The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-04-16
PORTLAND MAINE, MORNING. APRIL

This turret rapidly became SO crowded
with the bodies of the dead that the
steam training-gear of the iron rouna,
mousse was clogged and useless. as Ins
corpses OF their comrades, blood became
sneared over their chests, and 1T mlngieo
WIN the sweat which drippet as tney
eoJeu IN quarters that resembled "a pa
King charnel-house, through which nj
Cerea steam and smoke, while nauseouS
oaor fos So, from the bodies and the heated
guns. Inc sun beat down upon the WIG
scene thfough air so calm that ALTER the
white smoke had belched from the guns,
| 1T rose In pillars and chung to the mast
heads.
From the first of the battle the encour-
| agemant voice of Grau had come to the
men in the turret through the speaking
| tube from the coming tower; but when
the BIanco crowded into the thick of it.
and great shot struck the Huascar's sides
as regularly as blows of u battering ram,
the orders of the commander were no
longer heard. The officer in charge of
tie turret called to his superior. There
was no anwser, 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
she'll had struck the coming tower, and
had taken off Grau's head as neatly as If
the decapitation had been by the guillo-
tine. This she'll also killed Lieut. Ferre,
thu Admiral's aide. There was only
time 10 push the corpses aside, and the
new commanding officer pulled back the
tube-f1ap to give his directions; but as he
dld SO the Huascar staggered, keeled over,
then shook in every plate, while CON
cusslon more terrific than any SO far told
THAT shell had entered the turret and
mad burst there. When the fumes had
cleared away SO that person could speak,
a mldshipman called out that one of the
great guns had been dismounted, and
twenty men killed. The survivors
tumbled the bodies through the hatch
that opened into the deck Below, thus re-
leasing the clogged machinery; and as
the oorpses ratified down other men rushed
up, throwing off their clothing as they
jumped into the pools of blood to seize
hold OF the gear AMI swing the remain
ing gun into position that it might train
longer make out which, nor did they care
and 1t was discharged. hauled in, load
ed and discharged again.
once more all was silent in the con-
ming tower. Lieut.. Palacios fastened
there, but before he could enter he was
compelled to push three bodies out of the
way. He had barely given his first COM
rlne OF marine in an enemy's top lodged
between his eyes. Then the fourth to
command the Huascar that day, Lieut..
Pedro Garezon, took the place, and as he
did so he called through an aperture,
telling the quartsrmaster to put the helm
to port; for he had determined to ram
onesof the adversaries. and sink with her
if necessary. Over and over spun the
wheel, but tho Huascar's head still
pointed between the Gillian.
Portl Port, I sayl'' sereamd the COM
mander.
''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 starboard
steering gear, sir, reported an ensign;
and he dropped dead as the words left his
mouth. o..
The Huascar now lay drifting in hell
of shot and flame, but all the while the
red, white and red fluttered from the
peak. One by one, in tFaeS aud 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 lead. 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, shrieking
in their agony, had been tumbled down
the mpanionway like SO much butchered
beef; for there was no time to use stretch
erS or to carry o stricken comrade to
doctors care. Steam and smoke filtered
through the doorways, and the apartment
became sitting. While they were saving,
amputating and bandaging d shell tore
into the wardroom, burst, and fragments
wounded the assistant surgeons the
chief of the medical staff having been
killed earlier in the conflict Those IN
fortunates who were stretched upon the
table waiting their turn under the knife,
and those who lay upon the floor, suffered
no more pain; they were killed as they
lay groaning. This shell tore away ward
room and stern cabin, and hardly a trace
was left of the bulkhead. After that
what little surgery was done was per-
formed in the coal bunkers.
Huddied in a paSsageWay near the en-
gine room were a score or more of non
C MISUNDERSTANDING, pantrymen and
stokers. They were in place that was
lighted only as flashes came from the
guns; it was filled with powder smoke,
aud clouds of steam that drifted from be-
low told that the Huascar had been
struck in Il vital spot-her machinery. |
Suddenly they heard crash, followed by |
the rending of the deck, and the little |
ironclad swayed as if she had struck a
fGcl. IoOLiO OilO pstSSCo til0 WOrQ UQaU the |
had been shot away. AS it |
came down it brought living men to be |
dashed to death, also corpses that had |
been hanging over the sides of the mill |
tary top.
There was cry CT sFirer' and all
hands rushed to stations-perhaps two |
mon to q boats crew, one TO a pump |
gang.
D. the fret shouted Lieut.. Gar
exon. "Repel boarders T.
They were metalnorphosed by thissorder |
from fire-fghters into warriors again,
and formed line of bleeding men, their
clothing in rags, and, ranged in company
front, stokers elbowing marines, pantry
men leveling rifles in union with mid
shipnen, awaited the coming of a fleet
Of the enemy's boats which, crowded
With marines, were forcing their way
through the water toward the wounded,
Huascar, that lay like log
, But ire ragged between decks, and |
names flared up the after companionway;
and when the boats had crowded around,
IKE threshers attacking % whale that
had been. struck to the death, the few sur
vlVors were compelled to yield to the
force of numbers, and the Chilians