Los Angeles herald., 1891-06-22
WENT DOWN FIRING.
The Gallant Fight Made by
the BlancO Encalada.
An Eyewitness Account of
the Battle of Caldera Bay.
The BlancO Sunk With No Less Than
III Men Aboard.
Fifty of the EsmeraIda's Crew Killed
On the Lobos Islands-More Hard
Fighting In Chile.
Associated Press Dispatches.

SAN FRANCISCO, June 21.-Captain F
B. Nesmith has arrived in this city
after a stay Of eight months in Chile
He was an eyewitness of the naval
battle between the insurgent cruiser
Blanco Encalada and the government
torpedo boats Almirante Condell and
Almirante Lynch. He was on board
the English schooner Sophie May
which was 800 yards from the Encalads
and thus obtained good view of the
fight. The government vessels entered
the harbor of Caldera, where the En-
calada was at anchor, early on che
morning Of April 23d.
When within 200 yards of the insur-
gent ship, the Condell fred two torpe-
does, but both missed. The Lynch then
fred two torpedoes at distance OF 100
yards, which also went wide of the
mark. For nearly an hour the vessels
kept up an incessant cannonade without
using any more torpedoes, and the gov
ernment vessel got the worst of it..
During this period the lnsurgent trans
port Aconcagua entered the harbor and
joined in the fight. 1t looked as il the
two torpedo boats would be defeated,
when finally the Lynch made rush for
the Encalada. When forty yards dis
tant she fred torpedo which struck
the insurgent ship amidships. A terri
BILE explosion followed, and the Encalada
Immediately commenced to sink. But
her guns kept on firing and one of the
last shots demolished the Lynch smoke
stack. At last five or six shots were fred
from the vessel after the torpedo struck
her. The officers attempted to get out
boats, but within five minutes the ship
sank and III of the crew were drowned.
The Condell and Lynch next at
tackled the Aconcagua, when the I'm
perial, which was stationed outside,
signalled the approach of another war
ship. The torpedo boats immediately
steamed out of the harbor and made
preparations to attack the new arrival.
She proved to be I'll. M. s. Warsprite,
but the Condell did not discover her
identity, and fired. a gun to cafl the
stranger to account. The Condell soon
discovered her mistake, and put about,
and with the Lynch proceeded to Val
paraiso for repairs.
The official report of the fight made
to President Balmaceda states that the
Condell received charge of canister
which killed two men and wounded five
others. Fifty-two tubes in her boilers
burst, and the stokers were nearly as
phyxiated. The Lynch was struck four
teen times by solid shot, one striking be-
low the water line. The commander OF
the Encalada was ashore during the
fight.
Captain Lambton of the Warsprite,
in conversation with Captain Nesmith,
said the destruction of the Encalada
did not develop any new feature in
naval warfare, as it was only surprise,
pure and simple. The captain of the
Encalada admitted that he was respon-
sible for the loss OF his ship. He had
no picket boats, no torpedo boats, no
lookout on board his ship, and no guns
in readiness. No precautions whatever
had been taken against night attack or
surprise.
At the time Captain Nesmith sailed
for the north, May 14th, it was reported
that battle had occurred in Coquimbo,
and that many people had been killed.