Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1875-03-22

the entrance "DoO fernanuO, Delng /
King of Spain, and the Field Marshal,
Don Alonzo Fernando Herida being gov
ernor and captain-general of the place,
st. Augustine of Florida and its provin-
ces. this Fort was finished in the year
1906. The works were directed by the |
Captain Engineer, Don Pedro de Brazoz
y Gareny."
The fort is built of coquina, curious
formation of tiny shells and sand, found
in almost unlimited quantities on the
long. low island of Anatasia, lying just
opposite St Augustine. 1t is soft and
easily quarried, but on exposure to the
air it soon hardens like rock, and be.
comes as enduring, being better for for
tifcations than rock, as it does not splin-
ter when ball strikes it. Tradition
says that one tribe of Indians were kept
for sixty years at work on this fort, in
the quarries and placing in position the
heavy blocks of coquina; later, convicts
from Mexico and soldiers from Spain,
worked side by side, until the last
stroke was made and the work pronoun-
ced finished One cannot doubt the sto-
ry of one hundred years in building,
when we look at the massive pile and
consider that two centuries ago there
were few appliances for tightening labor
and most things were done in the hard
est way Covering five acres of ground,
with walls twenty-one feet high and in
some places forty feet thick, with no
wood in the entire structure, save two
floors and the heavy oak doors, barred
and spiked until they are as ponderous
as though made of stone-lt seems like
one vast prison house. 1t is gray and
moss-covered with age now, and in many
places shows signs of crumbliHg; but it
still looks formidable enough to with
stand any siege that may be made upon
it. It's lofty look out tower, facing the
sea, seems lonely and forsaken the SEN
try boxes are deserted but they recall
the stories have read of anxious days
and more anxious nights. when the ene-
mics vessels lay just outside the bar.
ready at any moment to attack the town.
In fancy, | heard the booming of the
guns, saw the moat quickly filled with
, water, the draw-bridge brought up, the
! heavy doors made fast, aud the hurrying
, to and fro within the fort which requir-
ed a thousand men to garrison it. But
t DO there is only the old Sergeant, in
his well-kept army blue, telling again
r to score of interested listeners the oft
told tale of scenes within the fort; and
leaving my dreaming behind, / hasten
S down from the look out to join the com
e panv around the veteran, who seems Sc
old that one thinks he might have beer
e there when the last capstone was placed
: in position, one hundred and more years
: ago.
n Into the various rooms he takes us
), In one, dungeon, the brave lndlar
: chief. Osceola, was confined when made
It prisoner during the Indian war later
d in our own civil war, Union prisoner
) were confined in this same room, anC
e growing weary of their bondage, the.
u tried to dig out beneath the walls, bu
e were detected after digging some twent.
L feet. In the next room, Wild Cat, an
If other chief, famous for his bravery ant
e cunning, was confined, until he made hi
l. escape by window, ten and half in
l. ches wide. The wonder is not that h
d got through the window, but that h
le could climb a smooth, perpendicula
N wall twenty feet, with naught but hi
II hands to help him.
r Next, we visit the chapel, where
l. century ago mass was said daily. Now
1t nothing remains but the bare walls, tn
old stone altar and the inches where th
r water, called holy. was kept. The doc
J. of this chapel is just opposite the er
I'd trance to the fort, and in front of tn
ic chapel door are still thirteen cannon
g placed so as to command the entranc
re to the fort. Beside each gun is its ow
? pile of balls ready to do service.
te Then we 20 into room out of whie
It. is dungeon, discovered IN 1885, whe
le a portion Of the roof fell in. Examinin
I'd this newly discovered place, the ma
as then in charge thought he detected
#, place in the wall which looked newt
lie than the rest Summoning assistanc
ne he caused "a place to be cut large enoug
e. to permit persons to pass, and pushin
his way in he found himself in an inns
a dungeon, about twelve by six feet
be size-not empty and untenanted like Il
be rest, but containing two human skel
lie tons, each confined in cage and faste'
rs ed to the wall. Who they were. no
he long they had been there, no living soI
ar could tell and who can picture the
nd sufferings, walled in from the light an
N, life of day just outside, left to face deaf
r. by starvation in place where no pu
n air could reach them. where DO be
would come. who can recount their az
nies All. in the coming day when L
IT. cruel persccutors stand face to face vi
his victims there will be One to decil