The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1898-04-22
A FAMOUS SEA FIGHT.
ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN CHILEAN
AND PERUVIAN IRONCLADS.

Inc Destruction OF the HuaScar On the
Bolivian Coast A Terrible Slaughter
What Fight Between Modern War YES
sells Means.
In The Century Claude H. Wetmore
has an article on ga Famous Sea
Fight" describing the engagement be-
tween Chilean and Peruvian ironclads
off the coast of Bolivia in 1879. Mr..
Wetmore says:
From the first Of the battle the en-
couraging voice of Grau had come to
the men in the turret through the speak
ing tube from the coming tower, but
when the Blanco crowded into the thick
of it and great shot struck the HUas-
cars sides as regularly as blows of
battering ram the orders Of the COM
mander were no longer heard The Off
Ger in charge Of the turret called to his
superior. There was no answer, and
when Commander Elias Aguerre ran up
the narrow little ladder that led to the
tower be stumbled over the dead body
of his admiral. A shell had struck the
coming tower and had taken off Grau's
head as Aeatly as if the deCapitatiOn
had been by the guillotine. This shell
also killed Lieutenant Ferre the ad-
miral's aid. There was only time to
push the corpses aside, and the new
commanding officer pulled back the
tube flap to give his directions, but as
he did so the Huascar staggered, keeled
over, then shook in every plate, while
q conclusion more terrific than any so
far told that a shell had entered the
turret and had burst there. When the
fumes had cleared away so that per-
son could speak, a midshipman called
out that one of the great guns had been
dismounted and 20 men killed. The
survivors tumbled the bodies through
the hatch that opened into the deck be-
low, thus releasing the clOgged ma
chinery, and as the cOrpses ratified down
other men rushed up, throwing off their
clothing as they jumped into the pools
of blood to seize hold Of the gear and
swing the remaining gun into position,
that it might train upon one of the
ships-they could no longer make out
which, nor did they care-and it was
discharged, hauled in, loaded and dis
charged again.
Once more all was silent in the con-
ming tower. Lieutenant Palacios has
tened there, but before he could enter
he was compelled to push three bodies
out Of the way. He had barely given
his first command when a bullet from
the we'll aimed rifle of a marine in an
IL L~A. -
Then the fourth to command the Huas-
car that day, Lieutenant Pedro GarezOn,
took the place, and as he did so he call
ed through an aperture telling the
quartermaster to put the helm TO port;
for he had determined to ram one of the
adversaries and sink with her if neces-
sary. Over and over spun the wheel,
but the Huascar's head still pointed be-
tween the Chileans.
Port! Port, l say" screamed the
commander.
''She won't answer" came back the
sullen reply from the only one of four
quartermasters alive. The bodies of the
others were lying upon the grating at
his feet.
"a shot has carried away the star
board steering gear, sir, a" reported an
ensign, and he dropped dead as the
words left his mouth.
The Huascar now lay drifting in a
hell of shot and flame, but all the while
the red, white and red fluttered from
the peak. One by one, IN twos and in
threes, the men IN the turret dropped
at their posts, and at last the remaining
great gun was silent, it's tackle literally
choked with dead. The turret could not
be turned for the same reason. COrpseS
hung over the military top; corpses
clogged the coming tower
With coats and waistcoats off the sur
geons had been laboring in the ward
room upon the wounded, who, Shrek
ing in their agony, had been tumbled
down the cOmpanionway like so much
butchered beef, for there was no time
to use stretchers or to carry a stricken
comrade TO a doctors care. Steam and
smoke filtered through the doorways,
and the apartment became Sitting.
While they were saving, amputating
and bandaging a she'll tore into the
wardroom, burst, and fragments wound
ed the assistant surgeons, the chief of
the medical staff having been killed
earlier in the conflict. Those unfortu-
mates who were stretched upon the ia
BILE awaiting their turn under the knife
and those who lay upon the floor suffer
ed no more pain. They were killed as
they lay groaning. This she'll tore away
wardroom and stern cabin, and hardly
a trace was left of the bulkhead. After
that what little surgery was done was