The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1889-01-17
THE ROCK OF GIBRALTAR,
TIE WORLDS MOST FORMIDABLE
FohTRESS DESCRIBED.

IilG Wohlb - MUST FUN M phbA1i@
FohTREsS DESCRIBED,
Tho Rock aud the Town Upon 1t
Defsnces Of Gibraiiar-A Four
Years Siege
Tho Few. Henry NJ. Fields work,
"Gibrallar," contains the following lid
description OF the Notifications OF the
strongest fort ess in the world; "rhe
Rock is nearly three miles long, with a
breadth of half to three-qna,ters of n
mile, so that the whole circuit is about
seven miles. But not all this requires to
be defended, for on the eastern side the
Gill is so Tremendous that there is no
possibility of scaling 1t. II is fearful to
stand on the brow and look down to
where the waves are dashing more than
Thousand feet below The only APP.
proach must I've by land fr the north,
or from the sea on the wtst,in SIDE AS
the latter es aloug the buy, and is ut the
lowest le}el, it is the most exposed to
attack Here lies the town, which
could easily To approached by an enemy
if /, we're not for its artificial defenses.
called The ! inc Wall tremendous
mass OF masonry two miles long, Re.
lieved here and there by projecting
bastions, with guns turned right and left
so as to sweep the face of the wall if an
enemy were TO attempt to carry 1t by
storm. Indeed, the line defended is
more than two miles long, il VIC follow
it in its ms and outs; where the New
Mole reaches out its long arm into the
bay, with line of guns on either side !.
followed by a re entsri o curve round
ROSA Bay, the little basin whose waters
are so deep and still that it is a quiet
haven for unlading ships but whe Q an
enemy would find himself in the centre
of role of fire under which nothing
could live; and if we include the bat
teries still further southwald, that are
carried beyond Europa Point. until the
last gun is planted under the eastern
clif, which is itself defense of nature
that needs no help from man.
"Within the inc. Wall, Immediately
fronting the bay, are the casema'es and
barracks for the artillery regiments that
are to serve the guns. The classmates
are designed to be absolutely bomb
proof, the walls being of such thickness
as to resist the impact of shot weighing
hundreds of pounds, while the enormous
arches overhead are made to withstand
the weight and the explosion of the
heaviest shells"
But these are not the whole of Gibral.
tar's defenses. There are batteries in
the rear Of the town as well as in front
that can be fired over the tops of the
houses, so that if an enemy were to effect
a landing he would have to fight his
way at every step. AS one climbs the
rock it fairly bristles with guns. DR..
| Field says that he could not turn to the
! right or left without seeing these open
mouthed monsters aud looking into
their murderous Threats. Everywhere il
is nothing but guns, guns, guns, over
head and underfoot, pointing at you
from every direction. The unique
feature of Gibraltar is the rock galleries,
which were beg un more than one hun.
dred years ago, during the great siege
which lasted nearly four years, when the
inhabitants had no rest day or night.
1t is two. mile walk through them, and
an officer in charge is always willing to
detail gunner to conduct visitors
through the galleries.
The writer calls attention to the fact
that the majority of people always think
of Gibraltar as fortress and forge,
that it is anything else. But it is al
old Spanish town, quaint and pictur
esaue, with 20, 900 inhabitants, in which
the Spanish element gives distinct fla
vor to the place. The mingling of the
Spanish with the English is one of the
most striking features of the very mis-
cellaneous and picturesque population
AS in most garrison towns, the military
is first and foremost, and there are al
ways five or six thousand troops in Glib
raltar. 1t is perhaps the largest garri
son in the British dominion Almost
every hour company passes up the
street, tramping to the monotonous
music of the fife and drum.
Besides the garrison and the English
and Spanish residents of Gibraltar, the
town has floating population as motley
in race and color as can be found in any
city on the Mediterranean. 1t is a great
resort of political refugees who seek
protection under the English flag. As
1t is so close to Spain, it is the first re
fuge of Spanish consp;rators, who, fail
ing in their attempts at revolution, flee
across the lines. OF the society in
Gibraltar DR.. Field says it would be &
mistake to suppose that the population
of Gibraltar is confined to men. The
home instincts, he remarks, are strong
in English breasts, and wherever they
90 they carry their household gods with
them. 1t is this feature of garrison
life, its union of fair women and
brave men. which gives such {
charm to the society of Gibraltar
although Gibraltar is the greatest
fortress in the world, if it were only
that, it would not have half the Interest
which it now has. The supreme inter
est of the Rock is In the record of cen
turtles which is craven on its rugged
front. For nearly eight hundred YEAR.
It was the prize of war between the
Spaniard and the Moor. and its legend.
are all of battle and of blood. Ten time;
it was besieged. and passed back auc