Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1898-06-24
SPANISH GUNNERY WEAK
Example Given by Fight With Peru
in 1865.
SpaniardS DID Not Seem to Have Capacity
for Looking After Their Ships Properly
Cases Of WantOn Destruction.

A chapter from modern Spanish
history, which was oversbsdowed
in this country by events of great
or Importance, but which serves to
give tome indication of what
Spani h gunnery was few years
ago, is worth retellipg now says
s. f. Chronicle.
Spain had a grievance against
Peru in 1866, because some of her
subjects had been maltreated
there, and she sent squadron of
seven vessels, mounting twenty
Que guns, to punish the Peru
vians. Peru had no navy at that
time, but her neighbor, Chile,
came to her aid, with three vessels
the Esmeralda, carrying forty
two smoothbores; the Victoria, a
small one-gun monitor, and the
Loa, q diminutive Merrlmac, plat
ed with iron and mounting two
6S-pounders. A writer in the
Army and Navy, Journal des-
cribes the affair:
"The Esmeralda," be says,
"met the Spanish gunboat Csvan-
dapgo (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 Cavan
dango, followed by the capture of
an armored launch, so chagrined
the Spanish Admiral, Psr-ja, that
he blew out his brains in his
cabin.
admiral Nunez, who succeed
ed Pareja, then CALAMITY assaiIed
the defenseless Valparaiso, where
not a single gun was mounted,
except a few saluting pieces. Not
a shot was fired from the town,
and the inhabitants promptly
evacuated it. This Spanish AID .
miral, in spite of the prott ste of
the foreign men-of-wsr in the
harbor, threw from 1000 to 3OOO
shells into it from his feet
of six vessels. The Span
ish gunnery was 80 wretched that
little damage was done, except by
fire, which destroyed $l0,0OO,000
worth of neutral goods. 1t was a
most wanton piece of barbarity,
for if the Spsniards had had a
landing force they could have
taken the town without firing a
shot.
"The gallant Nupez next as
sauIted the city of Callao, which
taught him the difference betwee q
an open town and one that was
adequately defended. In four OF
five hours the Spanish squadron
was badly used up, aud 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 a
hole twenty feet square Knocked
into her near the water line by an
exploding shell, and crawled out
of range to repair damages.
"rhe ammunition in two Span
lsh vessels gave out after a two
hours fight, and they had to re-
tire, one of them having been
twice on fire in the nrighborhood
of the magazine. This left two
vessels, the ironclad Numapcia
and the Almanac. Two hours
later these two vessels ceased their
fire and withdrew, the Chileans
firing at them until they were be
yond range. The Spanish loss is
not exactly known, but it supposed
to have been about 200. Com
mander Rogers, United States
Navy, estimated the loss of the
Chileans at eighty, though others
give large number. No serious
damage was done to either ships
or forts by the fire beyond that
named. The Spaniards then with
dre W discounted from the Pacific
being short of stors an ammuni
ton, and with their vessels foul
for want of docking. They had
established a base at the Chincha
islands, but had no facilities for
repairs" %.