No. 413.
Mr. Pile to Mr.
Fish.
No. 3.]
United States Legation, Caracas, October 5, 1871. (Received October
21.)
Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith a copy
of letter addressed to this legation by Mr. J. W. Hancox, president of the
Venezuela Steam Transportation Company, detailing the facts in reference to
the seizure of the vessels of that company at Ciudad Bolivar, to which the
attention of the Department is respectfully solicited.
I have asked the United States consul at Ciudad Bolivar for an official
report of the facts in this case within his knowledge; and, as I am informed
that the United States consuls at Martinique and Guadeloupe have been
applied to by our vice-consul at Trinidad to send a naval steamer to
investigate this matter, I have written to the commander of our West India
squadron a statement of the facts, and requested him, in case a vessel is
sent, that it be ordered to report at La Guayra for conference with me
previous to going to the Oronoco River. I shall bring this matter to the
attention of this government as soon as I am formally received, and will
promptly communicate to the Department any further information I may receive
in reference thereto.
I have, &c., &c.,
Inclosures.
No. 1.—Mr. Hancox to Mr. Pile, September 20, 1871.
No. 2.—Mr. Fitt to Mr. Partridge, September 5, 1871.
No. 1.
Mr. J. W. Hancox to Mr. William A. Pile.
Trinidad, September 20, 1871.
Sir: I have the honor to inform you that I am
president of the Venezuela Steam Transportation Company, a company
organized under the laws of the State of New York.
That this company owns the steamer Dudley Buck, plying between La Guayra
and Trinidad, the steamer Hero, connecting with the Dudley Buck, and
plying between Port of Spain and Ciudad Bolivar. That this company
further owns the steamers Nutrias and San Fernando, plying between
Ciudad Bolivar and Nutrias on the rivers Oronoco and Apure.
That all these steamers are permitted to carry their national flag by
special agreement With the existing government of Venezuela, and only
upon this condition the company has consented to navigate their waters.
The steamer Hero left Trinidad duly cleared for Ciudad Bolivar, on the
26th of August, and while on her voyage up the Oronoco, opposite a place
called Guayana la Vieja, was boarded by about two hundred armed men,
calling themselves Blues or revolutionists, the officers were
overpowered and the vessel captured. The officers, American citizens,
with pistols presented to their heads, were forced to navigate the
steamer as directed, and the steamer was forcibly carried to a place
called Soledad, opposite to Ciudad Bolivar, and the captain was
imprisoned in his state-room. The steamer Nutrias, lying at her moorings
at Ciudad Bolivar, was forcibly taken possession of by the legitimate
government, converted into an armed vessel, and opened a naval
engagement against the steamer Hero, causing the Hero to suffer serious
damage.
The undersigned was on board of the steamer San Fernando, a new boat
making her first trip up the river Oronoco, and arrived at Ciudad
Bolivar at 2 p. m. on Sunday, September 3; found the town in possession
of the revolutionary party; also the steamer
[Page 910]
Hero with armed soldiers on hoard. I immediately
had the necessary proofs of capture and imprisonment certified by the
American consul, John Dalton, esq. I then demanded from the chief who
governed the city, the release of the steamer Hero, which was
peremptorily refused, and continued to exercise all the influence at my
command toward the release of the steamer, until the 5th instant, on
which day I was notified that if I would comply with their conditions
the Hero would be allowed to return to Port of Spain, viz:
1st. That the Hero should return from Port of Spain on the 10th, and
resume her regular trips.
2d. That the Nutrias, which had been carried off by the legitimate
government with government officers on board, to Trinidad, should
return.
3d. That I should use my influence to stop the steamer Dudley Buck from
running from Trinidad to Laguayra.
These were only such conditions which prisoners, as I considered myself
and the officers, could accept. The importance of communicating with the
United States by the mail-packet ship which was to leave Trinidad on the
8th September, and to preserve my property, gave me no choice but to
accept their conditions, which they declared must be in writing, and,
through one of their chiefs, my word as a mason. I left on the morning
of the 6th and arrived in Trinidad in time to connect with the mail of
the 8th instant, by which I had the consul’s dispatches forwarded. Copy
of his telegram to Secretary Fish I herewith inclose.
I returned with the Hero to Ciudad Bolivar, according to agreement, on
the 10th September, and the Nutrias left Trinidad on the 13th instant.
On my arrival at Ciudad Bolivar I found the steamer San Fernando in
possession of the military powers, and on the 14th instant, with the
American flag struck, she left on a military expedition up the rivers
Oronoco and Apure. To save the vessel, I prevailed upon the master and
engineer to remain on board as long as permitted. I left with the Hero
on the 17th instant.
As the steamer Dudley Buck is, by special contract of the company, bound
to and with Captain Trevirianas to make regular trips to transmit the
government mails, my influence, according to agreement, could not
prevent him from making this trip.
Your honor has now before you an unvarnished statement of facts; the
proof of nearly all is now in the hands of the United States Government.
That our Government will act promptly I cannot doubt, and it will be the
only means Of saving the vessels in these waters, as an attack, now
contemplated by the legitimate government upon Cuidad Bolivar, will,
without doubt, destroy our steamers.
I beg and pray of your excellency to make use of every means at your
command to protect and save from loss our vessels, for if the stars and
stripes, our pride and glory, are no guarantee to Americans in any or
every clime, I say for one, let me hoist a piece of calico in its
stead.
I have, &c., &c.,
Mr. John Dalton to Mr. Fish.
U. S. Consulate at Ciudad Bolivar,
State of Guayana, Venezuela,
September 6, 1871.
Sir: Two American steamers, namely, Hero and
Nutrias, have been seized by contending forces in Venezuela. American
citizens, officers of said steamers, are prisoners. Property and lives
of Americans and other foreign residents are in danger.
Full particulars of these outrages forwarded by mail to you.
National dignity and humanity compel me to apply to you for due
protection, to be granted at the earliest convenience.
JOHN DALTON, United States
Consul.
No. 2.
Mr. Edward M. Fitt to Mr. Jas. R. Partridge.
United States Consulate, Trinidad,
September 5, 1871. (Received October
21.)
Sir: I have the honor to inclose declaration on
oath of D.L. Sturges, master of the United States steamer Nutrias, as
also of Joseph Edny and John Lovell, first and second engineers of the
same vessel.
You will perceive that the Nutrias was taken possession of by President
Dalla Costa of the State of Guayana, and converted into a vessel of war
for the purpose of destroying the American steamer Hero, which, it is
said, was in possession of the other belligerent party.
[Page 911]
The Nutrias, which had two guns on hoard, discharged several cannon-shots
at the Hero to prevent her landing the troops which she had on
hoard.
As soon as Ciudad Bolivar was in the possession of the party styling
themselves the Blues, the government officers on board of the Nutrias
ordered Captain Sturges to sail for this port, where he arrived in the
morning of the 3d September. On arrival Captain Sturges went on board
Her Majesty’s ship Cherub to claim the protection of that vessel, which
was granted to him, or he would have been compelled by the government
officers to proceed in search of the Venezuelean steamer of war Oriente,
for the purpose of transferring the officers, men, and arms which she
had conveyed from Bolivar.
I have applied to the consuls at Martinique and Guadaloupe to send an
American steamer of war to Bolivar to investigate these matters without
delay, and afford protection to any American citizens who may require
it.
In conjunction with other consuls of this port, I applied to the governor
of this island to order Her Britannic Majesty’s ship Cherub to proceed
to Bolivar, for the purpose of affording an asylum to any foreign
citizens who might be in need of protection. This he declined doing
unless we could produce evidence that the lives of any of the foreign
citizens were in danger. As we could not produce this evidence, there
the matter ended.
On receipt of further information from Ciudad Bolivar I will communicate
it to you. I may add, the Hero, due yesterday, has not yet appeared. It
is reported that when the Nutrias left Bolivar she appeared to be on
fire. I cannot vouch for the correctness of this information. I think it
expedient that measures should be promptly taken to investigate these
occurrences.
I will communicate with the Department of State by the mail that leaves
here on the 8th instant.
Mr. J. W. Hancox, president of the Venezuela Steam Transportation
Company, is with the steamer San Fernando up the Oronoco River.
I have, &c., &c.,
EDWARD H. FITT, United States
Vice-Consul.
