Page:A history of Chile.djvu/406

 364 A HISTORY OF CHILE and one thousand wounded on the congressional side. By five o'clock the northern army was in undisputed possession of Valparaiso, and their ships were floating in Valparaiso harbor. The squadron of government cavalry which had gone over to the opposition before the battle, had made a charge upon the artiller}' behind which were Generals Barbosa and Alzerreca. Barbosa fell fighting ; Alzer- reca is said to have been shot while kneeling and beg- ging for mere}'. Other accounts state that he died as a soldier should. Balmacedist leaders in Valparaiso hastened aboard foreign ships in the harbor. The Americans had been about the onl}' foreigners evincing much sympathy for the Balmaceda side. The United States government had prohibited the dispatch of mimitions of war from American ports to Iquique, and had chased the "Itata. " Naturally, then, a rush was made for the "Baltimore." Captain Fuentes and crew from the"L3'nch" were among those who sought an asylum on the vessel. One ac- count from an opposition source states that the"Lynch" opened fire on the town after the battle, and that hun- dreds of civilians and soldiers returned the fire, and rained such a shower of bullets upon the ship that she was obliged to pull down her flag and surrender, the officers jumping overboard and taking refuge on foreign ships. Another account, which appears to be better authenticated, says : "The congressional troops no sooner saw the execrated 'devil's ship' than they opened a murderous rifle fire upon those on deck. The unfortunate crew realized that they were doomed men, and in desperation replied with the gatling guns. So hot was the fire from shore, however, that nothing on deck could live. Five tried to escape in a boat, but were riddled almost immediately. Two poor wretch-