The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-04-14

Ing every man in it, including Capt
Agulrre and the senior lieutenant. Capt.
Agu1rre'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, "Enoughr 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
Cochrane reached her decks and with
drawn revolvers compelled the Peruvian
sailors to haul down their flag.
The Huascar had been literally swept by
the CHILEAN shots. Hardly 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 a
hail. On board the Huascar the killed
numbered 20, including officers, and the
wounded 48, a marvellous loss for an iron
clad in fair fight. With the exception of
forty-two foreigners (thirty of these being
Englishmen) the crew were Peruvians. In
al, the Huascar was struck by twenty-four
shots. Her own guns fired forty rounds,
but the damage done on the CHILEAN armor
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 &C.
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 CHILEAN ships were the better
sailors, and he would have risked being
overhauled had he got out to sea,
Grau's death was mourned by both sides
in the war and by every South American
nation. E!e 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 a coast town as
well. Their destruction would have dis
perscd 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 CHILEAN foes.
The Chilans took their prize to Valpa-
raiso, and after thorough repairs she went
70 sea as consort to her captOrs. the Blanco
Encalada and Cochrane. Her loss to the
l'eruvians wiped out their navy with the
exception of the corvette Union.
GEORGE l.. KILMER