Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-04-18


squadron. and that of Spanish ships
of-war detailed to thwatt its inten-
ton, says the New York Evening
Post.
In 1899 the British government, per-
suaded that u conflict with Spain was
inevitable, proceeded TO Ill out seven
vessels, frigates and sloops, and two
| storeships. or victuallers. 1t was pros
posed that this expedition should sail
| for the west coast of South America;
harass the Spanish settlements on the
| littoral; capture, II possible. the g"eat
Manila galleon, on It's annual voyage
| to Acapulco, Mexico; attempt the sur
| prise OF Manila, and then return home
| by way of the Cape of Good Hope.
| his squadron. whose personnel consist
| ed OF l,520 officers, sailors and marines,
| was placed under the command OF
Commodore afterwards Lord Arson.
| an officer of skill and distinction. and.
above all, noted for the humane ana
| solcitotis care that he gave to the
| health and well-beng Of the crews OF
| his ships.
on the 18th of September. i14o the
English squadron, composed of the
| Centurion, flagship: the Gloucester.
Sever, Pearl. Wager, Trial, ami two
"pinlSs.' or store-shps, sailed from
| st. Helen's for Madeira, the first port
of call. The voyage thither was II
protracted one OF forty days. SThis
delay was at the outset disastrous. in
the sense that II postponed the passage
around Cape Horn to the most unprop-
itious season OF the year In Novem-
| her the squadron departed from Ma
deira for the Island of st. GATHERINGS,
on the coast of Brazil where II ar
rived ON the 2ist OF December A stay
| of a month at this port was necessary
in order to rent the ships and refresh
their crews, among whom there were
much sickness and many deaths. on
| Jan, is, 11il, the squadron weighed
anchor from So GATHERINGS. and ar
rived on the straits OF lie Marie. the
eastern end Of Cape Horn, early In
| March.
Meanwhile the squadron sent out by
Spain to watch the movement Of Arson
and 10 traverse his projects was under
command Of Admiral Don Joseph Pizar-
no. II consisted of the Asia. flagship;
the Guipuscoa Hermonin. Esperanza,
st. Estavan and "patche' They were
manned by 1920 officers, sailors and
marines. besides a regiment of foot for
the reinforcement OF the garrisons on
the west coast of South America. This
squadron was first sent to cruise to
the leeward of Madeira, In order to in
tercept Arson, but his protracted voy-
age thither forced the Spaniards Ia
bear away for the river Platte to refit
and replenish their stores. At the
Platte, Pizarro received Information OF
the arrival Of Arson at st. GATHERINGS
As he was DESTROYS of reaching the Pa
cifc coast in advance of the English
without WAITING to reprovision his ships
he set sail from the Platte on the 23rd
of January, with his crews on short
allowances. Towards the latter end OF
February the Spanish squadron. having
made sufficient southiug In order to
double Cape Horn, steered to the west
ward. Hardly had II shifted its course
When there came a furious gale from
the northwest, which drove II so far
to the eastward and worked such havoc
that three OF the ships. almost com
pie wrecks, were forced to return to
the river Platte, whore they arrived
soon after the middle of May. The
Hermonil foundered at sea with all
hands--i50. The Guipuscoa was wrecked
on the coast of Brazil with a loss OF
$50 out Of 100 men. The Asia, the flag
ship, had remaining out of Il crew OF
700 only $50; of the complement of tbs
Esperanza-450-only rs remained, and
on the Estevan, out of $50, hut $50 sur
vived. OF the regiment of DOT. all but
sixty persisted. All of these casualties
with the exception of. those incidental
to the laundering of the Hermona
We're due to famine. The scarcity o
food in the Spanish ships was so acute
that rats, when they could be caugh
We're sold for 81 each. A sailor who dice
on one of the vessels had his death con
cealed for some days by his brother
who during that period lay in the SAM
hammock With the corpse, In order t
receive the dead mans allowance o
provisions.
This disaster to the Spanish SQUAD
ron rendered II, of course, useless a
an aggressive power. or all the fin
vessels. the Asia alone was able in ia
! to return to Spain. OF the original per
> sonnet OF the sluadron. consisting o
, nearly 1000 officers, sailors. marine
. and troops, not above 100 lived to reacl
their native land
Meanwhile. on the eth OF March, 17ii
with a fair wind and a strong favorabl
current, the English squadron made TIL
passage through the straits of lie Mair
in three hours time. The English wer'
elated with the hope of speedy voyag
about Cape Horn, an citation fortified b!
serene weather and bright skies. Thi
was flattering deluslon. The two hind
most vessels of the squadron had bare
ly cleared the straits when q furiou
squat from the south burst upon them
This was accompanied by a strong tide
that drove them to the eastward will
great rapidly. This squall was fol
lowed by succession of tempestuoul
westerly gales, compared to which tn
oldest and most experienced seamen OF
! board confessed that what they ha,
previously called storms were nothing
more than strong breezes. This temp
est raised short and mountainous
waves, which gave such quick, sharl
motions of the ships that the men wer
In continual danger Of being dashed t,
pieces against the sides and decks
Many wer injured and some killed out
right. For forty days the squadron
battled with those fierce westerly gales
/. when.in a tempest that surpassed in VIC
lence all of those previously encoun
tered. the Severn and Pearl. two sioops
of-war, disappeared and were not seel
again. on the 2ith of April. in an
: other fierce gale, the Centurion, tn
; flagship, lost sight of the four remain
ing vessels of the squadron.
Soon after passing the straits OF L
Marie scurvy began TO make Its appear
ance in the squadron. The fatigues an,
various disappointments met witt
caused It to spread to such a degre
that towards the end of April Their
were few who were not in some degre
afflicted with 1t on board the vari
Gus vessels. During that month no les
than forty-three died on board the Cen
turion, and a proportionate number OF
the other ships. BY the middle of Jun
the mortality had increased to such al
extent ON the Centurion that out of