The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-08-02

where struck By shells during the recent
bombardment, ana has not fallen away to any
great extent. even in the exposed portions OF
the exterior. Most of the roofs are OF solid
rock. as are all floors except near the entrance.
There are a few tiled roofs on some OF the at
tached Is.
The keystone OF the entrance archvay "a Of
gray sandstone and tho arms OF old Spain are
carved In It, Portions of great copper-studded
doors remain, but otherwise the entrance is
plain. Tho odor that pervades every closed
room IL far from omantic though the signs Of
habltation are primitive enough TO be relics OF
the long ago. The stencil that rises every
where Is OF very recent aqualor and flthihess,
and not the mustiness that antiquarians love.
There arc signs and numbers rudely painted
on the grated doors. There are a few scratch
ings and drawings on the dingy walls. There
are filters OF bottles, crockery. cooking uten-
sils. old clothes. papers and odds and ends In
several rooms.T Those are in tho lighter. more airy
chambers then suddenly one steps into q dark
cell which echoes like a well. A single beam
OF light penetrates tho grating OF the deeply
recessed window. After one becomes aocus-
toned to the darkness he sees the room IL bare,
and as he turns away discovers that its door
has a heavier lock than the others he has
noticed. An indescribable something appeals
TO him and he strikes q match. Yes, there IL
an iron ring low In the wall on one side. and he
feels he Is in o prison cell whore. perhaps.
heroes have languished and died. unremem-
bered.
In the room Immediately beneath the en-
trance are stocks. Two great beams OF wood
are notched to receive q dozen legs. locked
together. TIL edges Of the leg holes are worn
smooth with use, and visions and fancies OF the
ancient punishments for minor faults I'LL ones
mind as he moves on.
At the northwest corner OF the topmost story
ofthe MORO. exposed on three sides and d.
rectly under one Of the flaGstafs and one Of the
cannon counted on the top Of the castle. is a
single room. whose window. eight feet from the
!, floor. looks to the north and whose door opens
to the south. Here Lieut.. Hobson was confined
for four days. And when the feet bombarded
on June 9, here. the sentry whose box was in
front OF the door locked him in. and sought a
place less exposed. Hobson's seven compan-
ions were in two other rooms nearer the centre
of the castle and at a lower level.
All cooking in the Moro appears to have been
done over open fires. There are two rooms set
on for this purpose. with raised stone platforms
surmounted by parallel iron bars. instead of
stoves. There are also q number Of corners
and angles where fires have been built and
cooking has been done. The water supply OF
the castle consists OF four large cisterns, which
receive not only the drainage Of what few tiled
roofs there are. but also that from ALI the courts,
passages. stairways and platforms. 1t seems
almost incredible that the water 30 gathered
could have been used for drinking purposes.
but no other source is apparent. and q chain
hanging in one Of the dirtiest ~cisterns gives
evidence Of recent use.
The guns in the MORO are all Of eighteenth
century manufacture. There are five mortars
and TWO cannon mounted on the topmost level.
the roof OF the main structure. The Oldest Of
these is q 80 c. m. tabout 10 inches) mortar. 1t
bears the mark "LudovicusJI. Hispan. Rex"
the makers name and tho date. Voie-I-Abet,
Fecit, Sevilla. Ano D.. 1924" These pieces all
have individual names. among them FL Nianti-
cora. e Comets, &c. One bears the arms of
Spain and Of France. and was cast during
the reign Of Philip V. and Elisa. The two
cannon. 6-inch smooth bores. are of French
make and bearthe insignia Of Louis Charles de
Bourbon, Compile D'Eu. Due D'Aumale. and
the Latin notices. Ratio Ultima ReGum " and
"Neo Pluribus Impair" They are named lie
Compile de Trovence " and Mars" and were
cast in 1855 and 174S.
Thirty steps down. on a bastion opposite to
that on which Hobson's cell faces, are two very
old smooth-bore 5-inch cannon. unmounted.
These are all the guns now In the upper level
of the castle. though there is an artillery room
opening on q platform twenty-three steps
lower down we'll stocked with cleavers, old
powder. shells. bombs and Erenades. There
are also plenty Of rife racks. apparently in
recent use.
The middle level Of the Morro-more prop
erly. perhaps, Of the system Of Notifications on
the point-is at the foot Of a winding flight OF
100 steps. The first twenty Of them are COW
cred and pass under the chamber of the MORO
proper. The rest are cut into the face Of the
elf. The works at this level consist OF a bat
tlsmented platform extending for a great
distance around the point. One branch
of the road up from Estrella Cove
runs directly to it. Back of the plat
form great chambers are hewn out in the
solid rock Of the cliff. Guns have been mounted,
not only on the platform. but also In the case.
ments. Only four Of the guns here are now
mounted though half . dozen others are at
hand. Some are 9. some and some 5K inches
all very old-faShioned. At tho eastern end Of
the platform are . series OF storerooms hol'
lowed back into tho cliff. They contain Great
stacks OF tin powder cans. shells and solid shot
and over 100 cases Of powder marked inspect
ed. 1893. Thore are also q large number Of
wooden mounts and extra wheels for them
eome small iron ones and others larger and o.
wood.
The lowest level Of the fertilization IL eighty
three steps lower down and not ever twenty
f1vo feet above the water. 1t 10 q small baStior
and there Ii no entrance to 1t except from
above. There Is q cave behind 1t. and q tileC
house against the clin. A 6-inch bronze can
non OF 1873 has been dismounted from its car
rage by q she'll from the feet. 1t was the onl!
gun there. There are rectangular piles OF soliC
shot Of all calibres all over the fortifcationI
and half-decayed portions of other gun mounts
The damage done to this wonderful old struc'
ture by the American bombardments Is com
paratively trivial. 1t was never fred on DELHI
erately until July 2. and even then but few
shells were wasted on It. The rock and mortal
were 30 dry that every shell that landed raiset
an immense column OF dust. and the clin il 81
precipitouS that every shot left q long trail o
crumbled stone behind II. and from the outsid,
much Of the place looks In ruins.
!, The worst damage Is at the southwest corne
|. OF the topmost level. where the Oregon sho
away the Flagstaff in the last bombardmelt
} The hattIemonts there ara ALI leyelled. and thu