Show PERILS OF OLD WARSHIPS Terrors of MenofWar Voyages In the Eighteenth Century 1 The loss Of life In the recent disaster to tile battleship Mollie not only III plr1 our own population ultil horrol I but aroused tile sympathy or all the I civilized nations or this world Th casualties on that occasion era ulll ciently numerous but comld to I those IIh In tile eighteenth centuly through diereass or perils or tile sea Attended long Voyages of lutuadrno or detached naval vemels thY were relolhel small In theme days IOor tUt on ohlp8 at war was neceptd sit Invlluble I said its Incidental to tile hazards Of the Profession of villost dangers lie Otto was Ignorant Of tile Perils And Inln that environed Ironed tho mnofwar mail 150 d yoais ago wo have nn more lomlnclnB xample than In I rates hoirulm IIround the wOlhl I of Insuns 111gibill squadron anti that nf Spanish fhlps itwar detailed to tlinart Its I Intention Inten-tion says tho New YOlk Evening Post PostI 1739 the Jlrltlsh Koernmcnt persuaded per-suaded that a conflict with Spain was Inevitable Irocceded 10 lit out 011 vessels frigates and I sloops and to slorcihlps or an4 I ere It wo pro posed that this expedltloi shauld belt for the urs1 t const of Hmth 1 America mratH the Spanish set lementat un the moral rupture U potslhli tile real Manila galleon on Its annual voyage to Acnpulco Mexico attempt the our to Act 1 prime of Manila arid then leturn home br Italy or the Cape of tlood I 1 Hope life squadion l home pelsrulel rontilst Is of 1519 olllcers sailors and mm lace visa Placed under the command of Commodore ollrord Lord nol1 IIn officer of skill and distinction and she ve ill noted for tile hllmnllO arid 1 olloltou co that ho 10 Iho lvf ITaocleustbf mellibkittig liealth and wellbeing of the do or hlii phlpi On the ISth of September 141 2 English squadron qep compoiie of the Centurion flagihlp the Gloucester evermPearl Wager Trial andtmo pin I ilis or storeships milled from SI Helens for Madeira the first port or call Tin voyage thllher was 11 Pro l racted line of forty diivs STIlls d elay wuo at tile outset disastrous lit tile sense that It Postponed the paK oroulIIl Cure Ho 10 Iho mot Ul1prup Iliou itealle of Ihe year lit Nom hH the squadron 1polId from Ma delra for the 11 and or Ht Ca I heel nep oil the ot or IIrII where It nr rived on the 21st of Dml > er A ty nf a month nt this port neco In order to relit the Ships n1 refinalK the I r crews among bon there WOlO much slckns and many Ioth OnIon On-Ion 18 1741 the uldrn well < he1 rinchor from St Catherine awl 01 iHed off tho straits of Le 1lrt thi eastern end or Cape torn early III forh f I Mraimhllo HIP squadron Pont rout hy Spain to match the movement of A son nnd 10 traverse file project Nan tinder command of Admiral I Don Jiim > ih Visor ro It consisted of 4ho Asia 1 A gxhlp the OulliUcoj Hermonln Islieranza St Ilstaun anti IL patche They wet manned by 3220 olllr mallnis and marines hPOldes it regiment or root fM the rnlorMllent lOr Lite grrlon on the west coast of South America This squadron was firm Bent to cruise to the leeward of Madeira In order to In teirept Alison but him protracted voyage voy-age thither forced the Spaniards to bear notes for the river Platte to rent and replenish their stores At the Platte IMzurro received Information of the arrive or non at St Catherlno As he was desirous of reaching the Pacific Pa-cific east In advance of the English vilthout whiting 10 renmIlon hi ships ff Pall from tile Platte on the 23rd I of January w lilt his ciewm on Phort I allowances Townrd the latter end Ol February the Spanish squadron having made sufficient southing In order 10 I double Cape Horn steered to the mext vvird Hardly I had It shifted Its course hen there came a furious wale from the northwest which drove It so far I 10 the atward and lnrkd such ho tint three of the idilpi almost com 11 N ecks w r forced to return 10 11lie Ihe river Platte where thy nhed Poon after the middle of Alay The lIrmonl1 too ndered At sea ulth oU hands450 The OalplIoolL wo wrecked on the ra st of BrarU with IL loss or VO out of 700 mn The Aol the flagship flag-ship lead remlnlng out of 11 crew or 700 only 350 of the complement of the t IsperanzailZiOnlyfig remained and on the isl van outlier 3d but ISO Pur vlvwl Of the rerlmenl of Dot till but sixty perished All of these cnalll with the exception oLtbose Inldenllli to the foundering ol the 1I0rmonl were due 10 rmlne Th Hearelty or food In tile Spanish Phips was so acute lira rats I whe they could be caught were sold for 14 each A sailor who died on one or the vessels 1 hot his death concealed con-cealed for torn dais by bin brother who during that period lay In the same hammock vvltlf the corpse In order to receive the dead mans allowance of provision PIThls dliaster to the Spanish Pound ron rendered It 01 course limelless as nn aggressive power or nil the Pne pfwls 1 the Ar4a alone was able In IT1C to return to Spain Of the original per sorictel of t lie is Ji pp conabitlyg I of nearb 4 ooo offlwrif Sailors1 marines and tmops not above 10 lived to reach I their native land Meanwhile on the 7th of March Nt with a fair wind and a utionc favorable current the English quadron md the Passage through the straits of If MoIre In thlce hours time The Ungllsh were elated with the hope of n speedy voyage about Cape Horn an elation fortllled by serene weather and bright skies This was a flattering I delusion The two hindmost hind-most vessels of the squadron had barely bare-ly cleared the straits when a furious squall from the south burst upon them This woo accompanied by a strong tide that drove I them to the eastward with great rapidity I This squall was followed I fol-lowed by a succession I of tempestuous westerly gales compared to which the oldest and moat experienced searrien on board confessed that what they had previously called storms were nothing seem than strong breezes This temp eat raised bhort arid mountainous I waves which gave such quick sharp motions of the ships that the men erIn er-In continual danger of being dashed to pieces against the sides and decks Many wer Injured and some killed outright out-right For forty days the squadron battled with those fleice westerly coles henIn a tempest that surpassed In V lo Inc all of those previously enooun tered the Severn and Pearl two nloopsl ofwar disappeared and were not seen Again On the Jlth of April In another an-other fierce gale the Centurion the flagship lost l eight of the four remainIng remain-ing eols 1 of the squadron Soon after passing the straits of Jj Malre scurvy began to make Its appearance appear-ance In the squadron The fatigues and various disappointments met with caused It to epiead to such n degree that towards the end of April there were rw who werp not In some degree afflicted with It on board the various vari-ous veemels During that month no less I thin fortythiee died on board the Centurion Cen-turion and a proportionate nnmber ont on-t he other ships 11 > the middle of June till mnrlIII had Increased to uh on eXIlllt on the Centurion that out or n crew of < 00 men SW had died The roof tnalndr were duCid 10 uh it pints of hclpliK ms bj lilt dlsoulci that not above six nun In a watch were capable of dull It li I a peculiarity of scurvy Hut It Is I accompanied with great dc piesslon of si hits and a total I loss nf courage su that those who were HI mis enough of the cTe led crew usually killed those who were In ill a last stages of the disease It wan under the condition that the Centurion on the Sth of May sighted ill 0 Islam of Pocoru on the Chllcun coast the first rendezvous appointed In case of sepal t ton of the squadron After ciulslnn I I off this Hand upon whh h 110 handing could h 1 e made and nun e of tile ships pporlnl I Ill Cn hltlJI1 bare nuay for the Inland of Jim 1nnde the second designated place or meeting After n mon tbfl Pall lilt a orazy r ill n gicat gravelly tl wr and a tw 00 unlvrroll dloed that front four to mix tiled every day Juan Iernandex 0 sishtcd I It eam torol doy hoOer by reason nl head winds and calms before a land Inn could I be affcctid the hulffai Ishcd and suffering crew th meannhlla rtrlvm to ruadnimiltslliomIghtotgreen valleys mid cascades or alr Pouring from the lillls The day after coming to an anchor the sloopofwur Trial one of file mUsIng mUs-Ing I vessels 1 of thu iiiulron arrived RIii had not bn exempt l from the calamities that befell the Centurion Out of a crew of HM men IS had died or UM y and of Ihe r main ter only four were til for duty Tile ail Ival of tile Trial Inspired Commodore Alison with the hope thnt he would speedily bo rejoined by the balance of the missing miss-ing vessels 1 In enVel on the 21st nf June the Gloucester was sighted hut It vas not mill the 23rd of July that h Clime to onhor alongside file other camcl ships Her losses through scurvy vera even greater that thus of the others for of her row of ZOO men stf vvw dead Of the oilier Urn vessels 1 the Wager sloipnfuar was wrecked on the coast of Chill Mi survivors of her crew to the number of about 100 fitted out the long boat and In 4hll roy ciiift made their way through the Htrnlln of Magellan to the count of Brazil where with the exception of roof ro-of their number who hid perished they found passant to 1ntQl In a Flench vessel 1 The Severn and Penrl were m badly I shattered by the storm that separated the squadron that they turned back airn ultimately reached England wllh a los l of twathlids of their men After n Ihe1I10nlh stay on the island or Juan Verriandez for the re freshmen of hi crews and the rent ling of his ships Aniin set sail fur the const of Chile to attempt the rapture rap-ture of the tonn of Pelts lnroute he took six valuable prizes but lot the sloopofvvur Trial which proved so unsniivorthy that she was scuttled land l-and hr mOil anti guns I transferred 10 the captured vessels Polls was taken Itlqut the loss or a lO11n and along with It lUKMOOO worth ofsliver anti valuable merchandise From here af IT scuttling hi prizes Alison ranged along the northern coast of South America with the Intention of npp ur Im at Acapulco Mexico In time to Intercept the great Manila galleon which however reached that port be foic tile orrlvl In May 1712 tile Centurion anti Gloucester departed for Macao on the coast of China SOlOn after leaving the telcan hore the mciamy blOk out ith Increased violenet on both Philip Within 300 lelLgu 01 the Lndrone Islands 0 severs gale vitu encountered In hloh both vessels 1 sprang n leak The Gloucester great ly trluUd through the number of met she had loft by disease could not lie kept alloat In ronaequnc i she vies shall < 1oned anti her nifleorm end crew transferred to the Centurion vNhich after af-ter many Perils came 10 anchor In the roadstead of Macao on Nov 12 17U Even with the nccerslfj of the Per I vors of the crews of the Trial and Gloucester not above 300 olllcers and mon remained alive on the Centurion Afler refitting nt Memo this vessel proceeded to cruise off Cape Fsplrltu Santo utiore she lay In wait for the Manila galleon on Its return vmnge from Acapulco Finally on Juno 20 1713 the lonrulalI for craft hove In night After IL brief engmelll It ulendro < 1 ulth at least SI MO 000 of treasuie With tlw prize Alison made all for Canton whence after refitting he departed for England whero lu > Safely arrived n year later o the 1F20 olllcers sailors and marines that had embarked In the English ship mot than 1000 had perished through disease and the perils of the sea while or tile sciuadron the Centurion alone rotnpllstud the vo > age around the world which lasted four years I |