The Portland daily press., 1883-08-25

landed and taken to Fort Allen. These
prisoners were part of Gen. VIM. Hulrs
army, who surrendered in cowardly man
ner, at Detroit to Gen. Brock on the 10th of
August, 1912. OF the sick soldiers taken to
Fort Allen more than half died, and were
buried al little north of Congress street
near the Eastern Promenade-a line of gran
lite posts marks the spot. After long deten-
ton the convalescents were taken on board,
and the ship sailed for her port of destina-
ton.
After the erection of Forts Preble and
Scanned In 1900, and the water batteries in
lSl2-14, think Fort Allen never had any
armament. Il remained unoccupied until
1924, when 1t was again used as hospital.
In the spring of that year the small pox
made its appearance in small house next
above the north corner of Middle and King
tnow Indial streets, then occupied by Levi
Rankins and family named Haskell. This
was but few years after the introduction
OF vaccination in this country, and the old
dread of the disease existed, and with good
reason, as the result proved. The street was
closed by the authorities, sentinel was set
to enforce the order, and the danger signal
was made very conspicuous. DR.. Albus
Rea was the attending physician, and the in
mates of the house, sick and well, were re-
moved to Fort Allen where eight died and
only four recovered. The dead were buried
near the graves of Hull's men. A brick pest
house was afterwards built near these graves
and the old building in Fort Allen was sold
to Capt. Lemue Moody and removed.
Fort Allen was never baptized in the blood
of battle, but was manned more than CEN
tury ago by gallant defenders ready to do or
die.
The varied landscape, as seen from the
high bluff which it occupied, is now the
chief attraction of the spot. Southeast is
Castle Gorges with Its numerous embrasures
and battlements, and further on is Fort
Preble, the headquarters of the military de-
tenders of the city, with its starry flag,
which is saluted by the morning and even
ing gun. In full view from the site of the
old fort, and in nearly straight line six OF
seven miles long, are the white towers OF
four lighthouses-pillars of cloud by day,
and pillars of fire by night, TO guide the mar
iner to our Canaan. Beneath the bluff, al
most hourly, come the laundering trains la
den with the products of the far West, to be
dumped into the hungry maws of the i'm.
mense steamships, which noiselessly glide
away to feed the people of Europe. And to-
day from this old ruin one may look down
upon the decks of three American ships Of
war at anchor, one of them the largest in
our navy.
This calls to mind the English fleet an
chored here in October, 1860, to receive the
Prince of Wales-such foreign fleet as had
not anchored in any port of the United
States since the French feet under DIES.
taign entered the harbor of Newport in IT'S
Besides the Princes squadron of three
ships, and the U. S. naval squadron, the
English Atlantic squadron under Admiral
Milne, numbering five ships, was present to
honor the Prince, and TO give eclat to the
embarkation. A short distance from Fort
Allen Mayor Howard halted the procession
and accompanied the Prince and his suite,
with the British minister, down the long
stairs to the Victoria wharves below, where
he entered barge. All the eight ships
Numbered forth royal salute and the royal
standard of England was displayed for the
first time in the United States. Such scene
will not soon be witnessed again even from
this fine lookout.
The procession which received President
Polk in 1S45, halted opposite Fort Allen to
give him sight Of the landscape, while sew
eral ready-chsrged blasts in the deep rail
road cuts below were fired as a salute. This
headland is the point from which the de-
scription commenced in the first deed of
land on the Neck given on the eighth day of
June, 1887. s'Sir Ferdinando Georges of
Ashton Philips in the county of SOMERSET,
Knight, Of the one party, and George CIeeyes
and Richard Tucker of Casco, in the prov
ince Of New Somerset in New England,
gentlemen, witnesseth Beginning at
the furthermcst point of a neck of land
called by the Indians Machigonne, and now
and henceforth to be called and known by
the name of Stogummor."
At this turn in the Eastern Promenade
would have been very proper site for the
Cleeves monument, and it would be a prop
or site for the proposed soldiers monument,
whose outlines would show against the blue
sky to all passers by water, to better advan-
tage than from any other spot in the city.
Whatever occupies this ancient site, it
should not be hotel, to shut out all that is
beautiful of the landscape. 1t is not the
place for travellers hotel, and summer
hotel should be disconnected with the city.
"On this honored site
Modern ira e win build
What unseemly fright
Heaven only knowsl
Something peaked and high.
Smacking of the guild
Let us heave sigh
Down the old house goesl"
Auo 90 w n