The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-05-12

hufBeoHs Hau Deen IaDorlnSa IN the
wardroom upon the wounded, who,
shrieking In their agony. had been tum-
bled down the companionway like SO
much butcheredlsh sheep, fol; there was no
time 10 use stretchers or to carry d
stricken comrade 10 a doctors care.
While they were saving. amputatlng
and %bandlging q shell tore into the
wardroom. burst, and fragments
wounded the assistant surgeons, the
chief OF the medical stan having been
killed earlier In the conflict. Those
~unfortunates who were stretched upon
the table awaiting their turn under the
knife. and those who lay upon the floor
suffered no more, pain-they. were killed
as they lay groaniny. This shell tore
awaB wardroom and stern cabin and
hardly a trace was left OF the bulk
head. After that what little surgery
was done was performed In the coal
.hunkers.
"Huddled In o passageway near the
engine room were a score or more OF
non-combatants = stewards, pantrymen
and stokers sl"sssAsS Suddenly they
heard a crash, followed by the rend-
Ing Of the deck, and the little ironclad
awayed as II she had struck a reef.
Some n passed the word that the
maintopmast had been shot away. AS It
came down 1t brought living men to
be dashed to death, also corpses that
had been hanging over the Sides Of the
military top.
There vas a cry OF "frei' and all
hands rushed to statIons-perhaps two
men to O boats crew. one to q pump
gang.
"'D-n the fret shouted Lieutenant
Garezon. 'Repel boarders!'
"They were metamorphosed by this
order from fire fighters into warriors
ngain. and formed a line Of bleeding
men. their clothing In rags and ranged
In company front. stokers elbowing ma
rlnes. pantrymen leveling rifles in un-
lon with mldshipmen, awaited the com
Ing OF q fleet OF the enemy's boats
which. crowded with marines. were
forcing their way through the water to-
ward the wounded, staggering Huascar.
that lay like a log. motionless.
But the fire ragged between, decks and
flames flared up the after-companlon-
way: and when tile boats had crowded
around, like threshers attack a whale
that had been struck to death, the few
survivors were compelled to yield to the
force OF numbers. and the Chillans
swarmed the ironclad's deck.
THE Nctors had barely got control Of
the flames when word was brought to
the officer commanding the boarding
party that the prize was sinking. He
examined her sides, and as there was
no great injury below the water line he
summoned Chief Engineer MacMahon
and accused him OF scuttling the ship.
The latter laughed %defiantly. The off,
Ger cooked a revolver, placed it at his
head and threatened to shoot.iif the
man did not tell what he had done. On
ly then did he admit having opened the
sea valves, and the Chilians, rushing
below, were only able to close them
just as the blood-stained water Tapped
the slippery deck.
There is no authentic record OF the
number slain. but the accounts In Cal
lao were that Of two hundred men on
the Huascar nearly one hundred were
killed, and Of the remainder only half
escaped without injury. The Peruvian
dead were thrown into the sea as the
Blanco Encalada took the battered.
blood-stained Huascar in tow.
T this day at every general muster
Of 4 Peruvian army division, at every
monthly inspection on the ships COM
prising the fleet, the name OF Grau is
the first to be heard Ia the roll-call. An
officer steps forward. lifts his hat.points
upward, and answers: Absent, but ac-
counted for. He Is with the heroes"