Connecticut western news., 1880-08-11
Blown Up by a Torpedo.
HOW GILLIAN TRANSPORT WAS DESTROYED
 IN CALLAO BAY.

The Chilian transport Loa, purchased at the beginning of the present war, is the steamer which was blown up by a torpedo in Callao Bay on the 3d of July
 The affair caused great excitement in Lima and much glorifcation among the Peruvians. From the time the Chilian fleet has been on the coast of Peru it has been noticed that the officers and men were particularly partial to fruits and vegetables, not being always careful to distinguish between the market boat of neutral merchant vessel and the coasting boat of Peruvian. This fact impressed itself upon a Peruvian officer, and at last he hit on plan to turn it to some practical account. He took an or dlnary fruit boat, put torpedo in the bottom, and over this he placed @ false bottom, resting on springs, kept down by the weight of the cargo. He then loaded 1t with very choice assortment ot camotes, yucas, chirimoyas, grana- dlllas, fowls, turkeys, green vegetables, etc., and towing it out toward the block adlng squadron before daylight, set 1t adr1ft. All day long that launch hoated about, but the Chilians could not see it. About five o'clock in the evening, fear ing 1t would fall into neutral hands, 8 boat was sent out to bring it back. The Aoa was doing duty at the time, and seeing the boat from shore making to- ward the neutral vessels, caught sight of the launch, and at once turned toward 1t. Seeing this, the boat from shore beat nasty retreat. The Loa lowered two boats, which captured the prize and lowed it alongside, and the unloading was at once begun. As the weight in the launch was diminished, the machin- cry in connection with the torpedo was set free, and in moment 300 pounds of dynamite were exploded, and the Loa was almost lifted out of the water. The effect, as described by those who were watching the operation with breatbless interest from the shore, was awful in the extreme. Every house in Callao was shaken to its foundations, and every ship ln the bay shivered as though fearful earthquake had spent it's fury beneath them. The fated ship appeared as en- veloped in one mass of flame, which re- solved itself into dense clouds of black smoke. When this cleared away she seemed not to have suffered, but sudden ly she was observed to sink at the stern while her bows went high in the air, and the Loa disappeared forever.
 While all this was goingo the Blancc Encalada and the Huascar were in thei1 accustomed positions, some eight miles distant, too far to render any assistance to their comrades, or such of them as were left struggling in the water. The boats of the Thetis and Penguin picked up thirty men, the Alaska one, the Decres three or four, and the Garibald
 six, making about forty in all, of whom it is probable many will die. At least 15O men perished. The only officers saved are the Second Commander (wounded), the Doctor and one engineer
 The explosion occurred very close to the anchorage of the neutral squadron, ano the disaster might very easily have hap pened to one of them. The boat resem bled the ordinary fruiters, which nigh accidentally have broken adrift and go out tossea.