Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-05-20
PAUL BOYTON.
An interesting Talk With the Fa'
nous Navigator.
His Adventures in Trying to Sink
the Gillian Fleet.
A Running Talk in Regard 70 the
War.
Cincinnati Commercial, ISL

I Cincinnati Commercial, ISL
Captain Paul Boyton visited Cincin-
natl Tuesday on his way from the east
10 st. Louis, where he intends making
ARRANGEMENTS for a float down the up.
per Mississippi, from St. Anthony's
Falls down to the wharf at st. Louis,
Some time this summer he intends TO
make the descent of the st, Lawrence
over the various rapids, and possibly
the descent ofthe Niagara, from the
falls through the rapids and whirlpool
to L~ewistown. He is anxious to make
these trips before completing his book
"Roughing it in Rubber considering
/ those trips Of even more interest than
any he has made in the past.
His recent services in the Peruvian
navy, and his escape a month ago
from Callao, were the subject of a
conversation yesterday between him
and a Commercial reporter. His pc
culiar service in the torpedo depart
ment of the navy added special inter
est to his story.
The talk is reproduced below as
nearly as possible in the captains own
words:
lie said that he was engaged by
Don Nicholas, the president or die
tator of the Peruvian republic, last
summer for the torpedo service, the
special duty of which was the sinking
of the Chilian blockading feet. He
had met the president at the Paris
exposition, and they then had free
conversations together. Captain Boy
ton said yesterday: Il had perfected
a torpedo of my own, that | think is
ahead of anything else gotten up. 1t
is a simple little contrivance, made
to contain 100 pounds Of dynamite, a
little bit Of a thing with rubber tube
attachments, that could be stuck to
! the bow of a vessel by the suction
prlnciple-the same as that used by a
fly when its walks on the wall all
you have 10 do is to clap the tube on
the how OF the vessel, and. when the
vessel moves it carries the torpedo
underneath. The motion of the yes
sci through the water sets some fanges
in motion, which after a certain num-
Der of revolutions, strike the dynamite
and explode it. My contract with
Don Nicholas was that l should be
commissioned a captain in the Peru
Wan navy, allowed a sufficient force Of
assistants, given a little steam launch
that was being built at Providence or
some other New England port, capable
of making twenty-three miles an hour,
and paid 500, 900 for the first CHILEAN
ship | would blow up, $250,00 for the
second, and s300,000 tor the third, 60
ing on in that way, you see, so as to
encourage the thing. The contract
has never been published, but l don't
object now to tell of it. | started
down from New York by way of Pana-
ma, but had to keep the thing very
quiet, because there were CHILEAN
spies all around at New York and at
Panama too. | landed in Peru at a
little unfrequented port northwest Of
Lima, and made my way across the
hot pampas, wei the sand and Under
the sun on mule back, with all my bag
gage and torpedo appliances in trans
port the same way. Striking the out
posts of the Peruvian army [ was
stripped, and my explanation that |
was on a special commission of the
president not belng'satisfactOry, l was
sent to him under guard, while my
baggage was detained. At Lima Don
Nicholas received me very cordially
in the blue room Of the executive resi-
depce, and sent for my baggage, with
the torpedoes."
What became of your steam
launch?"
1T never came. Instead of that
was SEM to Chorollis, and given a
small sloop. At Chorollis the block
aiding feet was very watchful, and
while they cruised up and down in
front Of the port during the day, or
lay at anchor, they pulled out at sun
down. They were afraid Of the torpe-
does"
How did you get along with the
sloop2"
"0ne trouble with the sloop was in
consequence Of the fears of the sailors,
They know that the Chilian govern
ment had issued an order to hang all
torpedo men caught, and they were
afraid Of their necks from the begin
ming. Our plan was to drop me out
into the sea in my rubber at night
with a torpedo, that [ was to carry
out to the blockader but l couldn't
get the sailors to venture outside the
island with the sloop or bring me near
enough to the feet to enable me To
swim TO it in time to allow any reas-
enable hope for escape after attaching
the torpedo. Another trouble was
from the extraordinary amount Of
phosphorus in the water, which lit up
at night as brightly almost as the
moonlight. We made one attempt on
the feet by landing enc night on q Of
the islands. A Gillian outpost stood
on a steep cliff Of rock on the island
nearly 500 feet above the sea. We
landed and brought a torpedo ashore,
and while | was preparing to float out
with it the sound Of lowering the an.
Choir attracted the attention ofthe
guards above, and they Immediately
opened FIRE on US. The sloop pulled
away and left me alone on shore with
my torpedo and my rubber suit. Those
islands, owing to their peculiar geolog-
ic formation, are generally cut by the
action Of the sea into caves. Probably
the most interesting caves 10 the
world are in those islands scattered
along the Peruvian coast. Some Of
them are $50 feet high or more, and
extend a great distance back under
the islands, and the sides show an i'm.
mense growth Of sea weed CT various
colors. One Of them has a small open
ing in the roof, through which the
sunlight pours. lighting up the cavern