The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-10
BATTLE SHIP IN ACTION
TWO NOTABLE NAVAL FIGHTS OC-
CURING IN RECENT YEARS.
stories of the Great ChiIean-Peruvian
Fight and the Battle of the YaIu
in the Chinese War.
Naval onicer. in New York Herald.

the west coast OF south America and in the
Yellow sea- The earlier conflict, known as
the battle of the Angamos or Mejillones,
was the single-handed fight of the Peruvian
singe-turreted ram Huascar against three
Chilean ships-the casemated, sea-going
ram Almirante Cochrane, the corvette
O'Higgins and the armed transport Loa. 1t
was tremendous struggle against odds,
but the splendid intrepidity of Admiral
Grau and his officers won the enduring
gratitude of Peru and the unstinted praise
of the victors.
The battle was fought on the morning of
Oct s, 1879, off the northern boundaries of
Bolivia In the beginning it was a duel be-
tween the Cochrane and the Huascar, and
the first shot was fired by the latter when
5000 yards distant. 1t was a miss. but the
second shot ricochetting ahead of the Coch.
rane entered her unarmored bows, and
after smashing the galley fell on deck
without exploding. At a distance of 1900
yards the Cochrane opened fire, and then it
was hammer and anviI-a veritable devils
tattoo of bursting shell. One of the first
shots penetrated the Huascar's armor, and,
exploding, entered the turret chamber
where 1t killed and wounded twelve men,
and so damned the turret trucks that they
were rendered useless fora season: Within
ming tower Of the Huascar was struck by
shell, which exploded and blew Admiral
Grau to pieces, only one foot and a few
fragments of his body being recovered. He
was fighting as usual, for he had been often
under fire, with his head and shoulders ex-
posed above the tower. and the shell prob
ably hit him in the waist The conclusion
of this shot killed Lieut.. Diego Ferre the
admirals aid, who was standing at the
fighting wheel. When subsequently exam
ined. no single wound was found upon his
body.
The death of the admiral did not cause
the combat to cease, and one after another
of the officers took command until this de-
volved upon TIE fourth officer, Lieutenant
Pedro Garezon. Death and destruction
were everywhere The ship was a shamble
mere fighting log, rolling in the water.
But even then these gallant Peruvians re-
fused to surrender Garezon called a coun-
I'll of the surviving officers and sent one of
the juniors to the chief engineer with or
ders to sink the vessel by opening her
valves.
SINKING THE RAM.
Lieutenant Mason; of the United States
navy, who has written a very graphic ac-
count of this war, states that Chief En-
gineer Mcmahon and his assistants sue
ceeded in partially accomplishing this by
opening the circulating valves of the con-
densers; but while they were at work on
the bonnet Of the main injector valve Lieut.
Sampson, Of the Cochrane, who had boarded
the hulk interfered with revolver in hand
While this was going on below some of the
men forward crawled up through the fore
hatch and by waving towels and handker-
chiefs caused the Chileans to cease firing
The flag was then hauled down. unknown
to the officers and without their consent.
1t was gallant fight bitter one, and it is
no dtscredit to the Chileans engaged that in
the admiring plaudits of the world the van
pushed were the victorS.
To those who picture the glory of naval
warfare this description of the Huascars
condition may be of interest. THE scene"
writes Lieutenant Mason, ION board the
Huascar was terrible. There was hardly a
square yard of her upper works that did
not bear marks of having been struck with
some species of projeetile. Her smokestach
and coming tower were nearly destroyed,
her boats gone and daVitS either entirely
carried away or bent out of all shape. Her
mast was riddled and port chain plates car
ried away, but, strange to say; no rigging
was cut. The bulwarks, poop forecastle
and hatch coamings were much injured.
The eapstan was struck and knocked over
board by a shot
The Chilean fire must have been ex-
Iremely accurate, fact which is not sur
prising, as the Huascar was reduced during
the latter part of the fight-in fact, from
the time the Cochrane took up her position
on her quarter-to little more than an
armored target. Below, the scene was much
more terrible. Everywhere were death and
destruction, caused by the enemys large
shells. Eighteen bodies were taken out of
the cabin, and the turret was full of re-
mains or the two sets of guns crews.
The light woodwork, ladders and bulk
heads were all destroyed 1t was claimed
that many valuable documents were cap
tured. Among the papers found. were com
pete working drawings of the Blanco and
Cochrane. The ships log and steam log had
n iC .aIn ID nod %I10&
burned in the furnaces with many other
documents. The total duration of the ac-
tion was ninety minutes. During this time
1ne HuaScar lost or had disabled her com
mander and three next senior officers, be-
sides twenty-eight officers and men killed
and forty-eight wounded cut of a crew of
about two hundred. She had her steering
gear disabled three distinct times by the
eSnemy's hre, was set on fire in eight diff
right turret gun disabled and her light
guns and Calling unnamed
The remains of Admiral Grau were in
1erred by the Chileans at Santiago with full
military honors, and throughout South
America solemn masses were celebrated for
the repose OF his soul. His record was an
extraordinary one, for he was one of the
NEST skilled sailors and sea fighters of his
cay. He had been often in action. and his
conduct endeared him alike to friend and
Zoe. As an example of his disinterested pa
trlotlSm ii may be set down that he do
mated all his prize money due him from his
several captures to the fund for carrying
on the war. In that war two sailors names
stdhu out-Admlral Miguel Grau, the Peru
wan, and Commander Arturo Prat, of the
Chllean Esmeralda who. sword in hand and
almost alone, jumped to the deck of the
Huascar in a vain attempt TO board. He
zen at the foot of the turret, and his unSur-
rendered sword was turned over to Grau,
VINO. like him, was soon to find that the
path of glory leads to the grave.
FIGHT IN THE YELLOW SEA
Although the battle of the Yalu, fought
on Sept II, 1894. is the only modern sea
fight wherein the new weapons were en-
ployed, the conclusions drawn from it are
sngularly unsatisfactory. Owing to the
character of the contest and the limitations
imposed upon foreign naval officers the les
sons-except in the reassertion of the I'M
QuencAable vitality of the great underlying
principle the supreme Importance of battle
shlps-were not such as would have been
taught by conflict between any two great
western powers.
Give the same fleets with different civili-
Eauons controlling, many vexed problems of
tactics and construction might have been
solved however, no Western powers could
more have emphasized the value of sea pow
er ana the necessity OF preparing in peace
Tor the demands made by the sudden, sharp
and short warfare of modern times
Two neets were engaged, the Japanese
consisting of twelve ships, The Chinese of
ten, and these included coast defense YES
selS, armored cruisers, protected cruisers
SJusers, gunboats and very few torpedo