The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-11-30
GRAU'S LAST FIGHT.
Another Account of the Capture
of the Huascar.
Details of the Battle us Told by the
Survivors Admiral Graus Ter
rible Death Scenes on the
Huasoaris Deck Chill
ion Admiration of
Their Foes.

ANToPEsksrA Chill. Oet. 16.-The outlines
of the great naval battle off the Bay of Me.
jllloncs, ON October =, have Of course, long
before this reached the outside world, but the
d tails of thts most dramatic OF modern con.
tests ON tho SIT nre yet to be fold The Huas.
car was almost the sole hope OF tho Peruvian
government III her war with Chill on the
water. She WAS admirably adapted to inter-
Gept aud capture ChiItau merchantmen snt
transports. and thus strike IN effective blow
at Chilan eommeree, and 1t was for precisely
this purpose that she WAS used by tho Peru
vlans. The record of her deeds In this line wns
a long one. On the very spot where she wae
captured she hal sunk In ono day alone four
teen CHILEAN vessels, laden with coal she had
nlone bomharded Antofagasta. and silenced
It's batteries; In n single day she had cap
tured and burned three Gillian briggs; and,
in fact, she had become such an annoyance.
not to say terror, to the Chl,ian government,
that 1t WAS determined TO capture hor Ut all
hazards. 1t was known that tho Huaacar
and the Union had sailed from Iauiaue on
October /. to continue their depredations Oh
CHILEAN commerce.. and n ileet of eight vessels
was sent out to intercept and capture them.
The Huhscar WIS II monitor OF 1850 tons
measurement. and carried two Armstrong
3OD-pounders In her turret aud two 4O-ponnd-
eTs on deck. In tho terrible conflict through
which she passed, however. these latter were
Of little use on account Of tho height Of the
Chlian vessels. She WAS manned by 17C
men. and commanded by the pride Of the
Peruvian navy, Roar Admiral Don Miguel
Grau.
Four OF the CHILEAN fleet were discovered
by Admiral Grau. about j 80 H. m. on October
q. 10 tho south OF him, and in close pursuit.
To have attempted to give battle to this SUI
perior force would have been simply criminal
reckles5nces, and 50, trusting to tho speed OF
his two vessels. Admiral Grau attempted to
escape by going northward. The Union ls a
remarkably fast vessel, md rapidly Increased
the gap between herself and her enemies.
The Huascar WAS not SO fast, but che, too,
was making good headway. aud In a fair way
Of escaping, when suddenly, just after pass
Ing this port, ut about s 80 In the morning,
aud when off the little strip of Bolivian ter
ritory which He's between Chill and Peru, she
found herself confronted by the Chiltan iron
clad frigate Cochrane, the corvette O'Hig-
gins and the transport Loa. They were to
rapidly down upon her. Meantime the iron
clad Banoo Encalada hnd left the three
wooden ships of the First Division of the
Chiltnn tleet to pursue the Union, and had
made her course direct for the Huasear. Adj
mIraf Hrau found himself thus with N for
midahle foe, both In front and rear. He knew
That To engage with them meant utter defeat,
mud lie kept on In his northe ly course, hug
gtng the eoast closely. The Union, meantime,
loft the Huascar To her fate, scudded rapidly
IN the coast, and escaped to Arlca tho OiIig-
gins and the Lon, which had been dispatched
Ia pursuit, proving too slow to ovgrtnke her.
When off the Bay OF Majillones Admiral
arhu saw that escape was impossible. and
hat
or surrender without striking n blow In de-
Tense. This latter alternative 1t WAS impos-
slbe for u man Of his bravery and patriotism
to consider seriOusly for moment, and the
Htlhsear was put Ia readiness for action.
What took place on board after the deter
mlnntion to fight was arrived at Ia only known
from thestatements of the survivors. At 9:i5
the doomed monitor found herself between
the two ironctads, md n gun from her turret
was ut once her defiance To the enemy and
the signal for the battle TO begin. At the
same time tho HuaBcar attempted to use her
ram on the CoGhrane, which WAS the nearest
Of the CHILEAN vessels, but by d skIElTuI
mannuvre the Cochrane was turned. and Tho
ram failed to strike her. Both tho CHILEAN
vessels are SO constructed that they can turn
suddenly by means OF their double screws,
and this fact gave them great advantage In
tho BATTLE The Huascar found 1t impos-
slble to uss her ram ut all, owing to this
facility OF her enemy for turning short
Tho Cochrane answered the fire of the
Huascar with u broadside from her 300
Founders, which did terrible damage to the
monitor. The Blanco Encaiade was not yet
within cannon shot, and for ali hour the con-
test was waged between the Cochrane and the
Huascar alone. During that time the Chilidn
Tired thirty shots and the Peruvian twenty
five The latter was fairly battered to pieces,
but still her flag lew, and though her decks
were strewn with the dead bodies and mangled
limbs OF her brave crew, there were no signs
of any disposition TO lower It, 1t began to
look, rs an officer of the Cochrane said. as
though every man on board was determined
to die Mt his post. Admiral Grau, ut the be-
ginning OF the unequal battle. had taken his
position in the wutch-tower Of the Com
maDder, which Is just aft OF the gnn-turrst.
This watCh-tower iB SO constructed that
while 1t is intended to protect the Com
mander, 1t ls really the Enost dangerous place
on board 1t Is hexagonal In shape, and 10
formed Of plates os iron three inches thick
on the outside. Within Is a casing Of teak
wood eight inches In thickness, and still
within this q half inch layer OF iron. The
third shot struck the tower, crushed through
the outer iron, and shattered the wood to
fragments. Admiral Grau was at once killed.
The splinters from the wood after such 3.
conclusion would have been enough TO have
killed him. The only portion or the brave
mans body that was found after the surren,,
der OF the monitor was one foot and Il small
part OF tao leg. These We're identified by the
boot. Tho admiral was literally blown TO
fragments. Soon after the wreck OF the
tower Senior Agulrre, who had taken COM
mand, was struck ON the head by ono ot the
three-pou shot, the whole top being car
ried away, leaving only g part OF the lower
jaw, with the beard hanging to 1t. His right
arm and side, when found, were completely
crushed In. and In his right leg were four
gaping wounds, supposed to have been made
by an exploding shell.
10 was about All hour after the action begun
when the BIanco Enoalada reached the scene
nsNl kr,rk
which was now mere floating coffin. 1t
vas thirty-fiye minutes more, however, be-
fore the flag was hauled down and the shot
ceased to fall on the monitor. She was then
boarded by an officer OF the Blanco ancalada,
and the prisoners and wounded were taken
off. The scene presented was q frightful one: