Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1898-05-06

miles. Three shots from the turrct
OF the lIuascar were finally replied to
by a broadsidc. Then the Gatlings
in the tops of both combatants began
to play. The Cochrane rained great
shot ut the Huascar. The smaller
pieces trained ut the gun apertures OF
both ships. For II minutes not
much was accomplished by the great
gun fire. BY this time, when the
ships were within l 800 yards of each
other, shell from the Cochrane en-.
tered the Huascar's turrct, exploded
and killed IL men. Then the
iIuascar secured an advantage. One
of her l0-inch shells forced its way
! through easement on the starboard
side of the Cochranc, exploded on the
deck, disnantled gun, and killed
several men,"
This confused the Chilian, and even
then victory perched in the shrouds of
the Huascar. But relief came, and
Admiral Grau's first knowledge of it
was when heavy shot plowed into
the side of his ship. The Blanco
Encalada was right npOn him, fol.
lowed by several others of her fleet
who, however, seemed inclined to look
| after the Union. Then indeed, was
Admiral Grau's ship in n hard place.
The two great ironclads now ranged
| alongside, SO near that the faces of
the men could be seen from the Pcruv-
ian. Then came the horrors of mortal
combat.
Mr.. Wetmorc gives this vivid de-
scription of the scene and battle:
"This turret (Huascar's) became so
crowded with the bodies of the dead
that the steam training gear of the
iron roundhouse was clogged and Use
less. As the men struggled to remove
the tumbled corpses as their comrades
blood became smeared over their
chests, and it mingled with the sweat
which dripped as they toiled in quar-
ters that resembled n baking charnel-
house, through which filtered steam
and smoke, while nauseous odor
hn h,Itnc WI tl,n hon kDI
guns.
From the first of the battle the
encouraging voice of Grau had come
to the men in the turret through the
speaking-tube from the conning-tower,
but when the Blanco crowded into
the thick of it and great shot
struck the Huascar's sides as regularly
as blows of a battering-ram, the or
ders of the commander were no longer
heard. The officer of the turret called
to his superior. There was no an
swer. And when Commander Aguerre
ran up the narrow little ladder that
led to the tower he stumbled over the
dead body OF his admiral. A shell
had struck the coming tower and had
taken off Grau's head as neatly as if
the decapitation had been by the
guillotine.
His aid had also been killed.
"There was only time to push the
corpses aside, and the new command
ing officer pulled back the tube-hat to
give his directions, but as he did so
the Huascar staggered, keeled over,
then shook in every plate, while a
conclusion more terrific than any so
far told that shell had entered the
turret and had burst there. When
the fumes had cleared away so that a
person could speak, midshipman
called out that one of the great guns
had been dismounted and 20 men
killed.
"The survivors tumbled the bodies
through the hatch that opened into
the deck below, thus releasing the
clogged machinery, and as the corpses
ratified down other men rushed up,
throwing off their clothing as they
jumped into the pools of blood to
seize hold of the gear and swing the
remaining gun into position that it
might train upon one Of the ships
they could no longer make out which,
nor did they care-and it was dis
charged, hauled in, loaded and dis.
charged again.
"The third man to take command
of the Huascar fell before he had
fairly got inside OF the coming tower.
A lieutenant took his place, and de-
termined to ram one of the enemies
to sink with her if necessary. But
the stearing gear had been carried
away, and the wheel merely turned
round and round.
"At last the remaining great gun
was silent, its tackle literally choked
with dead. The turret could not be
turned for the same reason. Corpses
hung over the military top; corpses
clOgged the conning-tower.
"With coats and waistcoats off, sur
geons had been laboring in the ward
room upon the wounded, who, shrek
ing in their agony. had been tumbled
down the companionway like SO much
butchered beef, for there was no time
to use stretchers or to carry stricken
comrade to doctors care. Steam
and smoke filtered through the door
ways and the apartment became
sitting. While they were saving,
amputating and bandaging a shell