Middletown transcript., 1872-06-29

Fslt Dslaxars.
DslAwAas Ciry Hofsl.

DstAwx1s C1sv. Del. Juos' -, 1879
TIE rssess advsstissnsns il your paps,
that tri-veshly sisaassr vssld stop ii
Fort Delaware, point Of mssh inter.
eess" induosd ne this mosuipg to aecspl
~ petite iavilssios of Mr.. I.ss. The pres.
~ 1tsepesintsudsnt. 70 take sest 10 The
Usissd States barge sed do up the island
&ssssslly. Sig sturdy rowsrs fsashsred
ibsls can to the eoxswsin's whistle. and
A)hsse u nomsni ~ had shot into The
s1ess0 . route lbs the new batteries ia
leoesse = eosslruetion. . quarter Of q
nile balex this point.
Unels Ssm having recently purchased
sixty acres for the purpose of contin uing
the ouess line Of deieness Of Philadelphis,
. seusedious dock 10 already begun, and
the surface walls Of The works we'll under
~sy. The main defence will be an earth.
2ork On both sides Of the river. csch car.
syisg twenty 6fteeu.inch Rodman guns,
svssy euu provided With . magasinc Of
.iss own. The able engineer. Mr. Ice.
has charge Of this important improvement.
After fifteen minutes passed in examining
the works, ~ again entered the boat and
,soon found ourselves at the Pea Patch,
the Island upon which Fort Delaware is
,bsils. Il 10 surrounded by . wall which
rises six or eight feet from tho surface Of
the water. and extends some four feet up
ward.
There 10 . settlement Of sixty or eighty
people on one corner Of the island, aud
quite number Of handsome residences.
The odors Of new mown hay salu,ed Us,
vegetation generally bsing most luxuri.
ant. The Fort has church here also.
built out Of the prisoners fund during the
war. and = good library obtained also
from the same souscc. We heard some
fsightful tsles Of populations Of the gov.
.ernment officials At Ae expense Of these
poor wretcacs, while IN ample allowance
was made for their support by Congress.
Whole vessel loads Of food we're sent u.
way and sold for the benc6t Of those in
charge Of them. The prisoners often beg
ged for the pieces out OF the sYill buckets
carried BY the residents to their pigs. and
would give ten cents for rat,
What q commentary on seciarianisin,
chat would offer church Cor the worship
0f the Almighty which had been bull. ou,
of the suHerings Of huwnuity. The Fort
itself is . massive building Of granite.
SURROUNDED BY moat thirty feet in width
and slsays filled with water. You cross
= dvsw.bridgo, which con be Instantly
raised, and end yourself in vaulted pas
ssge between two doors Of immense
strength. In this entrance hang mum.
ber Of bssbs. The walls ere 6O feet 10
height. and 8 feet thick, aud this was
supposed to render il impregnablc a, the
time b was built but so great have been the
improvements in projcctilc vespons that
Il would now bc battered to pieces in n
frw hours, we're war vessels Sacc allowcd
TO approsch Il.
Experiments hare been tied OF strength
epiug the embrasurcs with plates Of iron
and eripg their own guns in them; the
rents produced in the walls were Immense,
four persons being able to stand in one
hole. There are 10 magazines Of powder
in this fort, capable Of containing 500, 900
pounds. Arrangements have recently been
made to place Is inch guns here. carry.
ing balls that weigh AS pounds. Not a
single soldier is to be seen abou, the fort
The officer commanding is Col. Kurtz.
who il a resident Of Philadelphia. The
breach in the walls even not being re-
paired this year. IS there have been no ap.
proprissions Of money to pay for the same
The fort cncloses an acre Of ground
and embraces the houses containing both
officers and soldiers quarters. and it is
really melancholy to see such noble edi-
fee neglected by the government, par
ticularly when the safety of Philadelphia
depends upon lis efficiency. The view
from the ramparts is very fine. and it was
= curious effect to look at the green grass
growing on the mounds which cover the
powder magazines at such an attitude
Our v;sit was altogether delightful
one. but the 6nal impression made upon
us was tLsG Gen Grant had better not be
too particular about the indirect damages
in the Alahawa claims until he gets our
,defenses 10 q more available condition.
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