Trafalgar Day

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume V, Issue 1460, 19 October 1905, Page 2

Trafalgar Day

liliiiiM ' Tkt Death if IHilsti "^- v | An account of the great battle of Trafalgar< 1 'r\ *| celebrates to-morrow the centenary of Ibe famous Nelson victory. The account is . ;1 r | mdßtly from official sources. i ( \ In the middle of IGOS VicA Admirp'. ";i"| Lord Visoo'int Nelson, all« r long and ' una failing chase pftertbe combined fleet; J'v fiom'tbe Straits of Gibraltar to the West ; Indies and back ajain, ■ retpraed to his t ' native eountry; but he'resntned ,the chief ' oomitfar.d of the British fleet, stationed off the havbonr of Cadiz, on the >th of October, Towards the middle of the mcnlh His Lorrinhip Icr oed 'that Admiral Ville- > ( ueuve, the French couimandei'-iu ohief, 'V j had orders to Mil from that port before the i - j ' 21st in ordor to accomplish some favour- ,' > lie object of the French Govewttjeni; sup- , . y po«od to be, to col'eot in his passage the f -' Ca 'thaseiia squadron and that of Toulon;"" ■ ( by which he womcl probably have increased bis force to between forty aid fifty sail of> the li.io; with which it was their deaiga to/ prevent, if possible, tbe sailing of any ex* > ,< v . p?dilion wi.h British from Malta, ( or with' PtussiM troops from; (Joi'ln. . - to the assistant of tbe allies on the'. ' .. Contireot. Lord Nolsoa had in conse« r\ quaroe, bis fvigat i iiitessautly employed in watching tbe r.'o'ioua of tbe eneuiy, while he, with tbe fleet, kept ont of sight, ' - Thus disposed, at tho dista Jce of aboutfifteen leagues, from Cadiz, the lookout • ships comniPiikated to bis Lordship, on , ilie 19th of October, that tbe cora'oi ied , • x fleet from that placo had pat to sea ; and . , as thev sai'ed with light wiads, wesieily,' his Lordship concluded that tbeir destination was the Mediterranean, aod iiuaiediaioly made all sail for the Straits' entraucs wij\i the iintish ■ squauron, cop* ~ sistiug of tweuty-aoven shijis, throe.of thorn Bixt-.'-four Rons. On Monday, thß2lst, at diybreak, when •••, Gape Trafalgir boro B. by S< abouu seven ■ • leagues, tlio enemy wtw discovered six or sovoa miles to the eav .>/ai'd, the windabort west and very; ibe Com* : mauder-in-Chief immediately made tbe . Bignal for the fleet to boar up in . two ooluuins, as thoy are formed for .sailing; a mode of athek his Lordship bad previously rireoied, to avoid Hie iuconvooi-, enoe of'V3Uy in fortniag a lino of battle ra tho usur. manoer, Cho enemy'sline • coueieted of thirty-thvee Lbip?. ■ P'ovious to the action, Lord Nelson had fully explained to every captain in the .. . ■ fleet tbe mode .in which he intended toattack the enemy's lino, and every ship > had alio received'such particular secret instrumous that very few sisals were ren'lisite oa tho day of. v „«tle. However, . . a'oont five miiuites br'm'e the action com-. . me'iced, the Mowiojreiravkable sej'tonce - war ooiveyed, by> to a'l tbe ~: ships in tbe fleet"England expects .... every man to do his duly." O-i this baiDg . oxplninod by the oapiaioa lo their rospeo- ' r . tive orewj, it was received wijh an enthusiasm which showed that the expectation* of ihciv country would rot be disappointed , on Ibis onmsiuu. . ■ - Whilst bep?i.igdowanpon the ' line' lie repeatedly said," that it • was 'the ■■ lnppieai dp,v of bia Mo; and that from tho . p'm of attnok whioh bo bad lain down,'he , , . osoeded thaii he should ion of -i, : • tweifcy of tho ejeuiy's-sbips before pi^ht"» The aoiioii ■ couioneiiced : at. twelve 1 o'olook, bv the eucui-'s brin; on Vice-Admiral Collivgwood in the Eoyal - 1 Sovevoiga, teu .minute:- past;-. • br. twelve broko ibe Jm - Tne enemy, at -'A l about-lbe smio ti.ne, opened tbe." fire on ■:> ■■■ Lord NelsoWdivii-ioo." ,It was bis Lord- ,• 1 ship's intentio jto have engaged to lee- . v ' ward,'i,o «s to prevent ihc euetjy from es-• • , ' cftpiog into C tiliz, and to have broken li 'through tbeir line, boiweeli tt?e tenth and . ■ ;'tho 'olevejth ship in -tbe van, as before ,; ' ' esDlaioedj'p.t t'le sarno time that Vice- ' Ad olral Co'liiigwood penetrated their .. :lino 'at'.)ibotij : !theiitwolLh umtlfe rear; ..- /-:. i but wheo, at twonty tbinptes twelve, I :he' attempted to -broak through in that : 'placo. wlih the loteutioa of attacking the &eiioh cominaudor-iB-obief, tbe ' iFrfrich ship I edoublable ebot ahead, to >prjevent 4he being broken, and his ; , board. The- Teme- ' . ro'itejby which"|Ke Victory wp • seconded, nho ran, in like'planner on board of the Intrepido, the qext ship in tbe enemy's 1 line. / 1 Foor ships being thus ; • locked. together.; ■'effectually:broke' the line aad mado an ' opening.for'tbe Neptune, , eho being- the • \ - noxtthipin'th« vaii.' Tho Nopture wai ' 1 near half-a-mile' >om tbe Viotocy.wliah she - v; - ' broko the liro;oiid had not' then; fired a ' shot. Her peop e were secured at all 1 qnnrtors wbile■ ibe wai raked; by the 1 eoemy in goiag downj andi dii- notiopeii'1 her fire uni' she had .gotlen -inlo the. 1 enemy's line; when she, in her turn,' - Aked several of tbei r ships aho; 1 At about twelve ?be was undsr tho qua'terof the v Pncemaure: (Admire! Vil- - ' lenouve), whioh eho engaged for about . half-an-honr, : andv:until- ber; colours .wen v stiuek. y-: The Heptane wa ably supported. -v by the (Jonquaror and L-viatbai, and pro oeeded next to the Santissima Trinidada, a and'tbs largest Iship in tbe world, which jhe on»agod uutil about a ' quarior pas. two';' when', haviug totally dismasted her, she also etruok' and hailed the Neptune to take possession, i Thi? c moment, the emoko < clearing away, discovered five of the enemy's ships / fortping on her larboaid bow, wlnoh udu ce^; herj calit ain (Fi ema ut; ,lo ton arc! aii'd'atlack Ihe'm. 'The Conqieror Boon after,' having" takeryout'' the French [ comuif idV-iu-'olilef, jvery haodsomp;y stood between tho Nopliune and vhe etiomy andaitacludandcapturod ouoiof them; the Defence another,' tho 'Leviathan anby. .tea^ minutedv'afser /fonr '' ? V'i'; o'clook, tbp whole fivo, boing dismastod, ttruok thair i coluura aod the action cea»ed. \ \ For a considerable time after 'the line was broken, tbe j Yictoiy . aui othor sjipa before 'meutiouod lay engaged >' ', together,as it,wejo,(nonemasi. ' 1 < ; Lord Nelson had now vigorously attaokol the Eccentauro: and it was durin? . the liottoai' .of - ihoVaotfonV.thftt vHij ;; ■ \ Lordship received his fatal whilst ' , ongsged wiJi the and tho; i Freuoh Admiral at tbe pame I'm 'lb9. ejemy's iops woro all cmwo'ed with < sol- i • diers, who aimed p irlicula'ly at the officers on tbe quarter dobk. Tho Victory was in - ' general so euvcloped in stnoke, 'hat it was - diilicu t to fHßtm',jiah any particular pert'oa on board; buV.PnfortuuatelyVfpra'fcw V ceconds, when tho smoke'was more dis- , f poreed than usual, a soldier, 'attracted by ''>" the, insignia whieh Hs Lordship wore, / 'took aitn'at Lord ; Nclson from-the-'hiizen-top of theßedoubtable; and i t the instant ' he fired His Lordship fell, the ball eater. ' J&, ingnear ibo lefi-Bboulder, passing IhAjgh- v t!ie lu r "8, uid lodging in the spine, rap- . . tnin Hardy run to him, and safd," I iiopa';. ■' As 1 it is'iictiporial,'my/Lord I"- 1 He rnplicd,'- - ; ■' •'lhay tiavo\ caught me at last." Mr <-< l j '/! Burke, tho purser, Ihei ostried him down * H -

{ jo! sLord Nelson; for the : wfls Buoh as Beemed toofidetohfandj consideration; /When: Mr. : the surgeon, waited' upon'him, he. •;. ■jMmjH: Dooiorjvyou oan be of no nee to : Hne; leave 100, nnd 'go to assist those., to :. Wwhomyou ean be of aervico, as I havo but ■, fc&few. momonts :to live." : His repeated-. Hy *a3ke(*: for ..Captain Hardy, and 1 Bent: 1 to ■ inquiry how/the; battle won J, i K'expressingthe > moßt. lively f satisfaction il :in 'finding it favourable. . His -.lowe: |f °. extremities soon beoatlie.cold and .insenV' elble, and .the effusion .of blood from his '.v lungs often •.threatened.-Buffiooation}/ but ■m still his eyes seemed t'o brighten and hu ; - spirits .to revive, at hearing the cheers |js. given by- 1 the crew of the Victory, aMho. *--different ships.of the oneuiy surrendered., I lis; anxious wishes to jsee his friend, itain Hardy, wore gratified so soon as umsiauoeswiultl permit that gallani jer to quit the -deok, wbioh was. not, rrver,. until tho victory was decided, was then'enabled to attend to the last beg •of the dying hero, who eagernquitad how mauv ships wor? oapturOo baing ( lold,; fiy Xapiain Ijlardy, tv he ! was • certain, twelve had struck, ioh; be eould see, and that probably re v bad surrendered, his Lordsbip 1, " What; only twelve 1 there should >6 been fifteen , or sixteen by my oak jtion. ! However (afior a pau*e, he ad- ) twelve' is prejfcy well, and I am now laptain Hardy was obliged to retvrn on k:'but His lordship previously said, ; [ardy, I shall be dead before you return, amy-body 'home" he, now- said,' hat he hit depth fast approaohiug, and t he had but a few minutes ito live—the could have wished , to have auredajittle longer,. to, havo seen-the t in safety j but ai that was impossible, ■thanked- God he' had outlived tho ijnVand had been enabled to do his y to h?s country." aboutthis time he was again roupod by hearing; another cheer f (om the of ' s'ithe Victory, at their seeing somo more of <;i.rtho;enemy's ships striko their colours; [feat which ha expressed tho highest satisfaction. His last words were,_ "I have •r' done my duty, I praise God > for it." , And few moments after be expired without a.groijn.,. , r The Prenobman- by, whose .hand this herofellwas Boon; alter abot by ,Mr, Ppllard, midshipman of'the Victory, >" !SBnd was seen t'o fall out of; the mizen'top.. The -Redoubtable was so. dreadfully , ehatt > v teted that she afterwards went to tho ■i', bottom with most of her crew. y , About eight o'olook in tho evening of •W,4tbe actiijDj -Vice-ymiral Colhngwoodtook . the command - of tbe fleet, and .sent an orrespeQtive ships to take their p'prizes iff tow.But a gale came on in tho -which made-it difficult to. retain - ---possession of those, that; were taken. >-»r<'On ;: the ■ moruiug of the ?2?rl the Eo-, doubtable foundered a-etern of the Spiftsure, 'with a British lieutenant and k eighieed men. -On the 24th, the remain? K der of tho enemy's-fleet were observed to Kleewardj' : and'signal wus made to': oall off Hpthe prizes and-pursue '.them; but,, night K-i coming on,:and-with it a.heavy gale, ihey fAti on the next morning drifting L* off'jthe harbour of Cidiz. It was still blowing hard ; and, there being evry app. v'peßrance of another gale, and being on.a '[• lee-shore, any fair < prrspcct.. of : getting the prizes off, the signal waß made : i ' to out the prisoners and destroy .them. '■■■• THe heavy soa that was running, .'and- the' gale- increasing, it. was found impossible to take out the prisoners from '' ' * all ihe prizes, And: it became n. coseary to ' ' turn'several aJrift with the p onorjin them; and Borne of our own people in ■. i Severalj- - unfortunately, escetped into Cadiz. Of the hostile admirals every one was taken, killed, or wounded. *