Semi-weekly interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1881-1905, 1888-04-06

Wy Yard. The latter has its own land
ing, but it is seldom used. 1t is a Rip
Van Wrinkle navy yard. The torpor OF
disuse is on it. A few officials, charged
with keeping it from rack, creep around
the clean, wcll-prcserved place. Rows OF
huge anchors; brightly painted buoys Of
varying sizes; boilers Of portable engines,
also kept well painted; huge piles Of
brick building, empty, silent and unus-
ed, but in perfect order and waiting To-
hum and roar with varied industries
when the time comes; great bell in its
tower, sounding dolcfully at long inter
walls, instead Of frequently dismissing and
summoning thousands Of workmen from
and to their tasks, the whole aspect of
the high-walled AMI costly enclosure is
depressing in the extreme. II seems
such an awful waste of treasure
To prepare So grand an establishment for
service and leave il unused But two
ships have been built here vet 4 great
dry dock, hall completed, has two OF its
iron sections, out OF four, ready Ia be-
placed in position. where the largest iron
clad could be locked and repaired. They
are kept we'll painted and some day.
doubtless, will bc used; but when? 4
hali-finished wharf, III superb granite
blocks, with great 'shcars" ready to lin,
the masts out OF vessels. completes the
costly inventory OF Uncle Samucl's valu-
able property hcr,away. Visitors run
hastily through it, while the Willie C."
discharges and takes in cargo, and that is
about all it seems kept up for. II is pit
liable. When every navy yari' in the
United States ought To- be running day
and night 10 build the vessels needed to
maintain our dignity on the sea. as we'll
rs guarantee protection along the great
dctcncclcss cuast.liuc: which now invites
attack from the tirst bucanccring nation
that wishes to replcnish an exhausted
treasury 10y putting New York, Boston,
Philadelphia and sam Francisco under
contribution, to redeem themselves from
bombarlment. What will be the first
catastrophe that breaks the long slum-
Der of the Catskills?
Evidently Americans believe in luck.
Certainly no nation on earth could So
quickly spring To- arms Ia avcngc an in
suit rs this hot-tempcrcd "NIanassch" OF
ours. But in the meanwhile, We court
disaster and risk untold millions oftrcas-
urc in this dreamy d,lcc fur nienfe oi ma
tlnnal lassitule; while hundreds OF mil
lions of dollars lie unused in the new
vaults that have 10 he yearly constructed
to accommodate this apochryphal accu-
mutation. We are extraordinary pco-
pie, for n fact
The willie C." continues her trip,
hearing her musing passengers to the
next point oi interest This is Fort Bar
rancas, built first in 1896 by the Span
iarls and called san Carlos, and was the
first site ri u town on Pensacola Bay. II
is about mile below the Navy Yard ON
the western mainland. This runs out
still Il mile or two further in long, low
lying sandy spit, at the point OF which
Fort McltIc was, and It's dismantled
ruins still are. Between Barrancas and
Mcliae the lighthouse stands, very fine
one, and the 81 loitiest in the L. ;. Me
Rae was torn to ribbons by the COM
bincd Smelling Of the Federal fleet from
the Gull outside and the battering from
Fort Pickcns on Santa Rosa Island The
Coniedcrates held the mainland, but
abandoned Barancas when Fort McRae
became untenablc. Then the Yankees
took possession. Pensacola had 80 hous-
cs left when the war Was over. \ pretty
clean sweep, not To- speak a devastating
fires since.
\ section OF the old Spanish tort OF
1855 remains, Just under the walls of the
American structure oi 1883. This last
iortilicatlon has an imposing look from
the water, but j. only Il grass-grown
heap, on nearer inspection. Not Il gun
in position, \ lot lying. unmountcd,
outside the walls; inside some more; gun
carriages inverted and unused: classmates
empty; desuetude everywhere. \ com
pany OF artillerymen occupy the hand
some 3-story barracks a few hundred
yards away the parade ground is well
kept; the commandant's residence is
handsome and the high terrace on which
the whole stands is grassed and here and
there ablaze with beds of ox-drummon-
dii. The view across the bay to Fort
Pickens, on Santa Rosa Island, is very
pleasing; but | should think the life OF
soldier here very monotonous and lone
~ one.
We get Il permit to visit Pickens from
the obliging colonel in command and
again the willie c." makes another
move, this time squarely across the wa
ter, here mile wide or more.
Fort Pickens looks formidable outside,
but could easily be reduced to heap of
ruins by modern artillery. 1t has one
great gun in position, l5-inch, smooth
bore "Parrott," that looks big enough to