Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1886-01-12
GIBRALTAR

Livery GDl.1 LIS Ee1rorl Of I4c
wonderful fortress Of Gibraltar. on
the northern shore OF the Mediter-
ranean- It's name hss hong Ago pass
ed into the language as 3 synonym
for the impossible and imprsgnsble.
And yet Gibraltar hiss changed hands
oftener than most strategic points Of
anything like is strength snd i'm
po-tsnce-
The recurrence recently Of the an
niversary Of It's capture by the Eng
lish and Dutch fleets under command
Of Sir George Rookie, reneys inter
est in the mighty giant 81 the gate
way of the world Its gray brow Of
limestone jats into the great sea,
bold and dOmineeriBg. 81 the hight
of full 400 feet. Proud Is the
plume in the helmet of g-enadier
the English flag floats from the lofty
emineace. as It has hoated for now
nearly two centuries. On three
sides the cliff, wherein ia the fort
proper, is almost perpendicular. and
may be deemed inaccessible. Great
caverns have been scooped into its
tough old sides from every direction
by the sea long before the age Of
man, and a. time when the tower
ing rock was a mere uprising in it.
Some Of these are beautifully arched
and supported by forests OF stalacti-
tes, extending from ceiling to floor.
But more wonderful even than any
thing that nature has done here are
the works OF man. Extending from
side 20 side, parallel with the north
front of the promontory, galleries
have been pierced through the solid
rock. These are nearly three miles
in length, and al every twelve yards
ports are cut through 10 the north.
From these great guns frown upon
the sea, seeming to scorn the puny
attacks Of any power foolish enough
TO stand before them. On the crest
of the rock are strongly intIenched
barracks and fOrtresses, away above
the world below. Nearly 500 guns,
the largest and strongest in the
world, are in place. The regular
garrison consists of between 5000
and 5000 men at all times. A little
town clusters at the base of the
battlements. The whole colony is
kept under the strictest military dis
cipline. No foreigner is permitted 10
remain there, except for certain des-
ignated periods, and then only when
he gives guarantees for his good be-
havior.
Every year. on July cath, there is
a jubilee in Gibraltar, and the splen-
did victory which wrested the place
from Spain 1872 years ago is COM
memorated with high glee. But at
all other times the 10000 people in
the town conduct themselves with
due decorum, and manage to live
mainly from one another.
Gibraltar is an historical spot. 1t
and Apes Hill, directly opposite it,
were believed to be the pillars o:
Hercules. Then the strait was
thought to be the western boundary
of the world. before the adventurous
explorers exploded the fine fancies
of the earlier geographers. There it
was that the leader of the Saracens,
with his hardy band, climbed the
rocks and built fortress upon their
nights A castle built fourteen years
afterward, in 1913, still stands on the
northern edge of the cliff. For
more than four centuries the Sara
Gems held the place, but the Chris
tians took it from them in 1888, and
planted the banner of the cross upon
the battlements. But the standard
of the faith was allowed to wave but
fifteen years, when the Moors took it
on one of their raids that for the
time terrorized Europe.
Again Spain recovered il, and so
strengthened the works that it was
deemed thoroughly impregnable
However, the Eoglish captured it in
1904. on July Gath, and the day is
pOmpously celebrated ever since.
10 1873 France joined forces with
Spain to take the place, but after a
memorable siege of five years, gave
lup the task. At one time there
were 40. 600 men, Al ships, and l 900
pieces of artillery in the combined
forces. In September, 1882. what
has been described as''the most
dreadful cannonading known ia his
tory" was directed against the
British forces on the rock. Ten
enormous floating batteries were put
in use, but after several hours of the
fiercest fighting they were Destroyer
The English lost only sixteen men
in the engagement, and the fame of
Gibraltar as being beyond the
power of man to capture was estab-
lished probably forever.