The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-04-10

fore she gave her UP. 1t was the battle of
Angamos, Oct s, 1879, that changed the
Huascar;s ownership-a set-to famous N
naval annals and the target of streams OF
small talk in cabin and forecastle, because
it was the first square battle ever fought
between two seagoing ironclads Chilli had
the upper hano of her little neighbOr at
that stage of the quarrel and should have
blown the last Peruvian bottom out OF
water On sight. But Peru had for com
mander of its one vessel a fighting tar, who
was host in himself-only give him a tub
and a swivel gun-Admiral Miguel Grau.
Unlike most able South American tars OF
those times, Grau was scion OF Spanish
stock and his veins pulsated with the blood
of daring race-sailors who fought IN the
armadas of old Aragon and CASTLE.
An affair in the harbor OF Iquique, four
months earlier than AngamOs, left Peru
with single man-ofwar worth the name,
the Huascar, to cope with Chlh's two new
ironclads, Cochrane and Blanco Encalada,
and her numerous corvettes and gunboats.
Grau had made his wayup from a common
sailor and was a captain when the war
commenced, IN April, 1879. IquiQue and
the destruction of the CHILEAN corvette, Es-
meralda, together with her commander,
Capt. Prat-whom the Chilians compare
with NelsOn-made him an admiral, and
with the Huascar, single handed, set out to
protect the disputed seacoast from CHILEAN
invasion. For four months this man bluffed
the entire Gillian navy and guarded Peru
from attack. His only support was the
wooden corvette, Union, an old Confederate
reconstructed in name, at least) carrying
thirteen guns. OF course he owed much TO
luck and had some remarkable escapes.
Once he escaped the fate of being hoist
by his own petard," and the episode showed
the mettle of the men he had around him.
One day he drove two CHILEAN warships TO
shelter under the guns of their shore bat
teries, out OF reach, and launched a floating
torpedo to destroy one of them. Some bad
arrangement of the machinery in the in
fernal continuance caused it to put short
about after going few lengths toward the
enemy and plunge straight for the sides of
the Huascar. In moment Peru's last hops
would have been gone but for the daring
of Lieut.. CansecO who jumped overheard
and towed the monster out of its meancing
course.
On Oct. the Chilian navy, with fresh
equipment and well CREASED keels, set sail
10 find the Huascar and put an end to her.
On the morning of the Sth the fleet, in two
divisions, neared the Point of Angamos, and
it happened that on that morning Admiral
Grau, with the Huascar and the corvette
Union, was sailing leisurely up the coast.
About daylight he sighted the CHILEAN iron
clad Blanco Encalada, with the formidable
sloop Covadonga and an armed transport,
sailing toward him along shore. Under
strict orders from his chieftain not TO fight
the ironclads, Grau steered out to sea, and
was rapidly gaining on his pursuers when
he met the other feet Chilian ironclad,
Cochrane, with the corvette O'Higgins and
armed sloop Loa. steering in to head him
off from escape. Turn which way he would,
either the Cochrane or the Blanco must be
settled with before he could proceed. The
vessels were sister ships of treble the ton
mage and several times the morse power of
the Huascar; they were better armed in
heavy and light cannon and each had two
machine guns. The plate armor of the
Chilians was also almost double the thick
ness of the Huascar's.
Seeing what was before him Grau Or
dered the captain of the Union TO save his
vessel, and in sailing away the Union drew
two of the CHILEAN corvettes after her,
leaving the ironclads free to deal with the
HuaScar
Grau took his station in the commanders
tower of the ship and opened the fight by
firing his turret gun at the Cochrane, 5000
yards distant. Three shots fell short, and
then one bounded on the water and struck
the CHILEAN squarely, passing through her
plating. This aroused the Cochrane S COM
mander to reply, and the battle between the
monsters was fairly opened. The fourth