The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1910-05-26

''~'| 30" "f''''' '"''' 7 '" NJ
Laden spa1iuh Vessel.
or the many incidents Of Anson's
great voyage round the World IN lils
middle oi the eighteenth century, non,
has made Crater impression on III
popular nl'aainan lie capture Of tns
great treas.tsc ship uest NJ sehara q
eabadon % April 20 174ss II tlas
the first plag 3. tie yaliies Of the
EiIs enormous III the second due
betWeen Centurion ana tseasIlts.
siIip was d Zine singh ship actiort;
and in the third place, the victory
came atSa time when Anscn, tcrtulss
seemed 10 be6at d low ebbl when one
disaster afteRanot had reduced his
sqRadFon to gne ship, and when SICK.
ness had reduced his guns crews Is
two men each. *
The Nuestra Sonora de CabadongaI
of asit As also called. de coyadongaasI
was a treasure ship from Manila, conf
manded by Don Geronimo Mcnterc
and laden with specie and nierchan:
disc! she was sighted at sunrise from.
the masthead Of the Centurion, and
Master Richard Walter, Ansonis chap.
lain and historian, tells us that 70
general joyg spread through the whole
ship Gallons nearly always cruised
IN couples, and It was supposed an,
other must be near. The Centurion al
Gree stood toward the spaniard. and
before s O'Clock her officers could see
the enemy from the deck. The firing
Of a gun by the galleon was taken by
Anson's mento be a consort 10 make
haste and rejoIn, and TO amuse the
Dons', the Centurion herself fred 9
gun to leeward. But Don Geronimo
Montero had no consort, npr did be
underrate the prowess Of his opponent,
The spantards$knew they were face to
face with Arson and file Centurion,
and sney were keen to fight, Through
out the forenoon the two ships erept
closer and closer together, till by mid
day only league separated them
Then the Naestra Sonora de caba-
donga brought to under topsails, with
her head to the northward, and at, the
top-gallant masthead the standard OF
Spain was flying.
Anson was not slow to accept the
challenge, and he laid his plahs with
great foresight. Into tie tops he sent
30. picked men, the best small arms
marksmen i6-the ship. His broadside
guns were manned only with two
men each, and to them he gave in
structionstto do nothing but load their
gun. The rest Of the men were divided
into gangs of 70, with orders to move
up and down the battery for the sole
purpose Of running out and firing the
guns as they we're loaded. It;'was an
unconventional way; of fighting; con-
itinuous independent fire was the last
thing the, spaniards expected, and 1t
threw them into as much confusion
as did the disaster which overlooked
them within few minutes Of the
opening Of the fight. A mass of mats
and hanneelys in the netting of the
gaIleof 5ca1ght IRE, sBufhfnG fercely
and blazing up nearly as high as the
,mizzen top. The two ships were prac-
tically within pistol shot, and II was
probably some gunwads from the Cen
turion which started the blaze TO
free Themselves from the danger was
no light task, and it took the Spanish
seamen some time 10 cut the MEETINGS
away and tumble the flaming mass
overheard, and in the meanwhile An
sons marksmen in the tops were sub
iecting the galleon's upper decks to an
incesssnt fusilade. Walter describes
the effect as "prodigious havoc" and
adds that the marksmen succeeded in
killing or wounding every officer but
one that appeared on the quarter deck,
and wounding In particular the gen.
eral of the galleon himself"
The fight ragged in for two hours.
Arson changing from round shout to
grape in the second part Of the en-
gagement with deadly effect. The
ships were 50 near that some Of the
Spanish officers. were seen running
about with much assfdutty 10 prevent
the desertion Of their men from their
quarters, but all their endeavors were
lin vain. After having as. last effort
fred five or six guns. with more
Judgment than usual" they yielded up
the contest; and the galleon's cOlors
being burned Oh tho ensign stan :at
the beginning Of the engagement, she
struck the standard at her main top
gallant masthead. The Centurion did
not escape unchanged; at the moment
the galleon struck Arson was informed
Quietly that his ship was OIL fire near
the powder room. He received the
news with apparent emotion, and TAX
ling care not to alarm his people, gave
1.-The necessary orders for extingulshing
the fire.
The specie in the Nuestra Sonora de
Cabadonga included 1,31S,S4S pieces OF
eight, and s5,6S9 ounces of virgin sill