The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-01-16
a LYNoHBURcER IN oHILI.
Curious Stories About the Yorktown and
the American and CHILEAN Nsvies.


LYNCHBURa, Va, Jan. ia letter
was received hero recently from q
young Lynchburger who is one of tho
crew of the United States warship
Yorktown, which is now stationed on
tho CHILEAN coast, or at Valparaiso. The
young man states that all tho crew of
the warship are disconnected on account
of the harsh treatment of the officers,
and says that Americans are noted for
their love of liberty" and yet if sea-
man shows any iSposition to kick, after
the repeated annoyance of some petty
officer, he is court martialed for melting
mutiny.
The court martial sits at the dinner
table and tries the man, and the verdict
is always cut and dried. The court is
farce, and nine times out of ten the SEN
tence is personal spite, and the man
goes to prison. On one occasion oil the
coast of Brazil. he states, they were
overtsken by terrific electrical storm,
and the officer of the yatch Ia lieutenant)
was afraid to go on deck, and absolutely
forced the men out to do what he should
have done.
There are number of CHILEAN men.
of-war here: Admiral Cochrane (sister
ship to the Blanco, which sunk in the
war; and the Huascar, iron-clads, and
the armored cruiser Esmeralda. Ad-
miral Condeli, Admiral Lynch, Imperial,
and hlbattO, and the cruiser O'Higgins,
and lot of torpedo boats, such as the
Gushing, with two big guns like the
Vesuvius. If could would renounce
the United State navy and join the
CHILEAN navy. The three Gringoes that
1uhn
abroad are now commissioned officers on
the Cochrane. Promotion is rapid when
fighting is going on. An American
sailor dare not go ashore since the little
episode of several months ago.
We are in poor plight, as none of the
new ships have torpedo gear, and would
have to depend entirely on the guns.
Our strength amounts to eight S-inch,
twentyseven G-inch, twelve 6-pound,
twelve 3-pound, eight 1-pound, twelve
Hotchkiss revolving guns, and eight
Battling guns
The Yorktown's battery is six 6-inch,
mounted on central pivot automatic re.
turning shield protected carriages, and
the secondary battery consists of two 6
two and one FOUNDER, two Hotchkiss
and two Calling guns, five torpedo tubes
and no gear or torpedos. She is sup
posed to steam seventeen knots, but we
could only get thirteen out of her, as all
the firemen caved in mostly. She has
boilers of the locomotive pattern.
send you q sketch of her.
The Chileans have (about) two TO-
inch, six S-inch, fifteen 5-inch, seven
finch and more numerous battery of
rapid-6re guns, Nordenfelts, Hotch-
kiss, Massinis and Cuttings, and full
outfit of torpedoes to back them up. If
it comes to crisis, in my opinion, we
have our hands full, although 1 heard
the captain say he would whip any
Chilean in port
later postscript, presumably written
on the same day the letter was:
"To-day's Chilean Times seates that
Chile has nothing to lose and all to gain
| in war with the United States"
The following ships are ordered here:
United States steamships N1iantono-
mob, Chicago, Newark, Philadelphia,
Boston, Atlanta, Kearsarge, Concord
and bennington, from the East, and the
San Francisco, from Frisco, making
twelve ships in all under the command
of Kimberly, believe.
The only drawback, 1 guess, will be
the men, as the Miantonomoh went into
| commission with only twenty men.
The Chilians are overhauling the two
eighty ton guns which got disabled in
| the late fight.