The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1901-05-10
Copyright, 1901, by @. B. Lewis.
BY M. QUAD.


l was in the marine hospital at Cal
lao, Peru, when war was declared on
Chile and was just able to limp around
when two Of the Peruvian gunboats
were chased into port and the Chilean
man-of-war Vengeance took up her sta
ton to blockade. There was a third
gunboat in the harbor, and there was
great deal of boasting as to what the
trio would do when they got ready to
Ipitch in. The very least they would
do would be to sink the Chilean within
q quarter of an hour. The people
foamed and ragged, and the navy wait
ed. Those gunboats had no business
to go out against that modern ironelad,
armed with the latest and most power
full guns and their officers knew it, but
there came a day when public opinion
drove them out. The fight lasted 20
minutes. One gunboat got back to sink
in the harbor, while the other two went
down outside. The people were fairly
wild over the defeat, and women as
we'll as men howled for vengeance.
| The day after the fight, while I still
had my quarters in the hospital, one
of the lady visitors happened to speak
to me and discovered that l was an
American. She began talking of the
| fight, and | never saw a madden wom-
an. She was grieyed, Inundated and
angered over the defeat of her country
men, and when l sided with her it
brought out startling proposition. She
was the widow of Calinte, of vast
| wealth and much social and political
Influence and believed that the defeat
of the Peruvians was caused by the
timidity of the admiral. She asked me
| If it was not possible that the Venge-
ance could be blown up, and when /
replied that it was possible what did
she do but offer me every chance to
bring about such a calamity. That
| meant the use of a steam launch which
she owned, with all the money necessa-
ry to fit her as torpedo boat, and $780,
600 cash in hand if I succeeded. The
old girl fairly took my breath away as
she, piled up the business, and, having
once got the idea, she would not let go
of it. She insisted that l get into her
carriage and drive home with her, and
then she sent for half a dozen of her
| most influential friends and demanded
that | lay before them plan and at
once begin work. 1t was a queer posi-
ton for the mate of Yankee craft
who knew nothing of naval affairs and
had never been aboard of a man-of-
war and had no claim to ingenuity. /
knew absolutely nothing of torpedoes,
and instead of plan / had only an
| idea. That was good enough for them,
however. They had heard of the cute
Yankee and believed that he could ac-
complish anything he set about. l had
no more idea than the man in the moon
of going into anything seriously, and
yet two days later found me "bossing
the job" l had offered my services to
fit out launch and run her out and
blow up the man-of-war, and the presi-
dent of Peru wasn't in it with me for
popularity, 1t took all the police force
of Callao to keep the enthusiastic popu-
lation off my feet and save my arms
from being paralyzed.
In my teetotal ignorance | was wise
enough to assume to know it all, and
that passed for the brightest sort of
acumen and the most solid nerve.
soon discovered, however, that it
wasn't necessary for me to know
much and that previous experience
was not demanded The launch was
fair sized one, using naphtha and
therefore smokeless, and but few
changes were necessary to fit her with
a torpedo. There were naval officers
at hand who knew all about torpedoes.
spars and electricity, and seeming to
work under my direction, we had the
launch fitted within a week. A spar
was solidly affixed to her bows and
projected a distance of 30 feet To
the end Of this was attached an iron
torpedo containing 100 pounds of giant
powder, which was to be exploded by
electricity at the moment of contact
with the man-of-war. | had counted
on crew of three, one to fire and one
to steer, while would con the launch
into position and press the button.
When we were all ready, not a man
could be found in Callao to go with
me. AS high as $4,000 was offered,
but there was no moving a patriot.
1t was considered a sure thing that
the launch would be blown to pieces
along with the blockader, and, al
though all loved their country, they
didn't want any sure thing in theirs.
In this emergency and thinking to
put the men to shame Donna Calinte
came forward and offered to go along,
and she was very much in earnest too.
The scheme didn't work. The men
still hung off, and under no considera-
ton would / have taken a woman
along. The affair was at dead stand,
still when decided to go alone. had
the electric wires run aft to the wheel,
and one night at 10 o'clock | left the
wharf for a five mile run through the
darkness and against choppy sea by
compass. There had been so much talk
about the enterprise that l expected
to find the Vengeance on the alert and
to be discovered and sunk before
had come within a cables length OF
her, but | was going out because | had
promised to and because l wanted to