Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-08-11

!
tesce lost the only one who was lost Of her
crew OF 235 souls on this day.
NOW came again the horrible, believing
roar and the shaking, trembling earth
waving. 20 and fro; but this time the sea
Teceded until the shipping was left quite
1igh and dry, while as far seward as could
be seen were the rocks and bottom Of the
sea, never before exposed 10 human gaze,
with struggling Ash and sea-monstcrs.
While the round bottoIncd ships keelcd
over on their beam ends the Watcrce
rested easily upon her lOor-like bottom,
and when the returning sea came sweeping
/ back, rolling the Others over and
over leaving some bottom up and others
masses al wreckage. she rose easily over
! the water unframed.
From this time, too. the sea defed the
laws Of nature. Currents ran IN contrary
directions, and we were borne here and
there with q speed we could not have
cquallcd had We been steaming for our
| lives. At irregular intervals the earthquake
| shocks REQUIRED. but none of them 50 ylo-
| lent OF so long continued Gs the first.
As the last rays Of the setting sun gilded
the slopes Of the Andes we saw the graves
yield up their dead. and in cOncentric
rows, like chairs in an amphitheatre, the
mummied bodies Of the long buried and
forgotten abOrigincs rose 10 the surface.
They had been buried IN a sitting posture,
facing the sea. The soil impregnated with
nitro had thoroughly preserved them, and
the violent shocks disintegrating the dry
earth above had exposed them. in add
ton 20 what We had already gone through
II seemed as # the day Of judgment had
come.
The Peruvian man-of-war, the America
said TO be one Of the fastest ships in the
world at that timc-had hastily gotten up
steam and attempted TO get 10 sea. she
was well out when the rccedlng water left
her partly afoat and broke her back, Of
course destroying her engines. With her
tunnels still vomiting black smoke, and
apparently under fun command of her
people, she backed down toward the help
less Frcdonia. then rapidly setting IN
toward the BlOrrO, with the intention Of
towing her out.
Leutenant-Comma Dyer. command
ing in the absence of the captain, saw the
manWuvre and, knowing no human agency
could help them and "A nearer approach
would only involve the America IN a COM
mon ruin, ran onto tho poop and hailed the
approaching ship, then but few yards dis
tant.
AMERICA, AHoY."
America ahoy! You can do nothing for
us. Our bottom is crushed. Save your
selves. God blcss you. GOOd-by." Then
| down 10 bis station among ms silent, un-
| shrinking crew. and the ncNt moment all
| tho Inflated company were huTledIntO cteT-
nity-not one left-whilea counter current
| catching the America drove her quite as
rapidly in another direction.
Facing the Moro and short distance
| away IA rocky ielct rose q few feet above the
surface of the sea. IN its face the Peruyi-
ans bad hcwu fort ont of the solid rock
and mounted thereon two 1j-nch
Dahlgrcn guns. Tho garrison mum
bercd some 100 souls. When bat
short distance from the forth fact,
We were drcading being cast against its
rocky sidcs-we saw it disappear beneath
the waves. Whether 1t sank or the water
To5c one could never tell. We only knew II
disappeared, and when IT came up after
few moments like huge whale not only
were the unfortunate garrison gone butthe
guns "a well. Imagine the force of the
water that lifted these masses Of iron,
weighing many tons md Offering no hold
lnC-surface, from their carriages and tum-
bled them out Of the seyen-foOt parapet
where they were.
During the first Of the disturbance we
had lowered one of our large cutters. and
sent II. in charge of "a mldshpman, 10
rescue a number Of persons drifting about
on some wreckage. There was no sea on,
and TO our establishment we saw the fast
pulling boat could make no hcadWay. but
went sailing about in the most erratlc
fashion. Finding he could not rescue the
people he was sent to save the officer az
tempted to return to the ship. That.
too, was impossible. and presently
ms struggles were ended 10y his boat
being dashed violently against the side of
the Peruvian America and crushed like an
egg-shcll. Fortunately he and his crew
managed to scramble on her deck. There
they found "a scene that beggars descrlp-
ton. All sense of order and discipline
was lost. Officers and men ran about
screaming. while others on their knees
were imploring all the saints in the calen-
dar 90 help them. The heavy guns which
had been east adrift in II vain attempt TO
throw them overheard, and 50 tighten
the ship when she took ground, were
running riot. With every send" of the
sea they rushed from side 10 side, crushing
everything in their path. There Is nothing
more to be dreaded than to have a gun get
loose in a seaway. II seems possessed of a
demon and battles ordinary means of con-
troll. Then some of her spars had been
carried away and still further numbered
her decks, and. worse than all, fire had
broken out near the engine-rOom and
threatened the after powder-magazine.
Finding the Peruylans SO panlc-strlckcn
rs TO be of no use, the young mldshlp-
mana lad of eighteen or sO-qulctly took
command with his thirteen stalwart Yam
kee tars. Making a line fast around his
waist, he was lowered into the burning
hold and flooded the magazine. Then,
choking the rampant guns with masses of
hammocks. soon getting them secure, he
extincuishcd the fire and waited events.
PROUD FEELING.
No one born under our flag could help
feeling proud of the courage, discipline,
and self-reliance displayed by our officers
a
America were an ungOyernable mob, our
men stood in battle array, grouped around
their guns, every man at his station, ready
TO obey any order given by the first lieu
tenant.
1t had been dark for some time and wo
knew not where we were. the absence of
the usual beacon and shore lights aiding
the confusion, when about $3.50 Il. NJ. the
lookout forward hailed the deck and re-
ported breaker approaching. We saw
first a thin line of phO5phOrcscent light
that. looming higher and higher, seemed TO
reach the sky. It's crest, crowned with the
light of phosphorus sparkle and CLEAN,
showed Us the sullen masses of water be-
Meath. and, its approach hcralded by the
roar of a thousand breakers condensed. the
dreaded tidal wave was upon Us at last.
That the ship could ridc through the
masses of water about TO OverWhelm rs
seemed impossible, and we could only grip
the life lines and wait for the final catGs-
trophe.
With a crash our ship was overwhelmed
and buried beneath the half-solid mass of
sand and water For a brcathless eternity
we knew not whether we were 10 live or
die, and then. grooming in every timber,
the old Materee struggled again to the
surface, with her crew still chnging 20 the
holds provided for them. some seriously
wounded, but none missing. miracle 1t
seemed to US then. and rs | look back
through the years it seems doubly mar
vellOus now.
Presently the motion of the ship seemed
10 cease, and lowering "a lantern over the
side we discovered land. For some time
We remained at quarters, until finding the
ship stationary, the order was given to
pipe down." which was followed by the
order, "All hands stand by your ham,
mocks." and such Of the crew as were not
on watch turned in and made their way
through the re0pened matches to the sod
den berth-deck to sleep. To me one
of the wonders of this wonderful night
was the matter-of-fact obedience TO
orders manifested by these men. Next
morning we found ourselves i'll little
50 hn