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CHILI. 



steamers, were rejected. Joaquin Godoy was sent 

 to Europe to endeavor to raise a loan and pur- 

 chase ships. Meanwhile people were growing 

 tired of the tyranny and cruelties of the mili- 

 tary despotism, and to save the failing cause it 

 was necessary to gain some success over the revo- 

 lutionists, who were protected now from a land 

 attack by the Atacama desert. 



The torpedo gunboats were therefore got ready 

 for an attack on the rebel fleet, aided by the 

 torpedo boats, with the " Imperiale " as tender. 

 On April 23 the torpedo cruisers surprised, 

 the " Blanco Encalada " at anchor in Caldera 

 Bay, while she was undergoing repairs and un- 

 able to bring her guns into position. The 

 attack was made before dawn. The ironclad 

 had no torpedo net, had no picket boats out, and 

 did not use search lights. Captain Moraga, ap- 

 proaching unobserved, fired end-on at a distance 

 of 110 yards the bow torpedo, which missed the 

 ironclad and sank an English merchantman. 

 The torpedo catcher then sheered off, and at 65 

 yards discharged first one and then the other of 

 the port torpedoes, both of which struck the 

 " Blanco " in the bow. When first struck, the 

 ironclad opened a heavy mitrailleuse fire on the 

 " Condell. The " Lynch," following ' in the 

 same course about 60 yards behind her consort, 

 likewise sent her bow torpedo ahead of the iron- 

 clad, and when broadside-on struck her amid- 

 ships. Two minutes later, nine minutes after 

 the firing of the " CondelPs " first torpedo, she 

 foundered. The weapons were self-acting White- 

 head torpedoes, of which each boat carried five. 

 The " Lynch " was manoeuvred by Capt. Fuen- 

 tes, who 'had been so successful in evading the 

 blockade with the " Imperiale." Capt. Goni, of 

 the " Blanco Encalada," was rescued with about 

 40 others, but 180 of the crew were drowned. 

 The torpedo cruisers, after sinking the iron- 

 clad, met and engaged the transport "Acon- 

 cagua," which had 1,300 revolutionary soldiers 

 on board, as she was entering the harbor, and 

 during a combat lasting an hour and a half the 

 " Aconcagua," commanded by Merino Jarpa, fired 

 190 shots without damaging the torpedo catch- 

 ers, and finally forced her way into the harbor. 

 On the following morning the two torpedo catch- 

 ers and the " Sargeanto Aldea " attacked the 

 cruiser " Magellanes " in Chafiaral harbor. The 

 smaller craft manoeuvred so that the big guns 

 could not be brought to bear on them, and with 

 their quick-firing and machine guns damaged 

 one of the batteries and the rigging of the ship 

 and killed 22 of her crew, but they suffered 

 more severely, each of them being hit. They 

 could not get within close enough range to use 

 their torpedoes, and fired only one, which de- 

 stroyed a merchant vessel. On April 28 the 

 " Magellanes " stole into Valparaiso harbor in 

 the night time ; -poured a broadside into the 

 " Sargeanto Aldea," riddling her and killing or 

 wounding half the crew ; fired on the " Almir- 

 ante Lynch," receiving a heavy fire in return ; 

 blew out of water a boat with 10 men sent to 

 attack her with a torpedo ; slipped astern out of a 

 murderous cross fire of the "Lynch " and " Con- 

 dell," leaving the Government vessels firing at 

 each other in the darkness ; got into position to 

 rake the " Lynch " with a broadside that dis- 

 mantled every gun ; and steamed out of the 



harbor at full speed as the forts opened fire, 

 which they dared not do before for fear of de- 

 stroying the Government vessels. One shell fell 

 on deck, dismounting the pivot gun. The "Al- 

 mirante Condell " was nearly sunk by her sister 



funboat. On the ' Magellanes " 40 men were 

 illed, and on the other vessels double that num- 

 ber. The torpedo boat " Guacoida " was chased 

 and sunk by the " Magellanes." The "Lynch" 

 and " Condell " patrolled the coast and fired at 

 long range into tne rebel harbors. The officers and 

 crew ran the torpedo launch " Guale " out of Val- 

 paraiso Bay to hand her over to the Congress 

 party. The " Lynch " overtook and recaptured 

 the launch at Papudo, and the 12 deserters were 

 taken to Santiago and shot. An attempt was 

 made to blow up both the " Lynch " and the 

 " Condell " with dynamite. One of the minor 

 accomplices in these plots betrayed the instiga- 

 tors, who were a quarter-master, who killed him- 

 self before he could be arrested, and a respecta- 

 ble merchant named Bicardo Cummings, who 

 was shot with the man who betrayed him and 

 another agent in the conspiracy. 



Negotiations for Peace. A large assembly 

 of influential citizens who had taken no part in 

 politics passed resolutions at Santiago on Feb. 1, 

 in pursuance of which a committee waited on 

 the President and urged him to change his ad- 

 visers and restore peace. One of the committee 

 spoke of the opportunity he had of following 

 the patriotic example of O'Higgins and resign- 

 ing, on which he closed the interview, saying 

 that he was prepared to "go on to the end." 

 After the Congressionalists had undisputed pos- 

 session of northern Chili the Uruguayan Gov- 

 ernment offered to mediate, and received the 

 reply from Balmaceda that there was no revolu- 

 tion, but a local revolt that would be suppressed 

 in a few weeks. Not long afterward the diplo- 

 matic body arranged a conference between Bal- 

 maceda and Congressional delegates to discuss 

 terms of peace. As commissioners of the insur- 

 gents, Eulogio Alamarin, Carlos Walker Marti- 

 nez, Pedro Montt, Gregorio Donoso, and Belisa- 

 rio Prats went to Santiago. Bombs were thrown 

 into the room during a Cabinet meeting and at 

 ministers on the street, upon which Balmaceda 

 broke off the conference after two days. lie 

 accused the commissioners of having instigated 

 the bomb-throwing, canceled their safe conducts, 

 and demanded of the foreign ministers, who had 

 guaranteed their safety, that they should be sur- 

 rendered for punishment. The ministers received 

 them in the legations, and extended their pro- 

 tection until they were got on board the United 

 States cruiser " Baltimore." The revolutionists 

 supposed that the bomb-throwing was a trick 

 planned by Balmaceda or his associates for the 

 purpose of putting an end to the conference, 

 because it took place immediately after the 

 " Blanco Encalada " was sunk. 



The peace proposals first emanated from Bal- 

 maceda's Government. While the representa- 

 tives of England and Germany were treating with 

 the Congressional authorities at Iquique, Bal- 

 maceda signified his acceptance of the media- 

 tion of Brazil, France, and the United States, 

 not wishing the British and German ministers 

 to take part in the negotiations, notwithstanding 

 the fact that they had taken the initiative in the 



