A MUTINOUS NAVY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 223, 14 January 1911, Page 9

A MUTINOUS NAVY

It 10 DK JAXIKIIO SHI'XLKD. London, November 20. A somewhat serious naval mutiny luu broken out at Rio tie Janiero. The vessels involved were the newly-built Brazilian Dreadnoughts, Minns Geraes and Sao Paulo, the later of whieh was at Lisbon (hiring the recent revolution, and afterwards sailed for Brazil, conveying Marshal lleames Konseca, the Presidentelect, back to his native land, after his tour in Europe. The crew murdered some of their ollicers, shipped the others on land, and then fired shells on the city. The men then offered to surrender if an amnesty were guaranteed and. tlneir demands attended to. This demand is under consideration by the Senate, and, in official language, the incident is regarded as closed. The result was entirely nonpolitical, and was confined to the sailors. Captain JNwes, commanding the Minns denies, had 011 Tuesday night been (lining on uoai'u ...e French cruiser Dugnny Tronin. Towards 10 p.m. he returned to his ship, and as be stepped on board there was a great uproar, mingled with the report of rifles. This was the first intimation of the mutiny. The captain and two officers, supported by a few bluejackets, resisted their assailants, but Here soon despatched, while another officer was mortally wounded. The crew shouted "Long live liberty!" This success was immediately followed l)y a mutiny 011 the other Dreadnought, the Sao Paulo, and the scout Bahia. All the ollicers were put ashore, and a first-class seaman named .Toao <Jandido took command of the squadron. The ships wme abundantly supplied with ammunition and provisions, and they requisitioned coal from the private depot on Vianna Island. They also seized some barges carrying coal to the French mail steamer Atlantique and the British steamer Oronsa. utter a bombardment of the city was begun, and kept up at intervals throughout the night, causing consternation among the inhabitants. In the morning a gun was occasionally fired by the mutineers. The mutinous ships, nearly all Hying the red flag, proceeded to perform some evolutions in the bay. The loyal torpedo destroyers took up stations at the end of the bay in readiness to torpedo the mutineers at the word of command. At 7 o'clock the Minas Geraes, Sao Paulo, Bahia and Flsriano crossed the bar and opened fire on the forts, which did not reply. As soon as they were over the bar the mutineers put about, and re-entered the b&v, taking up positions commanding the city, anil firing their guns at various points. One shell of small calibre penetrated a house on Castello Hill, in the middle of the city. Two children and a woman in the street were killed. During the day the naval arsenal formed a special target for the mutineers. At midday a boat flying a white flag hailed the Sao 'Paulo.' 011 board it was a deputy and retired naval officer named Cnrvalho, who came to parley. Later he went on board to convey the terms on which the Government would accept surrender. According to a Belgian at present in London, discontent has been smouldering for some time past among the Brazilian sailors, who complain of their inconsider-, ate treatment and inadequate pay. This discontent was greatly accentuated by the visit to England ot the crews whose business it was to take the new Dreadnoughts and destroyers out to Rio. These men saw how different their conditions of life were from those of the sailor in the British Navy, and probably made up their minds to make an early effort to better their condition while such powerful weapons of compulsion were ready to their hands.