The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1866-05-11
The Bombardment OF Valparaiso.

TIC BOmDdTuliitut VI tdipdfiiSU,
The Spanish Admiral Nunez, it APP
pears, bcmbarded Valparaiso in ODE
dience to orders from Spain which
left him, as he said, no discretion
The foreign residents IN the city made
Intellectual appeals, through their con
,uls. to b, We the city spared, as il
was utterly defeuceless and contained
so much foreign property. Admiral
Denman, the commander of the Eng.
hsh fleet, at first agreed with the
French, minister, and Com. Rodgers
commanding the L. S. squadron, tc
interfere and prevent bombardment
but two days previous the two former
left the city for Santiago, and Com
dodgers did not feel authorized to in
terfcre alone. SO the Spanish fleet
opened fire upon the city at 8 A. NJ
on the 31st of March Admiral Nu.
nez had given notice four days pre-
vious. of his intentions; SO that tho
city was emptied of inhabitants and
all the goods possible had been re-
moved At s A. III. the English ano
American squqdrons ,eoved out of th,
line Of fire to a position on the othel
side of the bay. Shortly before 8 til,
Spanish ships Villa de Madrid, Blan
ca. Resolution and Nencedor moved
into position within point blank range
Of the city. At nine A. NJ. the Blanca
opened fire, and immediately the
other three vessels followed her ex-
ample. About ten a. NJ. shell from
the Nancedore set fire to a building
and the flames soon spread with ra-
pidity. This vessel kept up steady
and very accurate fire upon the same
spot, and thus prevented the confia-
grafton from being extingulshed
About the same time the Custom
House took fire, and it and all the
government buildings III the vicinity,
including the bonded warehouses.
were, with their contents, entirely de-
stioyed. At little after noon the
Numancia made signal cease firing,
when the bombardment ended.
AS soon as the signal of the human
ella WAS distinguished the bells OF the
city were rung, and the iiremen who
had been prevented from approach
ing he fire rushed out with then en-
glnes while the people streamed down
from the hills 30 the city. Four OF
the custom houses were Oh fire, which
threatened every moment to enSelop
the others, and the three blocks oil
private buildings were already des-
troyed. The flames were spreading
with great rapidity, and the wind
freshened from the bay, but the fire.
men finally succeeded III checking the
progress of the fire, though not with
out the assistance Of fire companies
from Santiago and seven hundred
sailors sent ashore from our squadron.
The English Admiral sent a hundred
men to help put out the fire, but the
feeling against the British squadron
was SO bitter aisasS the people. IN
GLIDING all the English re2ldents, that
their assistance was declined, ard the
men returned to the ship. Troops
were stationed throughout the city to
protect property from evil disposed
persons, and the fire, which broke out
a number of times after beng appa-
rently overcome, was finally wholly ex-
one of the custom houses
being saved
Notwithstanding the promise of
Admiral Nunez to respect all church
and hospital buildings, every religious
and charitable institution was shelled.
None of the churches or hospitals re-
ceived less than three shots; and the
Convent of the Barron, on the hills,
which was occupied by women and
children, was struck twenty-one times.
Two women were killed in their
houses on the heights where every
one supposed they would have been
secure; and number of children are
reported TO have been killed in other
localities distant from the objects
by Admiral Nunez in his
Shots we're also fired at the
groups Of spectators mile from the
business part of the city, rendering it
necessary for the authorities to sta
ton line of sentries along the ridges
back of the town, SO as to prevent the
people from collecting in crowds and
thus drawing the enemy's fire.
THE TOTAL LOSS
is estimated at twenty millions of dol
lars. -Four large bonded warehouses,
with their contents, and twelve
squares of the business part of the
city were burned. Fortunately n
great portion of the property had
been removed from the private build
ings, so that these losses are limited
to the value of the structures. The
warehouses, however, were full of
American, French, English and Ger
man goods, there having been no OPP
portunity to get out any property
from the custom houses. Other esti-
mates make the loss only about ten
millions.