The Portland daily press., 1892-06-18

BY this time one or the Two guns in the
Huascar's turret was disabled and the best
gunners on board were out of the fight.
Lieut.. Rodriguez, who commanded in the
turret, leaned nut from the ports to give
his directions, and in the midst of other
casualties CHILEAN she'll glanced on the
turret armor and beheaded the lieutenant
as with a knife. The vessels were at close
quarters, and the Cochrane attempted to
use her ram. She missed the blow, but
sent shell into the Huascar that carried
away her steering apparatus.
Another shell penetrated to the Huas-
cars engine room and inflicted heavy dam
age to the machinery and killed and
wounded many people. The tackle by
which the ship was steered was exposed to
shot, besides being inadequate, and but
little control was had of the vessel after
the destruction of the tower. The new
commander, Capt. Aguirre, remained in
the turret, and as the vessel had no speak
ing tubes his orders had to be passed along
deck and below by means of messengers
and word of mouth.
At the end of an hours fight there was
no sign of the Peruvian flag going down,
although the ship was only moving
ooA SOU tbId UlIO ShGOllc1u SIldll cdElu Lire OL
the Chilians had driven most of her crew
below. The arrival of the Blanco was
temptation to the Huascar to try her ram,
as the Chilian vessels soon got in each
others way. A blow at the Blanco missed
and the latter answered by broadside
that added to the Huascar's casualties, es-
pecially among her steering crew.
At the end of an hour and half the flag
q nf hn Htro e,l,o = .ax>I
the Chilians ceased firing. One of the
crew, a Frenchman run up another flag
on a spar and the fight reopened The first
shot after this incident entered the turret
and exploded, killing or mortally wound
COMPELLED TO HAUL DOWN THEIR FLAG.
ing every man in it, including Capt.
Aguirre and the senior lieutenant. Capt.
Aguirre's fate was like that of Grau's, his
body being literally torn to pieces. Com
mand then developed upon Lieut. Garezon,
the only surviving officer left for duty out
of seven that had entered the fight. BY
this time the ship was badly aleak and
showed over three feet of water in her hold.
Upon all sides, on both decks and around
the cabins, were piled CHASTITY evidences of
the punishment brave men will endure
rather than cry, "Enoughp' The passages
were choked with corpses, the floors strewn
with mutilated remains, and to add to the
horror of the situation the wooden lining
was on fire in many places and half of the
surviving crew was panic stricken and in
hiding in the best sheltered parts of the
ship. Yet Garezon continued the fight
with his almost unmanageable vessel. The
Cochrane tried the ram again and chance
alone saved the Huascar. Both CHILEAN
ships closed in using their great guns,
rifles and machine guns, and the sloop Of
war Covadonga steamed up and joined in
the bombardment Garezon then deter
mined to sink his ship with all on board by
opening her condenser valves, and in the
midst OF this work boarders from the
Cochraue reached her decks and with
drawn fevolvers compelled the Peruvian
sailors to haul down their flag.
The Huascar had been literally swept by
the Gillian shots. Hardly a yard of her
upper works had escaped, and the gaps in
her bulwarks in places reached to the
waters edge.
The action lasted over an hour and
half. On board the Huascar the killed
numbered %, including officers, and the
wounded 48, a marvellous loss for an iron
clad in a fair fight. With the exception OF
Englishmen) the crew were Peruvians. In
all, the Huascar was struck by twenty-four
shots. Her own guns fired forty rounds,
but the damage done on the CHILEAN armur
was slight. The practice of the Peruvian
gunners was poor. The Huascar's steering
gear all lay above water and was three
times disarranged by shots during the ac-
ton. Thus Grau entered the fight handi-
capped in every way. He hoped by the
very audacity of his conduct to astound
his adversaries and cut his way through
the line of ships that surrounded him.
Even then the Chilian ships were the better
Sailors and he would have risked being
overhauled cad he got out to sea,
Grau's death was mourned by both sides
in the war and by every South American
nation. He was as gallant as he was
brave. On one occasion just before this
fight he had had under his guns and at
his mercy the condensers supplying drink
ing water to an army of 10000 Chilians
and the inhabitants of coast town as
we'll Their destruction would have dis
persed the army of an enemy but he with
held his fire because the calamity would
have fallen upon helpless women and chill
dren and noncombatants as well as upon
his Gillian foes.
The Chilians took their prize to Valpa-
raiso and after thorough repairs she went
to sea as consort to her captors, the Blanco
Encalada and Cochrane Her loss to the
Peruvians wiped out their navy with the
exception of the corvette Union.
GEoRGE L. KILMEe.