The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1906-01-25
FOUR ADMIRALS
PERISH ON SHIP
Brazilian Man-Of'War Aqnidaban Blown
Up.
OYER TWO HUNDRED VICTIMS
An Explosion Of the Powder Magazine Causes
the Vessel TO Siuk In Three mIuutes-w.s
Eseortrg the Cruiser Bsrroso, on Which
Was the Brazilian Minister Of Marine and
His Staff

Rio Janeiro, Brazil, (By Cable).-The
brazilian turret ship Aquidaban sunk at
Port Jacarcpagua, south of Rio Janciro.
at Io-45 P. NJ, as a result of an cxplo-
sion of the powder magazine.
four rear admralS periShcd
The dead number 2I2 and the injured
50. Nlncty-eight of those aboard were
saved.
The Aquidaban had been used for the
accommodation of number of super
numerary officers and men attached to
the iotllla escorting the cruiser Barroso.
The BarroSo had on board the Minis
ter OF Marine and his staff, who were
inspecting the sites proposed for a new
arsenal
The following members of the commits
SION which left the arsenal on board the
Aquidaban, accompanying the Minister
OF Marine, were killed or drowned:
Rear Admiral Rodrigo Jose Da Rocha.
Rear Admiral Francisco Calheiros Da
Craoa, Rear Admiral Joao Candido Bra
I'll and Captain Alves de Larrigo.
Two commanders, two German pho
toGraphcr5 and one reporter also were
drowred
In three minutes after the explosion
occurred Tic Aquidaban sank
The cruiser Barroso has arrived here
with the injured.
he Aquidaban was steel sheathcd
6attleShlp of 1850 tons She was 28o
feet long and 81 feet beam. and had
speed OF 10 knots. She was built in
England III 1895, at cost of $Izsoooo.
ana reconstructed in Stettin. Germany,
III 1895. Her armament consisted of
iour 8-Inch, four 4-inch and 10 I-inch
rapid hre guns, with five torpedo tubes.
Her complement was 388 men
Her armor consisted OF a belt seven
ieet wide, and from seven to eleven
inches thick. The turretS and redoubt
were cncaScd in Io-inch plates.
The Aquidaban was one of the foreign
blttlc'ipS that took part in the mem
orable demonstration in New York har-
Dor in 1893 in honor OF the Worlds
Columbian Exposition at Chicago. when
the three Spanish caravels, representing
Columbus ships. were brought from
Cadiz.
I ne battleship was the flagship of Ad-
mlral Mello, who led the great Brazilian
naval mutiny and held control Of the
harbor OF Rio de Janeiro for some DAYS
during 1893.
The Brazilian feet in the port of Rio
de Janeiro revoltcd on the night of Sep
tembcr 5, 1893, captured a number of
merchant vessels and armed them. Ad-
miral Custodio Jose de Mello was COM
mander-in-chief. The warshipS were
provided with vast stores of arms. am
munltion. provisions and coal One OBJ
Ject IN view was to have absolute control
OF the bays of Guanabara and Nicheroy
and the rOadstead.
On the 9th the fleet attempted to make
an arrangement with Governor Porciun-
cula, OF the State of Rio de Janeiro. and
also with the commander of Fort. Santa
Cruz, but failed. Then the land on the
side where Armacao and Nictherov are
was pitilessly shelled every day from
the 9TH TO the 18th, inclusive. The insur-
gents fire was hotly returned from the
shore, and every attempt to land was
repulSed. On September I3 the rebel
fleet attacked the loyal forts. The Auui-
cahan was in the midst of the battle and
shifted constantly to avoid balls from the
forts and shelled the Nictheroy forts.
The Aquidaban was heavily armored
She was struck in several places.
Mello inaugurated the rebellion in Bra
VI diiNSCQ DISSATISFACTION WIFI
the Peixoto government. Peixoto was
vice president of the republic under Pres
Ident konseca, who was the first incum
bent after the fall of the monarchy under
Dom Pedro Fonseca was forced to re-
tire in favor of Peixoto During Fon-
seca's tenure of Office there were sporadic
insurrections in Rio Grande de Sui and
other provinces and a general feeling of
unrest. Mello claimed that Peixoto was
even more arbitrary and unrepublican
than Fonseca, and as he had the navy
with him he had no difficulty in in
auGurating rebellion
Peixoto'S loss of his fleet was ser
ious drawback. for while the government
forces on land were ordinarily able TO
cope with the land forces of the insur-
gent there was no way to prevent the in
Surgent fleet from bombarding the city.
The only thing that prevented the rebel
admiral from vigorously cannonading Rio
was the presence of number of foreign
war vessels in the harbor and the fear
of possible combinations.