Five minutes after the “Huascar’s” conning tower was struck by a shell, which exploded in it, shattered it, and blew Admiral Grau to pieces—only one foot and a few fragments of his body being found. Grau usually directed the movements of his vessel with his head and shoulders above the tower, and the shell, therefore, probably hit him at about the waist.
This shot also killed Lieutenant Diego Ferré, the Admiral’s Aid, who was at the fighting wheel, and only separated from the conning tower by a light wooden grating. Ferré’s death appears to have been caused by concussion, as no wounds were found upon his body. This shot also damaged the fighting wheel, and the ship ran off to the eastward until the damage was repaired, when she again headed to the northward.
About this time a shell penetrated the armor of the turret, which was trained on the port-quarter, in the thickest part, to the left of the port of the right gun. This shell killed or disabled most of the two guns’ crews.
Among these were two gun-captains, Englishmen, who had been trained on board the gunnery-ship, “Excellent,” and Commander Carbajal, who had come to inform the second in command, Commander Elias Aguirre, that he was now in command.
The left gun was not injured, and relief crews were sent to it; but the firing was very wild. The right gun was disabled by the compressor and cap-square being bent. At this time Lieutenant Rodriguez, who was looking out of the gun-port, had his head taken off. This, in connection with the previous casualties, so demoralized the Peruvians that most of the subsequent fighting was done by the foreigners of the “Huascar’s” ship’s company. By this time the fire from the Nordenfelt guns and the small arms of the Chilians had driven most of the officers and men of the “Huascar” down into the ward-room. Some of these were wounded, but the most were merely taking refuge there.
The “Cochrane” now attempted to ram, coming at right angles to her adversary. She missed the “Huascar,” going close astern of her, but a shot from one of her port-guns pierced the armor of the “Huascar,” on the starboard quarter, exploding, and doing much damage—among other things, carrying away the steering apparatus.
The “Huascar” now again headed to the eastward: but a shell pierced the armor, abreast of the engine-room, covering the engine with fragments of all kinds, and killing and wounding many persons. Among these were Surgeon Tavara, and Mr. Griffiths, the master of the English schooner “Coquimbo,” captured a few days before, and whose crew had been forced to render service during the action.
The relieving tackles, by which the “Huascar” was now steered, were not only exposed to shot, but had a very bad lead, and the steering was very uncertain, not only from that cause, but because Commander Aguirre had to command the vessel from one of the look-out hoods of the turret, and the word had to be passed clear aft, on the lower deck, to the men at the relieving tackles. There was, probably, not much real control of the “Huascar” after the conning tower was destroyed, Grau killed, and the main steering wheel disabled.
The “Cochrane” now again attempted to ram the “Huascar,” firing her bow-gun, at two hundred yards, and coming on at right angles. She again missed her blow, and passed astern.
It was by this time ten o’clock, and the “Blanco” arrived on the scene of action, passing between the “Huascar” and the “Cochrane,” just as the latter was preparing to ram, for the third time. The “Cochrane,” to avoid the imminent danger in which she was placed by her consort’s ram, was forced to turn to port, and then to run northward, increasing her distance to about twelve hundred yards.