Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1861-05-03
FORT JEFFERSON, FLA.

West of Key Westlie the rortugss islands,
on the largest OF which is Tcrtugas harbor,
guarded b. Fort Jeffelso1. This fertilization,
recently gaTrisOned and fully provisioned,
may be considered sale tor almos. any con
ringency. Tue harbor is q valuable straie-
gic point as, together with Key West il
commands The entrsaces to the Cult OF Mex
ica On the gulf coast Of Florida coasting
northwsrd, ihe,e are a lew shallow and un-
important inlets leading to small fishing
towns, surrounded By wilderness. The
narbUrs thus opened Up are valuable only as
atforsing safe anchorage in a Storm
Among These are Charlotte harbor and Tampa
bay.
CEDAR KEYS, FLA.
The first port on the Gulf coast of CONNER
cial value, is Cedar Keys, situated ten miles
south OF the debouehmsnt OF the Suwanse
river.
This is one Of the termini Of q railroad
which crosses Florida, connecting with roads
North and West. The entrance to Cedar
Keys harbor is narrow, having from ten to
eighteen feet water in the Channel Toe bar
Of the Suwanee river, ten miles above has
but Eve feet water.
ST. MARKS, IL
Ri hty miles up the coast after turning to
the West ST. Marks is reached, \ town COM
nercially important on account OF its connec-
ion by railroa1 at Tallahassee, both with tue
Northern and We tern interior. St. Aark's
laroor is connected with Apalachee bay by q
single narrow entrance, eight miles in length,
i'm ten ieet Of walter on the bar. The block
ade OF ST. Marksby a single vessel of mode
rate size, would be easy.
Forty-fve miles TO the westward is
Apalachieola, a small town at the mouth OF
the Apalachicola river, on the bay OF the
same name. This bay admits vessels draw
ing ten feet of water. Those vessels drawing
seven and a half feet, oIly, can approach
near the town. The entrance to the bay and
/ lar0or Ii such that g single vessel could
blockade ii, If such II blockade were considered
,ecessary. As the town is cut off from the
Interior by long reaches Of dense swamp,
through which q Struggling post road Is KEEP
,p, it will be considered OF no Importance
Next in value 10 Pensacola, as II capaciouS
nd safe hsrbor, is the bay Of St. Joseph
is nearly land-lOcked, and has an anchor
.ge depth of twenty-five to thirty-three feet
s%entranee measuring seventeen feet Of water
q the bar: Their is an unimportant fishing
Own called St. Joseph on this bay, with nc
Interior connections.
The bay OF st. Andrews, the next harbol
N the coast though 8 shelter for ships in baC
Weather, has not even the smallest tow
Ipon its shores. Equally r wilderness is tbs
sou-try about st. Rosa's bay, which has {
-ra-row entrance, with but six feet OF waite
n the bar. Connecting this bay with thr
sy of Pensacola, is st. Rosa's sound, nsvig
BILE only for vessels drawing less than fou
feet Of water.
PENSACOLA, FLA.
One of the most important ports, in man.
aspects, upon the gull, is Pensacola, the mex
pproachable harbor To the West. Railroad
onnect it with Montgomery, the Capital {
he Confederacy, and Mobile, at both Of whicl
Oints are connections with the great net worl
Irrational roads. The location at this place Q
United States navy yard adds % lis i'm
lortvnce. The Bay OF Pensacola, on whic
he town lies, affords the finest narbor on tn
sulf. The wa'er on the bar at the entranc
measures twenty-one feet; within the bay
) sdn deeper. st. ROsas islsnd, nearly fort
Jules in length, throws its Western extern
ty across the mouth of the BAY, leaving
Ingie entrance bending about the eXtrem
,oint, one and a quarter miles wide. On ID
xtreme Western end of the Island is Fol
1ickens, so situated that the entrance char
,eI sSseps around il in 8 semi circle; an
,esseIs enisying are exposed in turn to th
ire from three sides Of the fort, within
,uge of less than a mile. ST. Ross's islam
~~~areely q quarter Of a mile wide at /
,,osds 0ortlOH, and so low that heavy SEES
ometimes h ~Sak entirely across it. OpPosil
sort Picksns- ON de main land, is Fort A'
20 go T,,Io - South OF the latter
he water battery. The &'F'uss9u i
ard and Fort Barrancas lie on . Po'ss - y
uain land within the bay about = W
nird miles from Pickens. Fort Picker V
lone maintain a blockade of Pensacola, =
ong IS 1t remains in the hands of the Unite,
states Government.
A short distance west from Pensacola /
Perdido bay, with & bar on which lies bu
our feet Of water.
MOBILE, ALABAMA.
Twenty-eight miles west from Pensacols
n a bay Of the same names lies Mobile, tn
4econd place Of entry on the gull, to New
orleans. Two railroads connect it with tn
great national routes. The Mobile river, an
Is branches, the Tombigbee and Alabama
nBvigable for steamboats, several hundre,
miles, also make important connections will
the interior. The population o, Mobile i
twenty-five t~housand-its business who'll
commercial. The entrance to the bay lie
between the eastern point of Dauphin islaut
and Mobile point, a long narrog spit pro
jecting from the main land, nearly ffteeI
miles in length. A shOal projecting fron
the island and point obstruct the harbor en-
trance, allowing, however, several marrow
channels. On the bar OF the deepest channel
the water lies fifteen feet in depth. For
Morgan guards the entrance, a fortifcatior
on Mobile point, and ell the heavy draft YES
sells have to pass Immediately under its gun
in entering the bay. This fort is in th
hands oftheS ~ecessioBists. The vessels block
aiding this port will experience some Difficult
" IN finding safe anchorage during heav.
weather, IS the fort will prevent their usin
the bay as a refuge.
From Mobile Bay westward, a line of lOV
sand islands lies parallel to the coast, foruin
Mississippi Sound, which Is navigable 70
coasters drawing four feet Of water. Throug.
this Sound considerable trade is carried o
With New Orleans, by way Of Bayou St. Jea
and Lake Ponehartrain. The Sound CON
municates with Mobile through three mario,
channels Of three, two snd Eve feet several
at high water. There are several connection
between Mississippi Sound and the Gulf vi,
between Dauphin and Petit Bots Island
between Petit Bots and Horn Islands. an
beyond Horn Island. The coast commute
ton between New Orleans and Mobile conf
be cut of by a small cutter, cruising betwee
Horn Island and Chandelier Reef q distapc
often miles, cutting Of at the same tine ID
communication Of New Orleans with The Gu
through Lake Pontchartrain. The latt,
body Of water is navigated by vessels draw
ing seven feet Of water.
KoUTHs OF TIE MISSISSIPPI.
There are three main passes to the MIssi
sippL the Northeast pass, the Southeast pas
aud the Southwest pass. These at their wiz