Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-10-22
AN EARLIER FARRAGUT.
How Blake Kan the Batteries Two Hundred Year.
Ago.

admiral ROBERT Blake, OF CrOm.
wallis time, is the subject OF a new
volume the author being David Han.
nay. Blake was quiet country gen.
tleman and M. P. until he was nearly
fifty years OF age; yet between the
years 1648 and 1857 he beat the ia
NOUS Dutch Admirals OF his day;
humbled Portugal on the sea; chastis-
ed the pirates of Algiers and Tunis;
battered down the icrts on Tunis Bay,
supposed to be impregnable, and burn
ed nine of the Dey's ships; defeated
the Spanish ships at Cadiz,
and, rs q climax, captured six
Spanish treasure ships in the deep
and narrow-mouth bay OF Santa
Cruz de Teneriffe, bristling with forts.
Blake ran the gauntlet OF the castles
at. the mouth of the bay, and so en-
gagged the Spanish ships that they
must be under fire also if the shore
batteries continue to fire upon him.
Mr.. Hannay thus outlines the fight:
wind and tide suited ON the morning
of April 20, 1857, when Blake reached
the bay and stood in at once under
press OF canvas. During four hours
the battle ragged chiefly with the GAL
Icons. On board the smaller ships and
in many OF the batteries the Spanish
gunners must have stood idle, watch
ing the battle in the middle OF the har-
Dor as we'll as the clouds of smoke
rolled on shore by the sea breeze would
allow them. The unmasked batteries
were swept by the fire Of Blake's gum
ners, and the smoke lifted only when
the six galleons had struck, one after
another. Then the crews boarded
and drove the Spanish out, to
swim on shore or drown on the
way. For the moment this success
only increased Blake's danger since the
Spaniards could not use all theirguns
with the certainty that they could on
ly hit an enemy. The gal'eons would
still screen the English ships, but the
prize crews must have suffered heav-
lily. It was found impossible to bring
out the treasure ships and orders
were given to fire them. When the
flames had caught, the English, in the
confidence OF their superiority, fell up.
on the small ships anchored under the
forts and fired them also. By this
time the tide had begun to turn, and
the English fleet drifted out leaving
the sixteen galleons and pataches blaz.
ing in a great semicircle between them
and the batteries. At this moment
the wind, which had been blowing
steadily into the bay, veered round
and began to blow equally steadily
of the land. 1t was not squally, with
Gains, from the mountains, but
8 strong, even breeze, before which
the English feet regained it's position
OH Cadiz with ease. Blake's ships
had shattered the forts, sunk the
Spanish ships and got free Of the har-
Dor before the wind turned, but it's
opportuneness and the trifling price
paid for the victory-as Mr.. Hannay
concludes-wentt to make up the mar
velous character Of the fight. The
total loss to the English in killed and
wounded had been less than two hum
dred men. The loss Of the Spaniards
is said to have been frlghtful." This
was doing well for man who, up to
the age Of forty mine, had been q lands
man. Before that, however, he had
been valiant and successful leader
in Cromwelrs militia. In Parliament
he had cut no great figure. The
fight Of Santa Cruz was so mir
aculous, = says the Earl Of Clarendon
that oil men who knew the place won-
dered that any sober man, with what
courage soeyer endowed. would have
undertakenit;; they could hardly per.
suade themselves to believe what they
had done, whilst tho Spaniards COM
forted themselves with the belief that
they were devils and not men, who had