have beeq taken by the Russian admiralty to communi cate with Admiral Rojentsvensky were entirely adequate. At the Foreign Office the fullest con fidence is expressed in amicable set tlement of the incident. BRITISH BATTLESHIPS TO SHADOW RUSSIANS. Gibraltar, Oct. 28.—The battleships Victorious. Illustrious and M'ajestlc (flagship of Vice Admiral Beresford) and the cruisers Lancaster. Theseus and Endymion. are under orders to sail on the morning of Oct. 28. It Is reported that the purpose Is to shadow the Russian Baltic squadron, which is expected to go by way of the tape of Good Hope. The Russian Baltic sqrfadron s cruis ers and torpedo boats are expected to pass through the strait of Gibraltar on the way to Sue*. The whole of the Gibraltar torpedo flotilla has been com missioned. BRITISH WAR SHIPS ARE READY FOR SEA. Gibraltar, Oct. 26.—The ships of the channel fleet have filled their bunkers with coal and replenished their am munition and other stores, and will be rendy for sea at a moment's notice. The battleship Hannibal and the cruis er Doris are watching the straits close ly There Is great activity at the do< k yard, where men are working night and day. The admiralty la making In quiries concerning the coul available bar*. SPAIN FORCED TO BEG AND THREATEN TO KEEP THE RUSSIANS FROM VIOLATING THE SPANISH NEUTRALITY. All 111 iral Hojeat vensky Showed I'p at the Port of Vigo With Four Warships—German Colliers Were Ready to Coal Them, and at First Itiissinns Seemed About to Disre gard the Warnings of Spain. Rojestvensky Finally Yielded. Vigo, Spain, Oct. 26.—The arrival of the Russian battleships Emperor Alexander 111, Borodino, Orel and Kniazzouvaroff and the transport Anatol, which have anchored in this port, has caused considerable excite ment. The commander of the port Imme diately boarded the Russian flagship and informed Admiral Rojestvensky that the Spanish government could not permit the warships to coal within the port. Admiral Rojestvensky replied that his vessels needed repairs, and that for that reason he had separated from the remainder of his squadron. The commander of the port prom ised to inform the Spanish govern ment of the admiral’s statement and communicate the government's reply as soon as it was received. In spite of this, five German colliers anchored in port alongside the battle ships, whereupon the commander of the port sent an aide-de-camp to beg Admiral Rojestvensky not to violate Spanish neutrality, and he also order ed the commanding officer of the Spanish cruiser Estramadamura to notify the colliers that they must obey the port authorities. Eventually He Promised. Eventually Admiral Rojestvensky promised that he would not coal in Spanish waters, at the same time beg ging the commander of the port to ob tain the government's permission for each warship to take on four hundred tons of coal with which to reach Tan gier. Shortly afterwards three colliers sailed for Tangier, but two regained alongside the Russian warships. During the afternoon Admiral Ro jestvensky, accompanied by the com manders of his battleships, visited the military Governor, the French consul, and the commander of the port, receiv ing the usual honors. As far as can be seen the crews of the battleships are very uneasy. Sen tinels are continually watching every movement within the harbor. All four of the warships seem to be cleared for action. Wanted to Hurry Their Guest*. It is rumored that the object of the Spanish government in requesting the Russians to remain the shortest pos sible time at Vigo is to prevent the possibility of attack by Japanese agents, whose presence in the province of Galicia is suspected. It is learned that three other Rus sian warships have anchored In Arosa bay. The government has re fused them permission to coal in Spanish waters. The Spanish warships Marques De La Victoria and Vasco Nunez De Balboa are keeping watch along the coast. The authorities have ordered that all fishing boats shall fly the national flag in order to avoid a repetition of the Dogger Bank Incident. Prince Keretelll, an officer of the battleship Emperor Alexander 111, has been interviewed and gives the follow ing explanation of the attack by the Baltic squadron upon the British trawlers off Dogger Bank: “The transport Anatol, which was steaming ahead of the squadron, was suddenly surrounded by eight torpedo boats and requested assistance, where upon the battleship division advanced and signalled to the unknown vessels to leave or disclose their nationality. The vessels refused to obey and ad vanced among the Russian battleships. Suddenly a cannon shot was heard from an unknown vessel. Then the admiral formed in battle line and re plied to the fire, afterwards continu ing his voyage.” Prince Keretelll added that the Rus sians feared the strange torpedo boats were Japanese, as the admiral was aware that the Japanese had purchas ed such 'boats In England. WILL NOT AUTHORIZE RUSSIANS TO COAL Madrid, Oct. 26.—The Minister of Marine confirms the report of the ar rival of a Russian cruiser at Vllla garcla. The minister has received a telegram from the authorities at Vigo to the effect that two of the Russian battleships now there have sustained damages which will render It Impos sible for them to leave port within the prescribed twenty-four hours. The minister declares that he will not authorize the coaling of Russian warships In Spanish ports. ENGLAND IMPATIENT FOR THAT EXPLANATION. London, Oet. 27.—At 3 o'clock this morning there Is no sign ns to when Admiral Rojestvensky's report will be made public; but If unofficial reports should turn out to reflect the admiral's Official report, It Is evident the Russian officers made an extraordinary blunder In mistaking trawlers for torpedo boats and firing on their phantom foes. This astonishing explanation la re garded here us not fitting 111 with the state of panic suggested as having pi- Continned on Fifth Page. SAVANNAH. GA., THURSDAY. OCTOBER 27. 11)04. GRAND JURY THOUGHT IT WAS A PUT-UP JOB. Didn't Believe Clinac** Story of Bob ber* Locking Him in the Vnult. Pomeroy, 0., Oct. 26.—After investi gating for a month, a grand Jury to day Indicted County Treasurer Thomas J. Chase, charging the embezzlement of $14,500 from the Meiggs county treas ury on Sept. 9. when, he said, the treasury was looted in daylight by two masked robbers, who locked him in a vault. Chase’s bond was fixed at SIO,OOO. He was unable to furnish bail and was sent to Jail. The arrest of Chase caused no sur prise In Meiggs county, but there is much excitement to-night over the in dictments that are expected to-morrow against other persons. The name of one of these other persons is on the lips of all, as this person has been suspected as much as Chase himself for a month. Chase was found locked up on Sept. 9 by his daughter, who rushed to a bank and thence to the fair grounds for someone who could open the vault. It was shown to the grand Jury that at least half a dozen men were sitting in front of the Court House all fore noon on Sept. 9, and that none of these men saw the robbery. The semi annual examination of the treasurer's books was proceeding when the robbery was alleged to have taken place. As soon as the indictment against Chase was reported the grand Jury re sumed its investigation on the theory that, if Chase were guilty, there was at least one, probably two, confed erates, one to turn the combination on the vault door on the outside, and pos sibly another keeping watch outside of the building. Chase comes of a good family. Is 50 years old. has a wife, two sons and one daughter, the younger son, Guy, being deputy treasurer. Chase is a member of the Methodist Church, and was never before suspected of wrong-doing. LAMB HELD IN BOND. Charged With Being Accessory to the Murder o( t'liiiniherlain. Gainesville, Fla., Oct. 26.—At the preliminary hearing to-day of A. G. Lamb, charged as accessory to the mur der of Garrett V. Ctfamberlain at Ta coma, Lamb was held In SI,OOO bond, which he promptly gave. About twenty witnesses testified, the principal among them being Fletcher Watson, the confessed murderer, who said Lamb gave him a rifle and told him to kill Chamberlain. Many rela tives of the dead nfan testified, a* did also the relatives of Lamb. Lamb's friends are loyal and believe him Innocent. The widow of Chamber lain was in court as was also Lamb's wife. I.nuibor Fire nt Mriuphl*. Memphis, Tenn., Oct. 26.—Fire to night In North Memphis destroyed the plant of the Dickson I.urnl.cr Company, lessees of the Murphy, Die bold Hon* Company of Pittsburg, consumed 1,- 500.900 feet of lumber In the yards and spreading to lh< yards of the Hard wood Specialty Company, destroyed 1,- 000,000 feet of hard wood lumber there. Total !<>**, $60,000. The total Instinuico la 150,700. New Tori* Herald. 1 WHICH SHALL IT BE? PARKER WILL TAKE THE STUMP COMMITTEE SO ANNOUNCES. TO BE HEARD IN NEW YORK. NEW JERSEY AND CONNECTICUT. Cleveland, Too. I* Embraced In the Plan (nr the Dlssemlnat lon of Democratic Doctrine Tlirouich the Eloquence of l.eudcr* ilokc Smith, Too, I* to He Prominent In the Scheme—Tlie Committee's Alt nouncement of the* Programme. New York, Oct. 26.—Judge Parker's programme and speaking itinerary un til election day have been completed. He will speak in three states. New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, and In addition, there have been arranged receptions in his honor In this city and Brooklyn. The schedule calls for a change In the candidate’s plans here tofore announced, in that he has been dissuaded from his determination not to make speeches elsewhere than at his home at Esopus. Judge Alton B. Parker, the Democratic candidate for Presi dent. will make three speeches in three states, according to an announce ment issued by the Democratic Na tional Committee. The first will be made at Madison Square Garden, New York, Momfay night; the second at Newark, N. J., Tuesday night, arid the third at Hartford or New Haven, Conn., Thursday night. In its official announcement the Democratic commit tee says: “This series of meetings Involves the appearance upon the platform for at least five nights of next week of Judge Parker, or Mr. Cleveland, or both, and three stales are included in the scheme. I’urkrr and Hoke Smith. “The first meeting of the series will be held In Madison Bquare Garden on Monday night, under the auspices of the Parker and Davis Business Men’s Association, which supervised the meet ing held in Carnegie Hall a few days ago. The chairman of this meeting will be Isldor Straus, and the speak ers, so far as arranged, will be Judgj Parker and Hoke Smith, former sec retary of the Interior. The names of other speakers will be announced later. “On Tuesday a great meeting will be held In Newark under the auspices of New Yorkers resident In New Jer sey. It will be presided over by Rich ard V. Llndabury, and Judge Parker will be the principal speaker. Ar rangements are under way for the ap pearance of a former cabinet official. “The meeting on Nov. 2 In Cooper Union will be under the auspices of the Germans of New York. The chairman of this meeting will be Carl Schurz and Mr. Cleveland will be the princi pal speaker. Several prominent Ger mans will also take part ‘and all (he speaking will be In that language with the exception of the speech to be de livered by Mr. Cleveland. Will Spenk at Nev Haven. "On Thursday a meeting will be held In either Hartford or New Haven, Conn., at which Judge Parker will be the principal speaker. “On Friday a second meeting will be held In Newsrk, over which Mr. Cleve land will preside, nnd at tvhleh the pine lpn.l si*ak* r will be James H. I out timed fin Fifth Pave. OPTION TO UNION PACIFIC Alleged to Have Been Given on the Great Western. St. Paul, Minn., Oct. 26.—The Dis patch to-day, commenting on the al leged option given the Union Pacific by President Stlekney of the Great Western Railway, says: "For several days Judge Cornish, vice president of the Union Pacific, and formerly of St. Paul, has been In the city, ostensibly on a brief visit without special business significance. He left for the East on Monday evening. It Is now believed that his presence sig nified the acquisition of the Great Western, and the rapid completion of the details of a transfer. "The fact that an option has been given la declared to be settled. Tho Union Pacific has been given the priv ilege of a purchase within a specified time, and Is now at liberty to take over the property If subsequent inves tigation and consideration prove that the action is desirable. "These facts are now believed to have behind them the rapid advance of Great Western common, which has sold ns low ns $6 a share, and which has Just touched 24% on Monday with out apparent reason beyond the knowl edge that a deal for the property has been In progress.” Henleil by llnrrlman. New York. Oct. 26.—A report that the Union Pacific Railroad had se cured an option on the Chicago Great Western road was denied to-day by President Harriman of the Union Pa cific system. TO CHANGE ITS COURSE. Government Work nt Petersburg. Vo., linn Comnieneeil. Petersburg, Va., Oct. 26.—With tho occasion marked by a celebration in which the people of Petersburg and surrounding country and other cities participated, the work on the govern ment project diverting the navigable Appomattox river from Its regular channel and carrying it two and a half miles around this city was begun to day. Senator Martin of Virginia, Capt. E. E. Winslow, U. 8. A., and leading citizens of Petersburg made addresses at the celebration. With an appropriation of $200,000 made by the last Congress, a dam will be built across the river at the head of the harbor, where tidewater is reached, and the new channel will lead from a point above the dam and return to the old course below the city, where the depth is five fathoms and where the volume of water Is sufficient to carry off the sand and the gravel washed down by the freshets, which until now have built up bars nnd Islands In the harbor here. The new channel will be 300 feet wide and probably twenty feet deep. LOCKEdTn EMBRACeT LAY DOWN TO DIE. Ttvo Young Men Were Han Over hr a Train. Knoxville, Tenn., Oct. 26.—Two young men, about 21 and 22, locked In each other's embrace, laid dotvn on the tracks of the Jelllco Hallway, about four miles front Athens, Tenn., to-day and let the train run over them. At this time It is not known who the young men are. There Is nothing on their persons to indicate their Identity. The bodies were taken to Athens, where an Inquest was begun, but ad journed until to-morrow before a ver dict was reached. Every Iml Scat lon 1* that they were 'mother* and desired to commit suicide. 6 CENTS A COPY DAILY. 18 A YEAR. WEEKLY 2-TIMES-A-WEEK *1 A TEAR WANTS TO MAKE RATES EFFECTIVE THE COURT IS PETITIONED BY ATI.ANTA MEN AND THE RAIL ROAD COMMISSION. Anvlon* to Have the Circular* That Would Prove Hnlnoa* to Savan nah nnd Other t itle* and Advnn tHgeoii* to Atlanta Pat Into Operation Before the Matter of the Permanent Injunction Shall llavo Been Determined. Atlanta, Oct. 26.—Attorneys repre senting the state and the Atlanta Freight Bureau filed a motion In the United States court to-(fay to dissolve the temporary restraining order In the Injunction sußs against the commission which prevents the commission from putting Into effect the reductions In rates made In circulars 301 and 302. The motion Is signed by J. Pope Brown, H. Warner Hill and Joseph M. Brown. The petition claims that the United States court has no Jurisdic tion In the matter, as the question as to whether or not the commission (fan reduce rates Is a state question. The motion also sets up that until the rates have gone Into effect and until the railroads can show they are not earning a fair return on their In vestments there Is no cause for ac tion. The motion will probably be hrttrd by Judge Newman to-morrow, when the regular Injunction cases are taken up. The object of the motion ie to do away with the temporary restraining orders which have been Issued by Judge New man, so that the circulars can go into effect while the hearing for a perma nent Injunction Is being determined. FIR ES C N PLA NTAtTo NS. Incendiary Torelte* Are Applied Near Ainorlru*. Amerlcus, Oa., Oct. 26.—Incendiary fires In *he country here are becoming more numerous. The gin house on the Hawkins plantation, west of Amerlcus, was destroyed this morning, with twelve hales of cotton and a large quantity of cotton seed belonging to J. P. Read, the lessee of the planta tion. The loss was probably $2,000. In South Amerlcus the barn of Depu ty Sheriff Gatewood, on his Jordan plantation, was burned, with all Its contents. A valuable mule perished in this blaze, while others were se verely burned in escaping from the barn. . Arrived at Bermuda. New York. Oct. 26. -Cable advices from Bermuda report the arrival there to-day of the three-masted schooner J. S. Hoskins of Baltimore. The ves sel left Jscksonvllle forty-there days ago with a cargo of lumber for Ber muda. nnd should have arrived at her destination in a week. Keeninmrnda Storehu*ea, Washington, Oct. 26.- Paymaster General Harris, In his annual report, recommends the construction of gen eral storehouse* at the Washington and Norfolk navy yards, and a lumber Shed and steel storehouse at Charles ton. B. C.