THE SOUTH AMERICAN WAR.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 62, 12 March 1880, Page 1

THE SOUTH AMERICAN WAR.

t.A ; pAH&fSSJJUBT cMaNjS EXPERIENCES. : The fqllpWing interesting letter from JMtr Graynor, formerly a resUßnt in Xs Bon's Bay in (his province, has been placed a t pur ( Canterbury Times) disposal for publication:-— I . . /; , J SiiNfi^GO, Qct 2j£, 1879. Dear Friend,— No doubt you will be surpHsed' to tieaV that I ani in South America instead of bejfig; in Lb Bon's i B,»y k but,l ; will,tel| jjo&jftjl abouj how I left New Zealand. ,1 -weai^tp. ; '^oVt.) Lytteltpn on Ne^OTear'a D»y to see Regatta, but, I bad epme, f .liau )r ami saw nothing. I lost ill my piobejr and got I " sbangti&jfecj an American < barquebalWl-he Willard Midget:' for :j£6 per month. cncie to my' , aenae<t J- w^/i bojad for Csl a &f PeVijv "I* , askeaV (be captain-to.put^me M ( l stio^ before we sac he? said^fiQ^d., 4obmuch trouble to ? get a jrj^raod' not, ao I b«d- tp, go. Y'o"a : Tsee" .^.hat drip^ t haß;d l jone -for , me. .'. But at. >s6on as-we^ga*. to Gallao I left, the! barque, as coold get men there for JThis is a. ppcr country^ ifpr fwijjjjsl^Jir^Q^^aii'iinji in. ; The" wageSj'ftPe viery low.; . the -. beiit^ i% .only! It wo dollars per^ day;- and 1 liviiigxis] very> Hbigb^ 'They 1 dollars a week^fpr^board, two meals per day and. fioid, 1 .y.o«Lr ; . awd 'blanket*. Work is ...very., saarce : juai ; now on? account of the war between ;> Pdru' and Chili- and •* Bolivia/ 'V^De'ar, I frierid,.yoa will4hidk4tißtraiige, of rae to join the Peravia'n 1 , nayyl but there ( wisJnp.chanqe of^getUng^ack to New 2J,;alapd for a : time, loso-.i] joined the Fer u v i an ir o n cl ad In d e pen d B n oia '." and went to fight tßej'dhUian-.flaat./ This ironclal mourifeS .18 guns— -two 150« pounders, aad,46 If) -pounders ; also two Gratlingguns^jue in- the fore»op aad one io ihe maintop. Tbesje two guns 'would fire 300 roandspir ojiaute, S© ;we l.a^;'a v g^bil''s^ip.\J WelJ.j wV went "down the coast; in .company, with the tunet thip Huascar t) a pljace called 'Iqiiiquei'find there we met twith two friga'teg belonging to Chili. The Huascar went (or one.an^jwe went for the otle*. ■ The Hqascar ram mod anJ sank the Esmerulda, and we r chiaeed the Cavadonga, but she steamed across a reef and got clear. Our ship drawing ■ so. much water struck on the; reef anJ waß a complete wreak. iWben the frigate saw us fast on the! rock she. turnel rouqd aid commenced firiog upon us io the, water, Wo bad about j350, men on board, and üboufc one-half were shot c.r drowned. ISo we lost our ironclad. I w^9 one of ;thoae,w.ho swam ashore among the brejlters, Thiß ; siw t ajga great loss to Peru, I bu ; jit made: 1 ihd^;mar^ wild tbaai they ; w are before, JiftWftftafezand^tWip gjunfte^», md, piit.ua.; lorf! board' f he , ]Eaas"oary < and away : jvc : wenti tp.^o rII the triiao^hjel we could. < wjj,h iV oifta :/ regimenjt s pX fft^lrx^Qprses, i arid ail) and oioJoei millionl Ipllarf oji/ board. We alsdfook a folt-i;igged ghip wiid.e'^'^ih^baf, 07 * ;©«^b li iden ' with ;;hp]o,ngjng t o, t the,«ntf m Ja, o W,e, iß3veral.s,GhooneM danduaayi iimpunt 6t) lighters useJ for taking offlj;uano andSjaltp^fcre^'ay .CMliap property. rt .,.., ., . ., • ; ;, : ijear S^r^Ar^^'j^w yp^.^mi uthel Huascar.; . She .was a turret 'monitor and ram.- ShPWafl'aa ironclad, her arqobur being 5 incheß-ttiok. >,Her p.turre^uaed^to.-re^^YP.s?/ »i ind-p.ojw:er t _ Thtira.iwere two guns in the, tjii^et, each being a 1 300-pouader; ;two 40* -pounders oh' the Quarter-deck j im& one" „12-pounder. (XJ^f crew nuribere'd 25 aIV . ; Qne ,d«y. , , we JV^ipil in to

Antafaspata, ;:w place ;^that, belongs to the Bolivians, and there vts found two frigates - Taey were behiu;d- all./lh^ t\Rt we; Hid a' job:lp , got t at ', n 1 | 3 | p o v l^f ■ 11 , ' 5r 'did not u wi£bV t'j; :'h)»r^ G 4)Qa r ;rm^jch»nfe ships; Well, we lay about 1500. yards offjand' the 4Bree batteries on ! sh^o re. .opened fi'jre 'pn'^ua'.^'^l^e'Jretucnigd'-'i't with .. our QPQ-,pounde l r>, 0 an t d^ I s9Qn:3Bi enoed the three tcrta on shore. __ Jrha^ ; ij)pta : ia', .then maqocijvred abat^t, until we'./gpf.^ chance at ooe of the frigate?, and-then weifired^at/herivj^She returned'' it ! with> ? 70-pp.anierf, c .r which to.ok-^ no 1 .Xvery ; Bhtft"going^ over jus c kc«jr Pqi^K that^ came "through tlie v funQel;. kijliogd ooe ■ ofliWr aodi wouodio^ one man, We brokeione apf; the vfrij»« teis_ o ain^to pieces; ; ahd'killed ani r Woiia iei , abqut^ 25; of th?. .crew,, iacliidinV her ohi^f • engineer a,n(i.,comiaaailer. J^ow^qdeeif^ B— — , shortly. vafter ..this; sr6 '-'f^V ,ih' wilh the whple ; oj,Uia epe^y'dfle'et—t;^ heavy irohclal«,J mounting six;i3O9-. ; pounders , eaphi ahd Bmall (judfl ; • 'tw/o« corvettee, 0 mj>A^tipg lei^ht 7 1 )-^du i t nyer| i ' each; and, ytwp traosport • raguiat^p^'guna. One -of the; ironcli ds would have ' be^en a ( good- f. cnatcb, <^tot '<■< tisy ; :< but we: I.^:l^;^^1 .^: l^;^^ the^Wt ! ,; f jfs ( we , could n^t.^ ge|;.' _^waj. .' .^^^f hey/, fired steel . sheila at .us/at SQ, y i irda raoge; : and every one went througbue like* glassy although wp-were six:>iibehe£ : tlticlk.,%y , thejtfluf jf§|j! |ighi jfyiji w« .a (Jißabie^yj our siieeringfgear shot away : outv ;sbjp (Wjaf a ;^^wreekijio look j,at. ¥e [ ilosfc ; the.. men ftptn the go^s half the ifpresfjwere killed and eig'.t cfficew, in* /iCludin^ the-firs>aad;jßecond co mmanders. . OurCaptaio .was ontrtn-two xt itb. a shell, °a^^ plenty of men s %ejre cut to pieces ms, headßy ri legs, iatesbin^B,, r and ; blood be ng all over the turret.- aOat flag also got shot away. Butthe'eDenaf did' not get off scot-free,. ,fdt;iji^.^'p^|; t ßte i el' r iß(eHß went through ts4^^ CqcliraiQe*B;?^ernj 1 ; whii ih p-tJleared-her cabin and killed ; a?, good inany ( _..;6j: her crew ; atfbther went througn Jier! „boW and "cleared. eVe^thinif !forward4 fiP^V^:; l i ar.e,ViiftW:, jprisonerj of war.; < The Ohiliaueii broaghtiua oa to Valparaiso, &ad then sent mon b; r rail, .120 nailes^ inland, ''tothe 'capital of Ohili,. gallpd Santiag'6.. ; ';l|;.Jß,ail S{ anish tiiat is spoken> here; , ; ?i ■^'■' i ' i ■•-' : Now, dear B'~^**-,T thick I have 'told all I can bjr^etter^bufc i cpul^ -pAh jou a great dealni.bre'ff I v^UQ^iiie' 1 bay. We are guarded; py Bj.diers and live^in the barracks. We haee notWtie v \ to- do, and get two: meals^ a da'f. iS^#e v getnd tea or coffee, : aMi the living is very poor. , Altog^ther^Sp'fith Ame^caT is .a miaerable country, I 'and [^v^i)i,ge.fc v back'toNew Zealaind ? a§ soon ( asiloget 4 out, of this scrape.. Give my 'kind respects to'— —^ &ci ; ,&c.TT- : l,romain ? &c, i. . !■, 1 1 ■! -"' ' [TO