The Portland daily press., 1898-03-26

EnguSh, without waiting to Ie-provlslon
bis ships. he set sail from the Plate on
the 22d OF January, with his crews on
short allowance. Toward the latter end
of February, the Spanish squadron, hav-
| ing made sufficient sotlthing in order to
double Cape Horn, steered TO the west
! ward. Hardly had it shifted it's course
when there came on a furious gale from
the northwest, which drove it so far to
tho eastward and worked such havoc that
three of the ships, almost complete
| wrecks, were forced to return to the Riv-
er Plato, where they arrived soon after
the middle of May The Herjnonia
The Guipuscoa was wrecked on the coast
of Brazil with a loss of $50 out OF 700
men. The Asia, the flagship, had re-
naming out of crew of 700 only $50; of
the complement of the Esperanza-450-
only So remained, and on the Estsvan,
out of $50 but $50 survived. OF the regi-
ment OF foot all but 81 parished. All of
those incidental to the laundering Of the
!! Hermonia, were due to famine. The
scarcity of food in the Spanish ships was
SO acute that rats, when they could be
caught, were sold for -four dollars each.
A sailor who died on board one of the
vessels had his death concealed for some
days by his brother, who during that
the corpse in order to receive the dead
mans allowance OF provisions.
This disaster to the Spanish squadron
rendered it of cousre useless as an agRres-
sive power. or all the fine vessels the
Asia alone was able in 1746 to return to
Spain. OF the original personnel of the
quadron, consisting of nearly four : ous-
ana officers sailors, marines and troops,
not above 100 lived to reach their native
land.
Meanwhile, on the 7th of March, l74I,
with fair wind and strong favorable
current, the English squadron made tho
passage through the Straits of lie Marie
in three hours time. The English were
elated with the hope of q speedy voyage
about Cape Horn, an citation fortified by
serene weather and bright skies. This
was fattering delusion. The two hind
most vessels of the squadron bad barely
cleared the straits when furious squall
from the south burst upon them. This
was accompanied by strong tide, that
drove them to tn eastward with great
rapidity. This squaIl was followed by
Il succession of tempestuous westerly
gales, compared to which the oldest and
most experienced seamen on board con-
fessed that what they had previously
called storms were nothing more than
strong breezes. These tempests raised
short and mountainous waves. which
gave such quick, sharp motion to the
ships that the men were in continual
danger of being dashed to pieces against
the sides and decks. Many were injured
and more killed outright. For forty Gays
the squadron battled with these fierce
westerly gales, when, in d tempest that
surpassed in violence all of those previ
ously encountered, the Severn and Pearl,
two sloops- ofwar, disappeared and were
not seen again. On the g4uh of April, in
Ia = l., ftxr1%, ryryo 4ho
flagship, lost sigh. of the remaining
four vessels OF the squadron.
Soon after passing the Straits of LIE
Marie scurvy began to make its APP
pearance in the squadron. The fatlgues
and various disappointment met with
caused it to spread 10 such degree that
towards the end of April there were few
who were not in soma degree afflicted
with 1T on board the various vessels.
During TINT month no less than forty
three died on board the Centurion, aud a
proportionate number on the other ships.
BY the middle of June the mortality had
increased to such an extent on the Cen
turion that out of crew of 400 men 200
had died. The remainder were reduced
to such state of helplessness by the dis
order that not above six men in watch
ee. capable of duty. 1t is q popularity
Of scurvy that it is accompanied with
great depres sion of spirits and total loss
of courage, so that anything that &C.
CURED TO alarm the infected crew usually
killed those who were in the last stages
of the disease.
Centurion on the Sth OF May sighted the
island of Socora, on the CHILEAN const,
the first rendezvous appointed in case of
separation OF the squadron. After cruis
ing eff this island, upon which no land
ing could he made, and none of the ships
appearing, the Centurion bore away for
the island Juan Fernandez, the SECOND
designated place of meeting. After
months sail with @ crazy ship, a Great
scarcity of water, and u crew so univer-
sally diseased that from four to six died
every day, Juan Fernandez was sighted.
1t was several days, however, hy reason
of head winds and Gains, before a land
ing could be effected; the half-famished
and suffering crew the meanwhile driven
to madness by the sight of green valleys
and cascades of wafer pouring from Its
hills.
The day after coming to an anchor the
sloop-of. war Trial. one of the missing
vessels of he squadron, arrived. She
had not been exempted from the calami
ties that befell the Centurion. Out OF u
crew of 100 men. SO had died of scurvy.
and of the remainder only four or i've
were fit for duty. The arrival of the
i he hope that he would speedily DO re-
Joined by the balance of the missing YES
sells In effect, on the 21st of June, the
Gloucester was sighted; but it was no.
until the 23d of July that she came to an
Choir alongside the other ships. Her loss
'es through scurvy were even greater
than those of the others, for, of her crew
of 300 men, 225 were dead. OF the other
three vessels. the Wager, sloop. of war,
was wrecked on the coast of Chill. The
survivors of her crew to the number OF
about lC0, fitted out the long boat, and
In this crazy craft made their way
through the Straits of Magellan to the
coast of Brazil, where, with the excep-
tion of 80 of their number who hsd per-
ished they found passage to Europein
French vessel. The Severn and Pearl
were so badly shattelel in the storm that
separated the squadron that tEev turned
back and ultimately reached England
with loss of two-thirds of their men.
After three months stay on the Island
Of Juan Fernandez for the refreshments
of his crews and the refitting of his
ships, Arson set sail for the coast OIL
Chill to attempt The capture of the town
of Paita. En- route he took six valuable
prizes, but lost the sloop- of-war Trial.
which proved SO trustworthy that she
was scuttled, and her men and guns