The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-09-22

Others wounded. The Plainly which with the Bar
roso and Rio Grande moved up and engaged tne pa-
terles while the other three up was struck ten
times, and towards the end OF the AFFAIR ner urIet was
up o IA sp nS t aad vine While
carpenter cut away the circle OF WOOD AROUND te .ui
ret in order to free it. The shot when strucs eis
wood damned a splinter under tue turret ana aiso
sent many inside and the commander complains OF
this and other dangers arising from the want oi
suitable collar 10 tne tufre,, vii; m WEDGE and throw
grenades and combustIbles through the wlde space
between its lower end ana the aeck. Two snoIs
striking simultaneously on the bows, below water,
stopped the vessel for moment. The BarrOs0 was
not nit and the Rio Grande received only two Shots
Admiral Inha1ma explains why only six IRON
| clads were sent past Humata and the comparative
inaction of them as arising from the extreme diff
| Guilty OF supplying them with coal, munitions and
| other supplies. Although the railway made did
good service it was only temporary, owing to the
| rise of water over 1t. In sending up three more
rou-clads upon the 21st of July he was induced by
the belief that further OF the river was be
feared and by the knowledge that much artillery
had been removed from Humaita, and that from
this and other similar reasons little risk would be
run by the ron-cads then sent up, as proved to be
the case.
The cannon found in Humait4 numbered 177. The
largest was 12Opounder rifle and the others varied
from 32pounders down. exclusive Of o 1Oinch NOR
tar. The Paraguayans are known to have had
another l2O-p0under rifle, but 1t Is supposed to be
out of sight In the river, along with many others
from the river batteries. Three 6-pounder rocket
on1es we're aiso got. rev maskets were lett behind
stocks. Some Others had been got 0ut OF the river.
Ammunition was very abundant and about 900 to the
piece existed when the Paraguayans evacuated.
Most OF the cartridges had been thrown into the
bitches and watercOurses. The lantern shot, whether
tincase or hide covered, was chiefly composed OF
fragments OF shells thrown in, OF pieces OF chain,
OF hoop iron, of broken nails and screws, &C., all
very rusty. In one of twenty-four pound calibre a
small Ratchet was found, all which the Brazilian
engineer considers very sharp practice.
In the battery on the ChacO twentyf0ur cannon
were Gand two Of them mora one brass piece
1885, $500 and 1906. The largest cannon was one 6s'
FOUNDER.
The boom which was 80 long an insuperabe obsta.
Gle to the ascent Of the Brazilian vessels consisted
In the middle, OF two chains Of twonch iron one Of
which had parted, two hundred and fifty yards in
length, and another OF three-quarter-nch iron two
hundred and lightweight yards long. These central
CHAINS were secured at the extremities to
around piles. driven in at the sides OF the
river, and had been kept ahoat by iron tanks and by
flats; but the latter having been sunk the tanks were
drawn down by this weight Of the chains and SO al
lowed the vessels to pass over. formal act Of
opening the river, but cutting loose the boom, was
drawn UP upon the 27th and the boom was divided
into three equal parts of which was sent to the
capital OF each OF the allies, "as trophy commence
rative of one Of the boldest feas in the present
tury." AT the Humaita side the boom passed into
the river through tunnel cut to the waters edge.
The London battery had classmates for its sixteen
cannon.
Humaia Is described as inferior in its position and
It's construction to Curupaity. The form is an ir-
regular, almost circular, polygon, with perimeter
OF some seven and half miles length mounted with
about two hundred cannon The works follow the
course which the nature OF the terrene pointed out
and rendered SO deensible. The ditch is sixteen
feet wide and thirteen Deep In general. The para
pet Is six and half feet wide, and, the side of
the allied POSITIONS s sustained inside by trunks Of
palms and shows signs OF age. The glacs Is natu-
raj and the abats on 1t was Of little strength, being
merely boughs Of trees without connection or fasen-
protection by terreplene from projectes. The line
that was opposed to the allied armies Is covered
wa salient ss to give sSe tSs fire
cover them to the river: o. this " sISs
abattis was only a sham OF branches. On the river
side the best works and the heaviest cannon are
found. The former consist Of sig large and well
structed batteries, OF which the "London battery Is
the only one casemated. This one is 100 PAGES long,
with parapet eight PAGES thick, all Of masonry.
No large central redOubt existed inside the fortress
1t has inside very large exercise ground, round
which buildings were ranged with barrack room for
SIX thousand men. Furniture was got in ALL and in
the officers houses quantities Of preserves, OIL wines
and pickles were left behind.
As the buildings were in comparatively good con-
moved from Correntes to it, and 1t will be the basis
OF future operations
To evacuate Humata the Paraguayans had eighty
or one hundred boats and the evacuation was going
on for o week before 1t was completed. First the
families were removed then the SICK the prisoners,
large quantity OF munitions, the remainder of the
food and finally the garrison, the outposts being
maintained to the last moment to deceive the allies.
least third of the garrison passed through the lake
In the middle OF the narrow peninsula with
out exciting suspicion and Il was only on the
became aware OF the fact that the garrison was with
drawing to limbo.
The allied forces in the Chaco were then raised to
q, 900 men and the gunboats were brought up and
yrape poured into the peninsula, which,
however, being covered with bush, thickets and tall
eeds, favored the conceament OF the Paraguayan
movements. Hidden In the thickets, the Paraguay
ms had some heavy cannon which played on the
strong battery which guarded them from attack on
that side. They transported boats overland to the
lake and armed some with small cannon, and during
the night OF the 18th doubt manv escaped, being
assisted by the Paraguayans in limbo.
During the 26th the escape continued, but the allies
made great eXertons to open space for their fire and
TO carry small cannon over to commanding points.
In doing this they were frequently attacked by the
At night OF the 26th great effort was made by
the Paiaguayans to escape IN the darkness. with
thirty forty boats and six hundred TO eight hun
dred men. Being discovered heavy fire was kept
up upon them and some OF the boots were forced to
return, but others with the support OF the armed
boats OF the limbo Paraguayans. succeeded IN pass
ing, but with heavy loss. Gelly y Obe5 says they
lost five hundred out Of one thousand
Two more fats with cannon were brought from
limbo and placed in the lake, and on the 27th the
Brazilians dragged some from the river to
tend with them on the lake.
After reconnaissance on the 27th In which loss
was experienced, on the 2sth an assault was at
tempted by the BraZilians, to the number OF three
thousand to four thousand men, upon the battery
which the Paraguay ans had but they were received
with 80 severe a fire from the battery and from in
fantry posted In the woods that they were forced to
retire after losing four hundred men In the vain
attempt.
Fights continued daily and nightly between the
allies and the garrison aided In their attempts to
escape by the Paraguayans OF limbo, and on the
night OF the 10Th the last sent over some twenty
boats 10 transport part OF the garrison across and
carry cooked meat to the rest only few succeeded
getting over, because OF the fire poured in from
eleven cannon and large number OF troops.
On the night OF the 3lst some twelve boats made
an attempt to escape, but were beaten back by the
armed boats stationed on the lake. They, however,
returned suddenly, and, overpowering one Of the
m nr md
AT midnight OF the LIST OF August another affair
occurred eight or ten Paraguay an boats making the
attempt to pass the line OF armed boats. but their
movements being seen the one I'm which Colonel Her.
mosa went was run down and destroyed, with all
Its crew. eight boats were captured ana their crews
mostly killed or drowned. On bringing the boats
to land and examining the bodies some dead women
were found dressed in soldiers clothes. OF the thirty
or twenty-five wounded two or three were women,
one with an infant whose arm was traversed by
ball. Some other young children were likewise
among the saved