Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1889-08-01
ROCK OF GIBRALTAR.
Description of the Famous Town and
Fortress at the Entrance 10
the Mediterranean.
Great Sic .e of 1872 and Defeat of the
SpaniardS by the use Of Red
Hot Shot.

raltar thinks It necessary to describe he
place as infinitely as if for the infor-
nation of remote posterity. All the
world is long since familiar with the
strange isolated crsg that starts mp FROM
the low, sandy fats of the Spanish shore
like threatening giant, with it's back 10
Spain and its face TO the sea, the ltue
white toy town of Gibraltar slung at its
side like travelling bag, and a motley
population of Spaniaris, English, Creeks,
Italians, "Jews, Turks, intidels and here
ticsn--or, as the London school-boy quot
ed 81, "Jewels, turkeys, tiddlers aud arch
itects,"
At the far end of the parade ground a
broad flight of stone steps leads up to a
kind OF platform enciroled with trees, in
the cen ter of which, or a tall and massive
pedestal of granite, stands the bronze
statute, or rather bust, of a man of mid
die age, wearing an English uniform with
his hair dressed in the old-fRshioned style
of the last century. This circumstance,
couple with the worn and hallow face,
the plain, almost coarse features, end
the stern, dauntless, commanding ex-
preston, would make gny British speota-
tor guess the figure TO be the likeness of
Nelson but for the one word engraved up
on the front of the pedestal; Elliott"
Truly memorable name, a name Of
which England may well be proud; Tor if
it does not stand alone and unapproach-
able like that of Nelson, il has none the
less written itself high IN the great bead
roll of the bravest deeds ever done upon
earth, deeds which will be remembered 40
long as the earth itself shall last This
was man who was called upon 10 endure
not for a few weeks or few months,
but for tlree years together-suoh q
strain as has seldom fallen to the lot Of
any child of man, And he bore 1t as few
have ever done az more, perhaps, save
two men of the same sturdy AnglU-Saxon
race as himself, whose names were George
Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
Far up in the face of the frowning
precipice which towers above the dainty
! little town and its beautiful garden, say 3
! Daniel Ker in the New York Times, you
see solid rock through which the muz
zles of leveled cannon look down like
vigiiant eyes, keeping watch over the
statue of the great commander below.
| These are the far-famed galleries OF
| Gibraltar" with which the uRmo of Gov.
Elliott is inseparably connected, and no
| filter sentinels could be found for the
monument which commentaries the
stout Old generals glory then these
| silent, Unohanging witnesses of the great
deeds by which that glory was earned.
! Ever since Sir George Rockies daring
| blue Jackets had scaled the "inaccessible
| rock" on that memorable August night
| in 1904 the Spaniards had looked with
| longing eyes at their lost fortress and
| had never since faltered in their deter
mination to regain It, sooner or later cost
! what it might That the great stronghold
which they had won back from the Moors
! by force of arms should pc taken from
them in turn by the English was a wound
| to the national PRIDE of brave and high
| spirited people, the smart Of which no
lapse of time could deeden; aud barely
| twenty three years after its first capture
by the British furious assault was made
upon it by the Spanish forces, both by
sea and land. But the fortress strent bened
by its new masters at an enormous cost
and garrisOned by some of the best
| soldiers of Britain, held cut stu0bOrnly
until brave Admiral Wagner came TO the
rescue with eleven line-Of-b battle ships
and swept away the besiegiug hosts like
morning mist. By the treaty OF Seville
in 1929, Spain renounced all claim "a
| Gioralter "opce and forever more and
the rough soldiers who guarded it, batter
les ieered at the moderation OF Don
! Whiskerandos" in resiguing what could
never be his, little dreaming OF the
unparalleled tragedy which that very
spot was to witness one short halt-century
later.
Time went by. England had her guar
res and fights with Spain and France
the seven years war came and went, and
still Gibralter remained unmOlested
Governor after governor went thfough
the monotoDous routine of garrison hf'
| without hearing the whistle OF bullet
and il emed as if the formidable artil
lery that bristed along the rock woulc
never have 6ny more serious work tC
do than firing off royal salute. But the
time was coming and ii came. Early IL
the year 1879, the English sentinels look
ed down from Gibralter rock upOn al
| endless multitude of white tents soattered
like snow drifts over the bare, sand
flats of the neutral ground while from
the seward long line OF stately vessels
of war-sOme bearing the banner Of
France and Others that of Spain-came
lowering like vultures around the doom
ed fortress. What does this meant
1t means that Spain has seen her op
portunity and has seized 1t. Where En-
gland has her hands full in America
her ancient foes have combined
against her IN Europe, and now France
and Spain are coming in their might tC
pun down the British flag from Gibraltar
But with al their savage determination
to win at any cost the gssailants are DO
quite rash enough to hazard direc as
sault upon the terrible stronghold, auC
open the siege by the slower or sure
method Of blockade, which the numOel
OF useless mouths in the town itself rem
ders fOrmi 1ably effective. The daily al
lowauce OF food for the garrison is s0Or
diminished one-half (the governor hin
self Getting me example, and gradual.
falls lower still. Wistfully and weaull
do the hard pressed English look over thl
sea from taeir towering height but NJ
British ships are seen coming 20 tht
rescue. Have the folks at home for
gotten usy" groRl the rough fellows t.
each other. Il would almost seem 50
Bot early one dark, fogRy morning
strange commotion is heard iu the beeieg