The Ely miner., 1924-07-11
THE ALMIRANTE
COCHRANE
A. D. 1912

When Lieutenant Lord Thomas
Cochrane commanded the brig of war
Speedy, he used to carry about whole
broadside of her cannon balls in his
pocket. He had fifty-four men when
he laid his toy boat alongside Span
ish frigate with thirty-two heavy guns
and three hundred nineteen men, but
the Spaniard could not fire down into
his decks, whereas he blasted her
with his treble-shotted pop-guns. Leav-
Ing only the doctor on board he board
ed that Spaniard, got more than he
bargeined for, and would have been
wiped out, but that detachment of
his sailors dressed to resemble black
demons, charged down from the fore
castle head. The Spaniards were so
shocked that they surrendered.
For thirteen months, the Speedy
romped about, capturing in all fifty
ships, one hundred and twenty-five
guns, five hundred prisoners. Then she
gave chase to three French battle
ships by mistake, and met with a
dreadful end.
In 1909, Cochrane, being a bit of a
chemist, and first-rate mechanic, was
allowed to make fireworks-hulks
loaded with explosives-with which he
attacked French fleet in the anchor
age of AK. The fleet got into panic
and destroyed itself.
And all his battles read like fairy
tales, for this long-legged, red-haired
Scot rivaled Lord Nelson himself in
genius and daring. At war he was the
hero and idol of the fleet, but in peace
demon, restless, fractions, fiendish
In humor, deadly in rage, playing
schoolboy jokes on the admiralty and
the parliament. He could not be happy
without making swarms of powerful
enemies, and those enemies waited
their chance.
In February, 1914, French officer
landed at Dover with tidings that the
Emperor Napoleon had been slain by
Cossacks. The messengers progress
became a triumphal procession and,
amid public rejoicings, he entered Lon
don to deliver his papers ar the adj
miralty. Bells pealed, cannon thun-
dered, the stock exchange went mad
with the rise Of prices, while the mes
senger-a Mr.. Berenger-sneaked to
the lodgings Of an ACQUAINTANCE, Lord
COchrane, and borrowed civilian
clothes.
His news was false, his dispatch a
forgery, he had been hired by Coch-
rane's uncle, stock exchange specu-
lator, to contrive the whole black
guardly hoax. Cochrane knew nothing
of the plot, but for the mere lending
of that suit of clothes he was sentenced
to the pillory, years imprisonment
and fine of thousand pounds. He
was struck from the rolls of the navy,
expelled from the house of commons,
his banner as a Knight of the Bath
torn down and thrown from the doors
of Henry WIS chapel at Westminster.
In the end he was driven to disgrace
full exile and hopeless ruin.
Four years later Cochrane, CON-
manding the Chilean navy, sailed from
Valparaiso TO fight the Spanish fleet.
Running away from his mother, a son
of his-Tom Cochrane, junIor-aged
five, contrived TO sail with the admiral,
and in his first engagement was spat-
tered with the blood and brains Of
marine.
I'm not hurt, papa" said the imp;
''the shot didn't touch me. Jack says
that the ball Is not made that will hurt
mammals boy" Jack proved to be
right, but it was in that engagement
that Cochrane earned his Spanish title,
'The Devil" Three times he attempt
ed to take Callao from the Spaniards,
then, in disgusted failure, dispersed his
useless squadron and went off with
his flagship to Valdivia. For lack of
officers, he kept the deck himself until
he dropped When he went below for
a nap, the lieutenant left a MILDLY in
command, but the MILDLY went to sleep
and the ship was cast away.
Cochrane got her afloat; then, with
all his gunpowder wet, went off with
his sinking wreck TO attack Valdivia.
The place was Spanish stronghold,
with fifteen forts and one hundred and
fifteen guns. Cochrane, preferring to
depend on cold steel, left the muskets
behind, wrecked his boats in the surf,
let his men swim, led them straight at
the Spaniards. stormed the batteries
and seized the city. So he found some
nice new ships and an arsenal to
equip them for his next attack on Cal
lao.
He had a fancy for the frigate, Es-
meralda, which lay in Callao-thought
she would suit him for cruiser. She
happened TO be protected by Spanish
fleet, and batteries mounting three
hundred guns, but Cochrane did not
mind. FL Diablo (the deviD first
eased the minds of the Spaniards by
sending away two out of his three
small vessels, but kept the bulk of
their men, and all their small boats,
detail not observed by the weary en-
eIny. His boarding party, two hundred
and forty strong, stole into the anchor
age at midnight. and sorely surprised
the Esmeralda. Cochrane, first on
board, was felled with the butt end of
a musket, and thrown back into his
boat grievously hurt, in addition to
which he had bullet through his
shl~l, hafara he toaE r1oSSaSSiNn of tho