Nebraska advertiser., 1880-08-19
Terrific Force Of the EZplosion---one Eun
ared and Fifty Lives Lost.

PANAMA July 24.-The latest adj
vices, brought by the steamer from the
south Pacific, give intelligence of the
destruction of the CHILEAN transport
"Loa," not the Amazon as was previ-
ouSly announced. The demolition
was attended with terrible loss of life.
the vessel having got foul of torpedo
which was let loose by one of the pro-
vision boats in the bay of Callao. The
affair may be summed up as follows:
Prom the time the CHILEAN fleet has
been on the coast of Peru it has been
noticed that the officers and men were
particularly partial to fruits and vege-
tables, not being always careful to dis
tinguish between the market boat of a
neutral merchant vessel and the coast
ing boat of a Peruvian officer. At last
the Peruvian commander hit on a plan
TO turn it to. some practical account
Procuring suitable launch, he put a
torpedo into it and over this he placed
a false bottom resting on springs kept
down by the weight of the cargo. He
then loaded it with very choice as
sortment Of fruits, fowls, turkeys, veg
etables, &c, and towing it out toward
the blOckading squadron before day
light set it adrift. All day long the
launch floated about but the Chilians
failed to notice it, and about 5 o'clock
in the evening. fearing it would fall in
to neutral hands, boat was sent out
to bring it in. The 'Loa" was doing
duty and seeing the boat from the
shore making toward it, made for it.
Seeing this, the boat from the shore
beat hasty retreat, the ''Loa, lowered
two boats to take in the prize, and it
was brought alongside and the dis
charge at once commenced. As the
weight in the launch was diminished
the machinery in connection with the
torpedo was set free and in moment
800 pounds of dynamite were exploded
and the "Loa" was almost lifted off the
water. The effect, as described bv
those who were witnessing the opera
ton with breathleSs interest from the
shore, was awful in the extreme Ev-
cry house in Callao was shaken to its
foundation and every ship in the bay
shivered as though fearful earth
quake had spent its fury meath them.
The fatal ship appeared as if envel-
oped in one mass of flame which dis
solved itself into dense clouds of black
smoke. When this cleared away she
seemed not to have suffered. but sud
denly she was observed to sink at the
stern while her bows went high in the
air and the LOa disappeared forever.
At this time the "Blanco, ""Eucalada, :"
and the "Huascar." were some eight
miles distant from the scene and could
not render any assistance, but boats
from the neutral vessel near by were
lowered Immediately and proceeded to
the rescue of those who were seen in
the water The boats succeeded in
picking up thirty. Forty in all were
picked up, of whom it is thought many
will die. At least one hundred and
fifty men persisted. The only officers
saved are the second commander, the
doctor and the engineer. 4 CORES
pondent writing from Lima says that,
although the Gillian admiral had
agreed to allow foreigners to leave Cal
lao and Lima on neutral vessels, Senior
Pier0la has made a great objection to
their leaving and that ten or twelve
thousand foreigners in Callao and Lima
will have to remain. Some of the neu-
trail ships talk of leaving Callao, fear
ing more torpedoes.