The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1895-01-16

ranahyba, killing and capturing all Of
the Brazilians ON deck. The crew in the
forward part of the vessel, however,
made gallant defense. The command
or of the Taouari was shot from the
bridge of his ship by one of them, and
about the same time the commander of
the Paranahyba, while shouting out or.
ders 10 back the vessel off from her adj.
-e-saries. there being three around her.
was cut down by Paraguayan saber
But bis dying order was heard above the
din, and the vessel slipped away from
the embrace of her enemies, who dared
not rake her with grape for fear of kill
ing their friends swarming on her main
decks.
At this time a hero came to the front
on the Brazilian fleet. The Brazilian adj
miral had run through the enemy's line
in panic, but seeing two Of his ships
left behind was afraid to proceed down
the river without attempting to recover
them. He ordered his vessels about, but
became speeohless with fear when il
came to giving orders to fight The
chief pilot of the feet was an Italian,
with the blood of old Mediterranean
sea dogs in his veins Being on the flag
ship, the Amazonas, where the confusion
of orders was notorious, he usurped
command and ordered the Amazonas to
Ego at" the Paragraphs full drive.
Being heavy vessel, she made cap
ital ram and quickly rode down the
Paraguayri, at the same time clearing
her decks with grape Next the Mar
quis de Olinda and the Jeiui. which,
with the Tacuari, had held the Parana.
hyba at their mercy, were cut down by
ramming or shots from the six heavy
guns of the Amazonas. In brief, this
mammoth ship too high out of water
for boarding from the low Paraguayan
steamers, drove through the Paraguay
ans like tornado Four battlcships and
two steam launches carrying gun each
were destroyed, four launches captured
and the Paraguayan Igurey sent off up
the river with hole through her boiler
and the Tacuari covering her retreat.
The English engineer whose advice
had been despised saved the four
steamers which got back to the Para
guayan lines
In March, 1868, Lopez selected / 200
of these men, the pick of all his valiant
armies, to make boarding attack upon
q feet of Brazilian ironclads lying in
the river below Humanita. The men
were all good swimmers and divers,
with the daring and hardy habit is of
their race The ironclads were eig 1t in
number, and the boarders, armed with
carbines, revolvers, hatchets and hand
grenades, embarked in 48 canoe, di-
vided into eight sections, one for each
ironclad. The f1otilla got ready in a
thicket of reeds on the river bank and
the canoes were overhung with eafy
branches to resemble the floating Island
occasionally seen in the Paraguay liver.
Setting out just before daylight the I'd
of March, the canoes drifted lnder
stealthy paddles and nearly reached the
feet when the island collided W. III a
Brazilian guardboat. The aston lded
guard backed off and pulled fol the
nearest ironolad, the double turret lima
Barrios, followed in mad haste BY the
canoemen, who broke their sections, IA
going at the Lima Barrios, 12 at the
Cabral and the others scattering 10 at
tack the ones lying at a distance. The
guard alarm boat and the Paraguayan
canoes struck the Lima Barrios at the
same time. The crew ran inside, closing
the matches, but the Paraguayans sw arm
ed over the decks, cutting down all who
were shut outside. Then bloody fight
took place at the towers, where revolv-
ers were used on both sides. The Bra
lillian captain and his first officer were
wounded in the hand to hand fight, and
horrible slaughter took place inside the
towers and ports where the Paraguayans
hurled their hand grenades. The Cabral
was completely surprised by the IL ca.
noe loads Of boarders, but her crew had
time to go into their casemate. The
Paraguayans swarmed over her Sides
fighting with carbines and revolvers
through the ports. Their own dense
ranks, however, suffered terribly from
the shots of the Brazilians, for which
they retaliated with the deadly hand
grenades, hurled through the ports,
down smokestacks and through open
ings cut in the matches. The Cabral had |
no steam ON and soon became helpless
captive.
Two ironolads next in line, the Salado
and Herval, received some warning and |
deluged their assailants with grape be- |
fore they could leap from their canoes.
Farther off the Brazil, a ten gunner, got |
up steam and made for the cluster of |
vessels where the battle was raging so |
fiercely. Coming abreast Of the Cabral,
she swept her decks with grape, then
lay alongside the Lima Barrios. The |
Paraguayans upon Barrios stood a oou-
pie of volleys Of canister from the guns
of the Brazil, then jumped for their |
boats. The horrible slaughter of the |
grape was more than outdone when the |
loaded canoes were caught between the |
sides Of the grinding hulls. A few Of |
the Paraguayans reached the water and
were given the choice of surrender or
death by shooting They chose the lat
ter, and the Brazilians got but IS pris-
oners out OF SO canoe loads. or 900 |
boarders. involved in the disaster. On
the decks Of tho Lima Barrios and Ca
TRY 1T Hold the edge offs common visiting card
20 line 90 that NO shadotg will f.l on etner SIDE