Expert eye-witnesses of the action paid tribute to the magnificent seamanship displayed by the British im mancuvring their ships in such a way as to avoid salvoes from the battleship's bigger and longer range guns, while repeatedly darting in to fire their own shells.
Utilizing smoke screens to conceal their precise positions, they twisted and turned continually, never letting the quarry get away from them. "It was a hit and run fight wherein brains and speed overcome superior power, declared one Uruguayan naval officer. "From the damage done to the battleship, it is obvious that many shots, from the British cruisers' smaller guns got home."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.