Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 June 1893 — A FAMOUS FORTRESS. What Causes the Change? [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A FAMOUS FORTRESS.

What Causes the Change?

GIBRALTAR ROCK AND ITS FAMOUS FORTIFICATIONS. Ik* Story of the Fort and the Town— The Climate and the People—Caverns end Passages— How the Great Batteries Are Placed. It’s an Impressive Sight. The famous reck and fortress of Gibraltar, when seen even from a distance, is very impressive, writes Hiram Powers, in the Chicago Inter Ocean. Three miles in length and about three-quarters of a mile broad, it stands out into the blue sea as a true “Pillar of Hercules,” a monument to the brave dead who fought in its defedse, and a mighty bulwark for its present British rulers. The rock is connected with the Spanish territory by a strip of land called the “Neutral Land,” so low that, when seen from the sea but a few miles off, the rock has the appearance of an island. It was just as August was taking its place in the calendar of 1892 that we approached it, after a pleasant passage across the Atlantic on one of the ocean greyhounds. It was about 10 o’clock in the morning; the ship’s orchestra struck up a lively air, while all the passengers crowded the decks to see this renowned fortress, and a beautiful sight it was, indeed. As far as the eye could reach there were countless sails, lit up to a dazzling whiteness by the rays of the morning ■un. On either side of us the mountains of Spain and Africa loomed up,

of a delicate pinkish purple color, which blended easily into the pearly tints'of that southern sky. But the great rock ahead and a little to the left of us was the cynosure of all eyes, as we gradually approached the outlines and details becoming more distinct, until tlmaliy we found ourselves gazing with wonder and awe at the stupendous fortifications and defenses of the place, or in admiration at the picturesque little town, lying at the foot and upon the side of the mountain. It would be impossible to describe the scene that lay before us, frowning and smiling at one and the same time. All were eager to set foot once more on land, and many were disappointed when our captain announced to us that we would only have threequarters of an hour on shore, as the vessel was already some twenty-four hours behind her previous record, and had to make it up between Gibraltar and Genoa. All our sorrows were soon drowned in the pleasure of sailing to land on rakish little boats, whose lateen sails made the trip but a short one. At the wharf we were greeted by a motley crowd of Arabs, Spaniards and English soldiery, each one staring at us in the peculiar fashion of his race, but as we had but little time to spare in gazing at them, every curiosity shop was soon invaded by anxious, jostling crowd of customers. The glimpse we had of the place itself left us the impression of a very closely built but clean town, with narrow, hot streets, rough cobble pavements, flat-roofed houses, mules, Arabs, fruit in abundance, an British soldiers without end. On the side of the rock stand the

magnificent ruins of an old Moorish castle, built just below the famous rock galleries, which, by the way, face the land, and, with the exception- of being the means of communition from fort to fort, are of no use whatever in modern warfare. In the town, which is inhabited by a motley population of from 20,000 to 30,000 English, Spaniards, Jews and Moors, there are three principal parallel streets on which stand some very respectable English residences, a Catholic cathedral, three Jewish synagogues, and a great many small shops. Although there is no natural water supply on the peninsula, an immense water tank and sewerage system, lately established, would, make the town quite pleasant to live in were it not for the extreme heat. The climate of Gibraltar is not unhealthy, with the exception, perhaps, of a period between July and November, when it is dangerous for northern foreigners. Of the rock itself there was little to learn, except that the Sugar Loaf, the highest point, rises to a height of 1,439 feet above the waters in the Bay of Algesiras. The plans of the immense system of fortifications, whose bristling guns and gaping embrasures frowned down upon us. we were unable to get, owing to military policy, but this we could easily see, that the approaches, both from r tbe sea and .from the neutral land, are commanded by a great number, of very powerful batteries, and by forts tn themselves and in tbfelr

connection with each other! ti to make the rook fairly Impregnable with a sufficient garrison and store of provislona There Is little danger, however, that either of these will be wanting, for Gibraltar is garrisoned with a thoroughly efficient force of about 5,000 Infantry, with 1,000 artillery, and a large number of engineers. Immense stores of provisions, water, and munitions of war are constantly

maintained.' The rock galleries, before mentioned, with which the great rock is fairly honeycombed, are a series of caverns and passages, the largest of which, called the “Halls of St. Michael,” have an entrance 1,000 feet above- the sea. From these there are passages, some being quite roomy, others being narrow, through which it Is barely possible to creep. These descend to a depth of 500 feet below the entrance, at which point foul air bars further ingress, but the faint roar of the sea is plainly audible, which goes to show that these gloomy caverns have communication with the waves beneath. There Is a legend which, if true, confirms this theory: A party of tourists were being taken through these caverns, when one of their party, a beautiful English girl, in some way was separated from them, and her absence was not noticed until some time had elapsed. A thorough search was instituted, but without success, and in about a week’s time her lifeless body was discovered floating In the bay. She had probably wandered in the darkness into some cavity, from which she was dashed into the sea beneath. It is also rumored that these caverns were once the abode of a gigantic race of men whose bodies were covered with thick hair, but it is barely possible that the Barbary apes, living in a wild state on the upper portion of the peninsula, gave rise to this fancy. Gibraltar has a remarkable history. The terrible sieges it has withstood and the heroism of those whose duty it was to defend it are well known and will never be forgotten. The rock was known to the world at a very early period, and the name originated in the following manner: The Phoenicians called it “Alube,”

and the Greeks corrupted this name to “Calpe,” making it also one of the famous Pillars of Hercules, heyond which the world was thought to end. In the year 711 A. D. the Saracens under Tarif ben Tarca fortified it as a base of operations in their passage into Spain; the rock being a ready point of access from the Barbary coast. Gibraltar took the name of “Geb-el-Tarif” (hill of Tarif) from this leader, and of which name it is a corruption. The British have been unmolested in Gibraltar since 1783, and at the present day, as can be easily seen, England guards this spot with great care and constant vigilance. Batteries. in from the solid rock, bristle with artillery, and In every spot there is a sentinel. It, however, appears to be more a point of honor with the British that it be preserved to the crown than a matter of national importance, as the harbor is of little value, and, contrary to common belief, the fortress by no means commands the straits, which at their narrowest point are fully fifteen miles across. ip of war, a fleet of British' battle-ships could effectually bar passage of the straits with the aid of this immense fortress. We were told that every ode of the bakeries on the rock has & secret passage below the surface, through which troops can pass to almost any portion of the rock in complete se-

curity from the fire of an enemy. By this means forces can be rapidly concentrated in any particular spot, and a hostile storming party would meet with a very unexpected resistance. The harbor has a netting of submarine torpedoes and mines, which would also make it very warm for an enemy’s vessels were they to venture within its limits. Atlhe highest point of the rock

'there is a small watch tower, from which a magnificent view is said to be had. We counted forty-three British flags floating In the breeze from different fortifications, and the town nestling below these seemed to have an air of confident security, with its queer streets and buildings. The shops in Gibraltar were very unique, being small and having mostly Spanish sign-boards. We bought in one of them some beautiful filigree brace-

lets in which various colored stones were set, also some spoons and fans on which there were pictures of the rock or similar designs. They make bracelets out of finely carved bits of the rock, which Is, by the way, composed mostly of a kind of gray marble. We had to be very cautious in making our purchases, for we soon found out that the shop-keepers will cheat foreigners if they are given half a chance On every street we saw quaint little stands, shaded by gaudy umbrellas. at which large quantities of the most delicious fruit were on sale, and which seemed to keep fresh, notwithstanding the blazing heat of the sun. As Gibraltar is a free port, tobacco and, in fact, almost everything is very cheap. It is said that the place swarms with Spanish smugglers, who pass their contraband goods into .Spain during the nighttime, often having desperate encounters with the Spanish coast guards We were pointed out a number of small, dirty sailboats, having a very peculiar shape and lying close to the dock. The word “contrabandista” (smuggler) was mysteriously whispered into our ears. The speed of these tmats in a good wind is very great. We saw several of the same build go by, and they glided ' swiftly along, apparently scarcely touching the water. Close to our steamer lay an Italian war vessel, on which numberless pieces of linen flapped in the breeze, giving it more tbe appearance of a laundry yard than a man-of-war. In the harbor were to be seen the great ships of almost every nation, contrasting by their more somber appearance with the brightly colored sails of the lighter Spanish craft which plied to and fro over the blue

surface of the bay. It was finally time for us to tear ourselves away from this interesting scene, and after an exciting race between our boat and another, also laden with the ship's passengers, and after being fairly bathed in glittering spray, we reached the side of our great ocean, monster. It was none too soon, for hardly had we bundled ourselves and our purchases on board than our whistle began to blow, and the ship slowly steamed out of the harbor. In order to begin our voyage on the Mediterranean we had to make almost a complete circuit of the mountain, thus giving us an ample view of it from all sides. On the portion which faces the Mediterranean it is evident that a huge landslide once took place, for the top is very sharp and ragged, and it slopes but little until it reaches the sea. On this side, however, it is not solid rock, but earth or fragments of stone. The light of the sun and the ethereal gray mists around the mountain made some exquisite effects of light and shade as we gradually left this wonderful spot far behind us on the horizon.

Is it the newspapers ortho theaters that have changed the character of provincial - amusements? Lectures are not very popular in small towns any more, because the people are pretty well informed by the papers on

topics that lectures used to treat. .The rustics hear much of plays and farces and want to see them. The old panoramas, containing “half a mile of painted canvas,” the old dioramas, with moving figures, seem to have lapsed into absolute desuetude. Order may he heaven’s first law, but it isn’t the short-term order.— Lowell Courier.

SIDE VIEW OF THE BOCK.

EASTERS FRONT OF THE ROCK.

THE HARBOR—SPAIN.

LAST VIEW OF GIBRALTAR.

GIBRALTAR FROM LIMA.