Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1891-06-05
THE HUAsCAR's CAPTURE
An American officer's Story .. the Famous
Sea Fight.

Sea fIgnt.
The reports of a recent ar lck of the /
government torpedo cruiser on the insur- |
gents Ironclad HuaScar off the CHILEAN |
coast bring to the minds of the naval |
officers who served on the Pensacola in !
1879 and 1880 some interesting data /
of the famous battle between the Huascar |
and the armorclads, Blanoo Eacalada and |
Almirante Cochra ne, October :. 1879. The |
Pensacola, at nat time fla ship of the |
South Pacific squadron under the late |
commander Edward Terry, was cruising |
on the west coast when the battle occurred. /
She lost no time IN repairing 70 the scene |
OF the engagement, arriving off Meil- |
ZONES de Bolivia soon after the Hua>car
struck her coiorS. An officer who GOA ded |
the Huascar IS she lay at anchor IN Mejil- !
tones bay after the action aud who had
converSed with the officers of both the riv-
al SHIPS, gives the following story cf the
battle:
''On the morning of She battle the Huas-
car was surprised to see herself surround
ed by the hostile CHILEAN fleet, which was
divided into two divisions. one Of these
was composed of the Blanca Encalada.
with the CavadSngo and the transport
MatIaS Couslno, and the other consisted
Of the Almirante Cochrane, cruiser O'Hig-
gins. and the transport Ioa. The Huas-
car had but one attendant veSSel-tha
wooden consort Union. As soon as she
sighted the Encalada she made off for the
south at full speed, and her boilers being
superior to those of her purSuer she stood a
good chance OF escaping had not the divis-
ION headed by Cochrane suddenly appear
ed.
Escape being then cut off. the Huascar
and the Union Yan close to shore, where
the latter escaped. The CoChrane bore
down on the unfortunate Huascar at 10
o clock IN the morning the first shot being
fired at a distance of mile and three
quarters. Admiral Grau of the Huascar
then drew his vessel close to the enemy
and attempted TO ram her, Gut the enemy
was possessed of a pair of twin screws
that enabled her to veer Oft at very close
range. Within half an hour the Encal-
ada arrived and poured shot into the
huaScar at distance of less than 600
yards.
'One of these shots struck and demol-
!Shed the HuaScar coming tower, killing
Admiral Grau who was Stationed therein.
Another shot struck the Peruvian's NEST
vulnerable polnt-the stern-disabling
her sterlng gear and rendering her un.
very short range, in sending shot from
her twelve and half ton Armstrong di-
re,tly through the forward gunport of the
HuaScar, breaking off one of the twelve
Founders and killing the two officers next
IN authority to the admiral.
As this point the Chileans sent off
boarding party, but the Peruvian crew
rallied and repulsed the boarders. upset
!,
Another attempt was made. however, in
less than an hour, which proved more
successful, and in two hours after the first
shot was fired the Huascar was in the
hands of the Chilians.
Those of US who visited the capturers
and captives soon after the engagement
learned that nearly one hundred projectiles
weighing something like three hundred
| pounds each, had been fred from the
| Cochrane and EnScalada. At least twenty
| II I Of these shots struck the HuaSClr.
| Those that struck the hull. which was
| covered with but Az inches of armor,
| penetrated the covering and exploded in
the backing, doing great damage. The
| stearing gear, as has been stated. was COM
| pletey demolished and the engine room
was pierced, although the machinery es-
! capped. Several shots struck the ferret.
which was plated with 5ls inches of
armor, penetrating it and doing untold
damage within. All the upper works of
the ship was carried away, together with
| the coming tower and iron mast.
A singular coincidence was that although
the Hudscar tired fifty shots only three
struck the Cochrane, while none at all
| struck the Encaada. Neither vessel was
injured.
1T was a good, practical lesson to us of
| the American fleet on the necessity for
careful handling of guns in an engage
ment Nothing could have been more I'M
skllIful than the firing at these ships, the
Huascar in particular. The veriest young
ster at the naval academy cOuldhave made
two hits to their one with the most an
cient Of navy smooth-bores. The vessels
were all in smooth water and within 1000
feet of each ether throughout the engage
ment. AT one time, when the Hu scar
| tried her ramming tactics, the vessels were
not 100 feet apart. Yet of 100 shots fred
by the Chlllans only One-quarter struck
| the Huascar, and of fifty shots fired 10y the
latter vessel only three were hits. We
| made up our minds, after the engagement
| that the victory was with the Huascar.
for she had been able to maintain an open
sea fight against twelve 1872 ton Arm
strong guns, each of which ought to have
driven projeciiles through armor twice the
thickness of her, sending her to the bot
tom in two shakes of a lambs tail
If the Huascar had been possessed of
two screws, and the gunners retained
their presence of mind, the formidable
ram might have been brought into play
with results altogether different. The
| chief engineer of the Huascar at the time
of this battle was citizen Of the United
States, Samuel MacNahon by name He
escaped unhurt, although a scrap Of shell
tore off the back of his coat