The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-01-12
SENT THE LOA TO THE BOTTOM
Former Sailor Tells of an Exciting Adventure
During the Chile-Peruvian War.

in proving who and what l was, and
when I told them of my experience
with the officer of the Loa they vera
pleased, for that was the ship they
were after, as she had been very trou-
blesome in overhauling several block
ade runners and sinking them.
I'VE went to a hut up the beach,
and in the morning were up early.
found several Americans, all sailor
men, engaged by the Peruvian authors
ties to help the landing and departing
of such as came TO or went from the
blockaded port. 1.-THE Chileans kept
the open roadstead well covered by
their cruisers in the daytime, and two
wicked-looking torpedo boats steamed
was difficult to get past them.
"That morning a representative of
go to Paita to catch the regular P.
and o. mail boat for Panama, and
volunteered to help. Fifty miles up
the coast at Huaco was a small
schooner awaiting his arrival, and we
succeeded in rowing him safely to that
point This made me square with the
crowd and they opened up to me their
plan to trap the Loa.
There We're several difficulties in
tho ,,Ior au5 c,4ooaSTod q z4-bol1x, ,5;f
ferent one, which pleased them might
lily. We procured an old launch that
could carry ten tons of freight.
sought the services of a good machinist
in the party, and in four days she was
ready to receive. her freight. We tow
ed her six miles north of the mouth of
the Rimac, and there loaded her with
all sorts of green stuff and vegetables,
SO dear to the sailor when he has been
on salt. grub for long time.
I'VE had noted the regularity of the
Loa's passages up and down the-coast,
and knew her well from her peculiar
rig. When our launch was ready we
started out from the beach at early
dawn. The Loa saw us, and made for
us. She fired several times, but did
and it was not till we saw two armed
boats crews pulling for us that we got
into a small boat and made for the
beach, leaving our launch a prize for
the Loa's boats. They at once began
the slow and heavy task of towing
her out to the Loa.
!. At the point where we landed was
a settlement of the poorer population
of Callao water front, the people hav-
ing been driven from their accustomed
haunts by the long-range shells thrown
at them by the cruisers. They had
made a Roman Catholic Church of an
old storehouse, and, as it was Sunday,
all hands were going to mass. For
appearance sake we followed the crowd
and took a stand just inside the door,
where we could see the tow on its
slow way out to the Loa.
''The padre was dressed in the beau
tiful vestments of his Office, and it was
aweinspring to us who knew what that
launch contained to hear him pray and
watch his movements as he went
through the mass. There is a part of
the service where he lifts up a mon
STRANGE, and all the people bow to the
ground, and it was when this was be-
ing done that we saw the launch go
alongside the Loa. One of the men
had pair Of good binoculars, and
with them I could see the hurry in |
making her fast, and could note the |
white dress of the men who jumped |
aboard her to unload the real treas |
ures (real, indeed. to hungry sailors
who had not had green things for
and we counted every pass
ing second, forgetting all about the
padre and the services in our great |
anxiety for the success of the plan.
They had a bell at the church, /
which they struck with a wooden ham,
mer, and it gave out musical sound. |
and every time it sounded the people |