IN TROUBLED WATERS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1062, 27 February 1911, Page 5

IN TROUBLED WATERS.

THE. BRAZILIAN NAVAL MUTINY.

i! : .: A NEW' ZEALANDER UNDER FIRE.

A young Dunedinite, Mr. Percy Bridgeman,'who'is. on tho ( staff of the London and Brazilian Bank in Rio do 'Janeiro, in a letter, to his parents (reproduced in " ( the''ptago Daily Times") gives come in- \ tercsting' impressions of, the, recent naval ' mutiny at Rio do Janeiro, of .which ho Was an eye-witness;— . "We have had another glorious revolution, fast and furious this time. I woko • nn yesterday, morning just after five with . tho house, just shaking,with, tho noiso. of eanno.i. I knew at once something Mnous had happened, as they day before ; two battleships had revolted and fired on tho; town. So we al} got up yesterday , to seo what was happening, and found out that an island called 11 ha das Cobras, where there arc, a naval Bchool and a hospital, and where all the stores and ammunition are 6tored, was bombarding • the town. I know there would be no work that day, : as all'the'nich wero again on the other sido of the water, so we caught tho 8 o'clock train to Corcovado. When we got up there we had a splendid view. ' Wo could see all the 'firing, both from ■ the land and the island and ships. It was very exciting, but 1 wanted to bo in tho thick of it, and see what was really happening, so went down' into the town; I. then went!, down. 'Wo had no sooner

got into town than a shell exploded iu the Av<utdn Central, quito closo to .us. - . It killed four people, one man* being absolutely "shattered. I must say it rather 'turned' me. 'I considered returning, but it seemed too good to miss, so I thought I would ventnro down to' tho Caes Parhauxr where the island was being bombarded by the land forces. •'Tho town was absolutely deserted. It was a splendid sight at the Caes—one I would not havo- missed> for ;n fortune. ,:I sneaked > down one of tho narrow streets, keep- , ing very closo to tho buildings. All this timo the roar of the cannon was so deafening I had to fill my ears. I got down quito close to wh,cro they wero firing, and could see everything. Shells from .the'island wero simply tearing the build- ' ings up all round,.Lutwhen ono entered a buijding just: a few yards: from me, bringing'down huge nricks,~.l thought it was time to 'get.' . I had seen, three men ' 'laid, out,' and knew crowds were being injured all round. But when! gotiback in tho Avcnlda it was so exciting, seeing . the troops tearing up and down with the ammpnition carts, that I simply could I not go home. I went down to Caes again end nut a man there who wanted to go op on the hill opposite the Ilha das Cobras. I was not Ivory keen, as I'knew it was directly in.the .lino.of fire, but as I was very anxious to see what had really happened .on the island," bearing nearly overy . building, had been shot away, I went. We went up behind a very thick wall and could seo beauifully every shot from shore telling on that island. We saw the water tank shot away and , the huge tower of the hospital fall. Also tho hugo wireless mast come down. We werj just thinking we were fairly safo there as .no shell Eijomcd: to' come up there, when,a shell hit-the wall wo were > behind, about 50 yards up from us. A splinter off it absolutely shattered a man's face. We said nothing,' bnf just took to our beels and fled down that hill like rabbits. As we wero on: our way down two shells went dirootly over our heads. I felt so absolutely 'sick' when I got down that I did go homo. , It really didn't seem, good onough, but it is wonderful how you get used to it, and can hardly , realise the danger. "Tho damago done, tho deaths, are simply frightful this time. Nearly every building about the Caes has been hit, even to the new theatre. ■ Over a hundred civilians were killed or injured 'in the streets. Ono shell entered tho British Consulate, and Sir W T illiam Haggard, two commanders, three officers (from the British squadron), and Mr. P. (Mrs. A.'s father),, had a very narrow shave. The guns never stopped their roar" from 5 in the morning until C in the evening, when the island hoisted the white flag, and last night we saw the last SS.men out of over 500 taken off that island; alive, i It was a pitiful sight. : I suppose they will all.lie shot too. Isn't it a terrible thing? I believe cartloads of. bodies afterwards went along tho ' streets, but we had had a most exciting day, The last revolution was only a plaything to this one. -Luckily for tho Government and us tho ships.had to remain, out of it this time,'except a few smnller onces, an all, the ammunition, sights, and breeches of the guns had been taken awav. sn they had to remain quift. The British ships that came, in on Friday Temained in the bay all, the time. nlMionih the Brazilian Government n«k«d them to move away from the zone. of fire. I see in the paper to-dav that one of the shins,was hit, but no damage was done. Of course now. all oflVial entertainment* are off, as «o many Brarilian 'nuts' havo been killed."