Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1898-06-10
PERU HUMBLED SPAIN.
A CHAPTER FROM MODERN HISTORY
THAT is WORTH TELLING.

WINS o"'chiS Eut out OF fctioh'
A chapter from modern Spanish his
tory which was Overshadowed in this
country by events of greater impor.
lance, but which serves to give some
indication Of what Spanish gunnery
was a few years ago, is worth retelling
now. Spain had II grievance against
Peru in 1866 because some Of her sub
! lects had been maltreated there, and
she sent squadron of seven vessels,
mounting 2ll guns, to punish the
Peruvians. Peru had no navy at that
time, but her neighbor Chill came TO
her aid with three yessels--the Esmer-
aida, carrying ~ small.bores; the Vic
toria, small one gun monitor, and
the Loa, a diminutiye Merrimac, plated
with iron, and mounting two 6s.
Founders. A writer in the army and
navy Journal describes the affair.
1.-THE Esmeralda," he says, "lnet
the Spanish gunboat CavanGago three
guns and captured her in twenty
minutes without the loss of man.
The Spaniards fired only three shots.
They had two men killed and fourteen
wounded. The loss of the Cuynudago,
followed by the capture of az armored
launch, 30 chagrined the Spanish adj
miral, Pareja, that he blew out his
brains in his cabin.
admiral Nupez, who succeeded
Pareja, then CALAMITY assailed the de.
fenceless Valparaiso, where not q
single gun was mounted except few
saluting pieces. Not shot was fred
from the town and the Inhabitants
promptly evacuated it. This Spanish
admiral, in spite OF the protests of the
foreign men-of-war in the harbor,
threw from 1000 to 5000 shells into it
from his feet of six vessels. The
Spanish gunnery was 80 wretched that
little damage was done except by fire,
which destroyed $40, 600, 600 worth of
neutral goods. 1t was most wauton
piece of barbarity, for THE Spaniards
had had n landing force they could
have taken the town without firing II
shot.
1.-THE gallant Nunez next assaulted
The city of Callao, which taught him
the difference between an open town
and one that was adequately defended.
In four or five hours the Spanish
was badly used up, and was
glad to crawl back to Spain as best
it could in its crippled condition.
The Villa dc Madrid, ffty-six guns,
got 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
water line by an exploding shell, and
crawled out of range to repair dam
ages.
"The ammunition in two other
Spanish vessels gave out after two
hours tight, and they had to retire,
one of them having been twice on fire
in the neighborhood of the magazine.
This left two vessels, the Numancia,
ironclad, and the Almanac. Two hours
later these two vessels ceased their
fire and Withdrew, the Chiians fired
NJ them until they were beyond range.
The Spanish loss is not exactly known,
but is supposed to have been about
200. Commander Rodgers, L. ). N,
estimated the loss of the Chilans at
20, though others give larger mum
Der. No serious damage was done to
either ships or forts by the fire beyond
hat named. The Spaniards then
discounted from the Pacific,
being short of stores and ammunition
md with their vessels foul for the
want of docking. They had estab-
ished base at the Chincha Islands.
,ut they had no facilities for repair"
In speaking of this fiasco naval
'fllcer said: 'Spain has in a measure
haired in the movement toward more
ships and guns, but il is
he personal factor which tells in
laval engagement now "a much as ii
lid century ago, when battles were
ought with wooden ships. This is
by all authorities on naval
1arfare, although the uniformed are
pt To think that the modern gunboat
: complicated machine which fights
automatically. Good gun service will
in against great odds in armament,
nd in this particular we have good
eason 10 believe that we are much
nperior to Spain. IL is well es-
,blished fact that the Latin races do
ot develop good gunuers, Whenever
40 Spanish navy has attempted to
now its skill with guns in the last
alf century it has made itself ridicu-
JUS"
long Pontincates.