Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-08-11
THE COAL LOADED.
INTERNAL MACHINES, BOMBS, AND
DANGEROUS EXPLOSIVES IN
BLOCKS or FUEL.
Exciting Adventure on Board tho Good
Ship Waterce-An Earthquake
at africa.


New York sun.l
AZ Tho close Of our civil war I was or
dcred 20 duty on board the United States
steamship Natcrcc, then attached to the
Pacific squadron, and in May, 1866, | sailed
from New York ga Panama, and joined
her 90 Callao. Peru, in time 10 witness the
bomtardment OF that city by tho spanish.
The Spanish squadron had been block
aiding the coast Tor some time, and had
nearly exhausted the coal supply; 30 when.
on thc morning of the night, the Wa
tCrCc-hAVinr been designated 10y our
admiral as advance or guard ship
OF the American squadron discovered
EUgc loaded with fine pressed
blocks ~ biimainous coal adrift IN the
harb0r tho prize seemed too valuable TO
neglect Accordingly line was made
fast, and for sone time we towed It about.
As the fight grow furious the barge be-
came an impeachment. and our captain de-
tcrmincd To unload II into @ nearly empty
bunker and cut the barge adrlft.
The many hands OF a man-o wars crew
made short work Of the transfer, but
rs tho hremcn commenced breaking
tho square blocks TO even of the
fires. 90 their horror they found IN
ono OF the first broken siX-pound
shell. Throwing open the furnace-doOrs
they saw several more snucly bedded
~ tho glowing Goals. Il is needless 70 sag
There was % grand rush for the deck. The
explosion az one az the shells would have
been death 10 the stOkers from scAldlng
steam or boiling water. We had among
our junior officers q no'cr-dO-wcll
q am assistant engineer. who was
alWe3s IN trouble and Was even
tnU under arrest Tor some IN
fraction Of the regulations. lie was sitting
ucar the cueInc-rOom hatch when the
frightened crowd dashed by him. without
= &. fs.Ht ffn VA
through them 10 the fire-room. A
clauco through the stll open doors dis
closed tho trouble. Instantly he raked
the dangerous masses from their fiery bed,
and. gathering them on shovel, flew on
dccl and cast hem, kissing, into the ocean.
A moments delay and the old Wa.eree
would probably never have lived to form
the central figure Of ono of the erandest
disasters Of modern history.
Az examination disclosed the fact that
orr iuupctnt-lOokiug COtl waS loaded with
Internal machines shells and illuminate
of mercury enough 60 have blown up a
doz % fleets # igmtcd. OF course We lost
no tame lu dumping our dangerous acqui-
sfiun overheard and one could hardly
help laugMng az the gngcrlv way The sail
ors handled the Jumps, and Sid them
quietly into The water Ihe barge htd
been prepared by the Poruvaus for the
Sunuish. whom they expected would puck
u up. and TINS boz destroyed.
The Natcroc was line side-wheel IRON
ship If some 200 tons burden, one of
cla- designed 10 meet the cXiccncics of
bloc, aiding duty On the narrow and tortu-
or- rivers Of the South. She carried an
enormous battery and was quite large
ship. vet she only drew nine feet
of watcr and could steam IN either
direction. having rudder at each end.
Tins result was obtained By building
q 3 l...f u
conformation did not add to her speed
OF her value as "a sea-boat,7t enabled her 20
carTy tine battery aud berth the crew OF
shin of nearly twice her tonnage of the
ordinary model. and saved our lives IN the
crisis soon u come upon us. We had about
finished our cruise. and were con@r0tu-
latirr ourselves that we had passed safely
through an the revolutions. northcrs, yell
lOp-icycr-. and even earthquakes incident
10 our station.
ABACA.
AUGUST. 1895. found US quietly at anchor
off the Peruvian town of AREA, where we
hnd towcd the old United States storeshlp
Irad0nia out 20 escape the rnyages of yell
l.w-feycr then desOlating CalaO and Lima.
We had received preparatory orders TO go
ND the coast 20 San Francisco, and had
been for some SIX weeks at anchor, overhaul
ing engines and boilers preparatory 70 the
long trip. This unusually prolonged stay
IN one port bad gwen us an opportunity TO
form pleasant acqualntauces and friend
ships among the hospitable citizens.
AREA was, for "a Peruvian town. benutl-
ful place numbering. 1t was supposed
some 10000 inhabitants. Being the only
port of entry for rich and prosperous Bo-
1ivin behind her. connected with lacna-
forty miles distant-by the then only rail-
road in Peru. her inhabitants had grown
rIch upon the imports and exports that
a l.. ON IA
ping that crowded the open rOadstead.
The town was picturcsqucly situated IN
"A cleft or valley running up into the sea
coast range of the Andes. through which
little stream gave the water Tor lrrlga-
ton that made the desert coast blossom
with "a fertility that never ceased to sur
prise. IL was blocked in on the
one hand by the perpendicular cliff
of the MORO. 500 feet high, which,
without single break 10 mar its I'M
posing front, was ever laShCd by the long
surges of the nightiest of oceans, and on
the other 10y stecly, sloplng heights, rising
one above the other untlllO lost IN the clouds
Thctown was OF unknown antiquity, there
having been a large city OF the meas To-
Gated here when the Spaniards oyerran
the country. and tradition assorted that
even the lncas found people dwelling
there when they, in their turn, were the
conquorors.
Blessed withthc most charming climate,
with % temperature varying from 40 10 10
dcerces. the ever-cloudlcss blue OF the
heavens never darkened by storm or ram,
fcvers and cpidcnIcs unknown, 1t seemed
AT Ii r,st an eden, until we found crumplcd
rpSe-l eavcty'' IN the shape of myrlads OF
the most voracious and active heas that
ever droyea human being distracted, ana
discovered that a regular deluge would ne
necessary to remove the cause OF smells
that threw even Cologne into the back
ground.
Rehind these minor discomforts lurked
the cver-prcScnt danger OF another earth
quake: for AREA seemed sort OF head
centre for such seismic disturbances nav
inc been twice nearly destroyed with great
Loss Of life. In bhssful Ignorance Of what
"A "TerremOtcn or earth mover" really
was We could not sympathlze with these
fears We were not alone in the rOadstead,
our own stOrcShIp, the tredOnla, large
Peruvian slOop, the America, and several
large sQuare-rigccrs, together with quite
fleet of smaller merchantmen, keeping us
COMPANY August 3. 1868, | was sitting IN
the cabin with our commanding officer,
when, about L. NJ. We were startled
los "a violent trembling of the whole
shin. similar 10 but eXaggerlting the
effect produced by letting 90 an
anchor knowing II could not De
caused boy this, We ran on deck and saw
cloud Of dust TO the southeast anu Idl'itiN
approaching, while the terrible rumbling
grew IN intensity and before our astonlsh-
cd eyes the everlasting hills" nodded to
each other and the ground swayed to and
fro like the short, choppy waves OF
troubled sea.
The cloud euveloped africa; Instantly
through its impenoirable ven rose cries
shricks for help, the crash of falling
houses, and the thousand commnsled
noises Of a great calamity, while the
shin rceled as if grasped by giant
hand. aud the cloud passed on. As !
the dust slowly settled We rubbed |
our ewes and looked again and again, be |
hoviug they must be playing us trick, |
Tor where we had seen a few moments be- |
fore "a happy, prosperous city; busy with |
life and activity, we now beheld put
mass OF shattered ruins, hardly a house /
left standing, and not one perfect, the /
streets blocked with d6bris, through which |
struggled frantically the least wo y,aDi
mer,.y rent the air. over all this still /
leaned the sun in its unclouded SKY, !