Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1898-05-07

| Tho PcHtruCtion OF the Iuiscar cH Sne
Bolivian Coast n Terrible Slaughter
What Fight Between Modern War Yes
| sels Means.
In Tho Century Claude H. Wetmore
has an article on "a Famous Sea
Fight" describing tho engagement be-
tween Chilean and Peruvian ironclads
off the coast of Bolivia in 1879. Mr..
Wetmore says:
From tho first of the battle tho en-
couraging voice of Grau had come to
the men in the turret through the speak
ing tube from the coming tower, but
when tho Blanco crowded into tho thick
of it and great shot struck tho Huas-
cars sides us regularly as blows OF a
battering ram the orders of the conf
mander were no longer heard. The oil-
Ger in charge Of the turret called to his
superior. There was no answer, and
when Commander Elias Aguorre ran up
tho narrow littlo ladder that led to tho
tower he stumbled over tho dead body
of his admiral y shell had struck the
coming tower and had taken off Grau s
head as neatly as if tho decapitation
had been by the guillotine. This shell
also killed Lieutenant Ferre, tho adj
miral S aid There was only time to
push the corpscs aside, and tho new
commanding officer pulled back the
tube flap to give his directions, but as
ho did so the Huascar staggered, kceled
over, then shook i'll every plato, while
q conclusion moro terrific than any so
far told that shell had entered the
turrot and had burst there. When the
fumes had cleared away so that per-
son could speak. midshipman called
ont that one of tho 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 cloggod 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 moro all was silent i'll 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 bullet from
the we'll aimed rifle of 4 marine i'll an
enemy's top lodged between his eyes
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 rain one of tho
adversaries and sink with her if neces-
sary. Over and over spun the wheel,
but the Huascars head still pointed be-
tween the Chileans.
"Port Port, say'' screamed the
commander.
"She won t answer, came back the
sullen reply from the only one of four
uuartermasters alive The bodies of the
others wero lying upon the grating at
his feet.
GA shot has carried away the star
board steering gear, sir, 4" 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, butall the while
the red, white and red tiuttered from
the peak Que by one, i'll twcs and i'll
threes, the men in the turrct dropped
at their posts, and at last the remaining
great gun was silent, its 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 i'll the ward
room upon the wounded who, Shrek
ing in their agony, had been tumbled
down the companionway like so much
butehered beef, for there was no time
to use stretchcrs or to carry a stricken
comrado to doctors care Steam and
smoke filtered through the doorways,
and the apartment became sitting.
While they were saving, amputating
and bandaging she'll tore into tho
wardroom, burst, and fragments wound
ed the assistant surgeons, the chief of
the medical staff having been killed
earlier in the conflict. Those unfortn-
mates who were stretched upon the ta-
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 grcaning This she'll tore away
wardroom and stern cabin, and hardly
trace was left of the bulkhead. After
that what little surgery was done was
performed in the coal bunkers.
Huddled in a passageway near the
engine room were a score or more of non
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. pantrymen and
stokers They were i'll place that was
lighted only as flashes came from tho
guns. 1t was filled with powder smoke,
and clouds of steam that drifted from
below told that tie HuaScar had been
struck in vital spot-her machinery
Suddenly they heard crash, followed
by the rending Of tho deck, and the lit
tie ironclal swayed as if she had struck
reef. Some one passed the word that
the maiEtop mast mad been shot away.
AS it came down it brought living men
to be dashed to death, also corpses that
bad been hanging over the sides Of the
military top.
The Pony IL Fran4-Josef Land.
At an carly stnca In CIR inurnnY Our