The New York herald., 1879-11-15
THE HUASCAR.
Details Of the Great Iron
Clad Fight.
ADMIRAL GRAU'S DEATH.
Five Different Officers Successfully AS
sumo Command.
REPORT '0F THE CHILEAN ADMIRAL.
ADMIRAL GRAU'S DEATH.
REPORT OF THE CHILEAN ADMIRAL


on the 10th inst aud sent forward with an especial
Commission board by the government. de-
spatched the first intelligence received regarding the
great naval battle of Mejillones de Bolivia. and
now, from the reports brought up by the steamer
Ilo. am enabled to give the following particulars
respecting this phenomenal hgnt. 1t must be recol
lected however, that official details have come to
hand. and it will become painfully apparent why
such reports have not been transmitted when this
letter is read. 1t about nine o'clock the
morning of the sth of this month when Admiral
Grau, on board the Huascar. little north of Meji
loncs de Bolivia latitude % deg SIS min South. lon
g.tude 70 deg. 80 min Vest. that his vessel was
effectualy hemmed in by the two Chilean squad
rons-one following him fas. from the southwark,
composed Of the Banco Encalada and two wooden
vettes and the other cutting off his further advance
made up of the remaining ron-clad the Lord Coch-
rane. with some more wooden vessels in attendance.
The odds overwhelming. From the first Grau
readily comprehended that there hope for
his comparatively weak ship against the tremendous
and united power Of the enemy. but the thought Of
surrender entered his mind. One single
timent must have animated the brave men on board
the doomed ram. and that to maintain the honor
Of their flag and vessel.
PREPARING FOR THE STRUGGLE.
Admiral Grau immediately ran in to shore
as was prudent, presenting his ship bow on to the
approaching enemy and signalling to the Union the
Peruvian corvette in convoy. to save herself by
means of her vastly superior speed. The Cochraue
the first to come within gunshot and at 5000
metres. at half-past nine A. M, tho Huascar dis
charged her two turret guns. sOO-pound Armstrong
rifles at the Chilean. then the port bow receiving
in return the fire of her starboard battery of three
cannon Of the same calibre in casemate. The fire
soon became animated. and although wild at first
was afterward brought down to fair practice. The
Huascar. hoping to improve the moment, for the
other Chilean iron-clad yet half hours dis
tance away. plunged forward at the Cochrane at full
speed trusting that by her rapidity the attempt at
rammlng might be successful But the Cochrane.
fresh from her thorough repairs in Valparaiso and
with the nestimable advantage Of her twin screws.
turned easily in her own length, and the bafied
passed astern. discharging nevertheless her two
guns point blank at the stern of her antagonist In
| one hour and eight minutes the Huascar fred her
| two turret guns she has others couple OF
deck forty pounders) twenty-five times to the thirty
| shots received from the six 30o-pounders Of the
| Cochrane. This is unanimously admitted to have
been most excellent work. The Huascars turret is
only thirty feet in diameter and the cannon had to
| be drawn in for loading. But ut ten minutes to
| eleven up came the Blanco Encalada with the CON-
mander of the Aeet Captain Galvarino Rivero. on
board and then the cannonade began to produce its
| terrible effect the noble Huascar.
| GRAU MoRrALLY WOUNDED
| The fire from this iron-clad was Immediately per-
ceiyed be elective. The stern of the Husscar her
most vulnerable point. was the object aimed In
| moment the steering gear was disabled and from
the incessant volleys proceeding from the Gatling
guns and raemen in the Chilean tops it impos-
sble to properly repair the injury. Then the guns
of the Chileans turned against the fighting tur
ret of the ram and the commanders post Of obser-
/ A~k.-~ A..
smoke stack. This was blown to pieces by two sue
cessive shells. and Admiral Grau at tho first dis
charge was mortally wounded. 1t Is stated that one
| of his legs carried away. He borne down to
the cockpit. where the surgeons attending him
when solid shot from the enemy entered the stern
of the Huascar. and. driving along side Of the
cabins and hold passed the forecastle leav-
ing hole large enough to admit ordinary cutter
| This shot put end to the brave Admiral and to
| many of his officers and men who in the same
| spot under the surgeons treatment.
| COMMANDER AFTER COMMANDED KILLED.
| The second officer Captain Elias Aguirre assumed
command Of the vessel. although resistance seemed
| to be hopeless Tho tower referred to having been
| destroyed Aguirre placed himself in the fighting
| turret and moment afterwsrd the Chileans. now
| at 300 metres range. and sometimes approaching
| within ton metres. managed to land q shell 900
FOUNDER, through one Of the portfolios of the tur-
| ret. breaking and disabling of the rams only
| two guns and killing Aguirro and all who were
serving the piece. The Huascar. however. con-
| tinucd her fire with her remaining gum the mon
| covered with the blood of their dead and wounded
comrades who were lying in all directions about
| them Below decks the dark alleyways and narrow
| compartments of the Huascar filled with the
| heroic fellows who had fallen. and with difficulty
| could the survivors reach their posts Captain
Melton Carbajal, tho flag officer, succeeded Aguirre
| in command. but almost instantly shot down
| by the enemy. This about half-past eleven A.
| M. Then the mast nearly divided by solid
shot, rendering further service of the mtraleuse in
the top perfectly impossible. Lieutenant Jose Rod
riguez. the next In rank, commanded tine vessel
| then, and was Immediately killed by tho encmy's
| fire from their tops.
| HEROIC DEFENCE THE WRECK
The ram helpless wreck. As the Chill
| can commander says in his report. 'she bat
tered to pieces. Her rudder ana steering gear had
! long since been damaged irretrcvably; her turret
smashed and distorted to an unimaginsble shape;
] ono gum broken and dismounted, and tho other.
! almost without men TO work 1t, exposed to tho
| heavy discharges from the twelve Chilean 800
pounders their ships being stationed within bis
cults throw from the Huascar. But the Peruvian
| flag still noated the dsuntess craft. The ffth
| aspirant to glory took command. four having
already as we have seen. been killed desperately
| wounded. Lieutenant Enrique Paiacios. young
of enviabc standing in tho SERVICE the last
| to give the word to his docimated followers. But
these men oven yet had no thought Of yielding.
The Chileans. possibly desiring to preserve their
certain prlze soinblance OF her former SELF
| sent boarding force to take her. The gallant de-
tenders Of the Peruvian vessel met the boarders ut
the bulwaks--such as were left-and drove them
back but with enhanced losses for themselves
| Waarv blood-covered and n mum bcr the effort
was enough to exhaust their strength. 1t was the
struggle of tho dying lion. When the attempt was
| repeated, a few moments afterwsrd, the Chileans
| gained tho deck and gained the victory.
| THE PERUVIAN FLAG HAULED DOWN.
| But they pulled down the Peruvian hag Out Of