Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1897-03-11
HOME READING.
IN THE DRY ToRTueAs.
Part Jefferson's History and Present UsO'
fulness as a station.


In these days of possible hostilities
with Spain special interest attaches
10 the announcement that board Of
navy and army officers is to examine
Fort Jefferson, on Garden key, in the
Dry Tortugas, with q view to rehabili-
tating it and to founding a naval sta
tion there. There are ten low-lying is
lands, partly covered with mangrove
bushes. and the group lies about 1910
miles southwest of the end of the Flor
ida mainland.
Unlike nearly or quite all our other
defensive works, Fort jefferson was not
designed to protect an important city.
Ii is perhaps the most conspicuous cX-
ample to be found of our fortifying
g purely strategic position, for Key
West has some intrinsic consequence
SIS a town. In the Dry Tortugas what
we have OF value is one of the finest,
most commodious and safest harbors
of the southern coast, and it is desired
both 10 make it available for ourselves
and 10 prevent it from being seized
as the sheltering haven and the base
OF an enemy.
A round half-ccntury has elapsed
since Fort Jefferson was begun, in lS4G,
under President Polk, with jefferson
Davis as secretary of war. 1t is one
of the largest works in the United
States, covering the greater part Of Car
den Key, and was originally designed.
if we DO not mistake, for about 499
guns, although only part were mount
ed; and it cost about $j,0G0,000 1t was
seen then, as now, that an enemy's fleet,
obtaining the harbor of the Dry Tortu-
gas as q base, might control both the
Florida straits and the Yucatan chan
mel. For this reason it has shared
with Key West the reputation of being
the military key oS the Gulf of Mexico.
During the civil war Fort Jefferson
was used as a military prison, but when,
IN the reaction after the war, post after
post on the seaboard lost IT'S garrison,
and was even suffered to fall into de
car, Fort Jefferson followed this fate
It attracted attention for time as the
place Of confinement for Or. Mudd,
whose life sentence was remittad after
his valuable service during the yellow
fever. scourgo of 1868, when the sur
icons Of the station succumbed. Then
i became, as it is to-day, a quarantine
station: and this use OF it is, according
70 4 report made by the inspector-gcn
erals department. few years oGo, an
obstacle 10 its rcoccupation.
II that report it was urged that the
Aarbor of the Dry Tortugas has been
tor years "a tempting and easy prize
Tor the audacious," and that owing to
It's isolation and accessibility, we might
have lost it at any time during the in
terr2l without knowing, until too late.
that It had passed out OF our posses.
sion" IT'S real value as naval auxili
airy would have become apparent in The
effort 20 recapturc it.
II is noticeable that in the list Of the
o. principal ports requiring defense.
compiled by the Notifications board OF
1855. the barbor Of the Dry Tortugas
IS not included. But that is not q point
against il, as even Puget sound was
not found In the list Several years ago
Gen. Howard advised the reoccupation
&c Fort Jefferson; and the present move
ment IS founded on the desirability OF
getting o more sheltered and deeper
harboT than Key West Tor q naval coal
ing station in that region. The Dry
Tortugas, lying about co miles to the
west. furnish, it is believed, such Z liar
hor, ard. ~ all events, on this point the
board win report.
Twenty years or mere must have
passed since the garrison Of Fort JET
ferscn, after being reduced in 1870, was
Withdrawn altogether The marine
hospital service, which thon took pcs
session of it, naturally kept up only
what its own accommodation ncedcd.
and the account given by the array H.
srectiEg officers a few years ego as tC
lis military condition Yves disoourag
ing:
'Notten gun carriages, cracked bas
tons, rusty guns-in fact, general Dc
cay-were apparent or al sides. The
brick worl; throughout needed, and still
needs, repairing. Al The llastions hG}
cracked and settled, and there were
thousands Of lineal fast CT cracks in
either parts of the walls. Many Of the
classmates leaked, and the moisture had
caused an excessive formation OF sta
lactitcs. Nearly oil the embrasurcs of
the two tiers Of classmates had been en-
larged so as nearly to equal in width
the span Of the arches, It is said that
this mutilation Of the fort was done
by the troops during the fever epidemic
Of 1868.
THE six wooden platforms for the
15-inch guns in barbette are in ruins
through decay. The other barbette
platforms are of old pattern, but with
four-inch pintlcs. Whether they woulci
withstand the shock Of full-service
charges cannot be definitely settled, but
probably not"
Ii the Dry Tortugas should be turned
into 4 naval coaling base, the hospital
would doubtless be removed ana
wharf built Probably many of the
buildings could be repaired ard made
useful, both for naval purposes and for
the artillery garrison thatwould lie sta
toned there. Fort Jefferson is Of the
cid type, as are the guns now mounted
there; but the condition of 25 tcn-inch
guns was found b. the inspectors 10 be
good, and it would be easy to supple
mont the cid ordnance by some modern
high-power guns and mortars, so as to
give the station an adequate defense.-