Arizona republican., 1898-05-15
STAINS LAST NAVAL BATTLE.
Her Fleet Driven From the Pacific
 Thirty-five Years Ago

Those who have followed Spanish history have little fear of the result of naval war between that country and the United States Since the bat tie of Lepanto in 1870, when the Span ish and Venetians together fought the Turks and won after a long and bloody contest, Spain has net won a notable victory on the sea. Her naval prOwess has steadily declined, and to- day few of the little South American republics who were her former colo nies wlcmld confess that they were afraid of her.
 The last naval battle fought by Spain in the new world showed con- clusively how her maritime power has decreased. She was defeated by Peru, with Chile's aid, and since then the Spaniard has kept away rom the Pa cific coast of South America
 In 1864 Spa1n sent a squadron of seven vessels, mounting 211 guns, to punish the Peruvians for the mal- treatment of Spanish subjects. The Peruvians had nothing on the water with which to oppose this force, but Chile came to their aid with three vessels-the EsmeraIda, carrying for
 
 small one-gun monitor, and the Loa, a diminutive Merrimac, plated with iron and mounting two sixty eight pounders. The Esmeralda met the Spanish gunboat Cavandago (three guns) and captured her in twenty minutes without the loss of a man. The Spaniards fired only three shots They had two men killed and fourteen wounded. The loss of the Cavanda- go, followed by the capture of an ar mored launch, so chagrined the Span ish admiral, Pareja, that he blew out his brains in his cabin.
 Admiral Nunez, who succeeded Pa reja, then gallantly assailed the de- fenseless Valparaiso, where not single gun was mounted except few salut- ing pieces. Not shot was fired from the town, and the inhabitants prcmp5- ly evxacuated it. The Spanish admir- al, in spite of the protests of the for sign men-of-war in the harbor, threw from 2,000 to 5000 shells into it from his fleet of six vessels The Spanish gunnery was so wretched that little damage was done, except by fire, which destroyed $1O,000,00O worth Of neutral goods. It was a most wanton piece of barbarity, for if the Span iards had had landing force they could have taken the town without firing a shot.
 The gallant Nunez next assaulted the city of Callao, which taught him the difference between an cpen town and one that was adequately defended. In four or five hours the Spanish squadron was badly used up and was glad to crawl back to Spain as best it could in its crippled condition. The Villa de Madrid, fifty-six guns got a shot in her steam chest and was towed out of action; the Berenguela thirty-six guns, had hole twenty feet square knocked into her near the wa i ter line by an exploding shell and crawled out of range to repair dam | ages.
 The ammunition in two Cl.her Span | ish vessels gave out after a two hours i fight and they had to retire, one o1 | them having been twice on fire in tn: neighborhood of the magazine. Thi: left two vessels, the Numancia, iron clad, and the Almanza. Two hours | later these two vessels ceased theil . firing and withdrew, the Chileans fir i ing at them until they were beyond range. The Spanish loss is not exact l ly known, but is supposed to hav' been about 200 Commodore Rodgers U. s. N, estimated the loss of the Chil cans at eighty, though others give |: larger number. No serious damag' was done to either ships or forts by the fire, beyond that named. Tn, 1 Spaniards then withdrew discomfittet I from the Pacific, being short of stores and ammunition and with their yes sels foul for want of docking. The, had established base at the Chinch;