Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-08-04
M0RRO OF SANTIAGO.
What 1t Looks Like Now That K
Is on View to Any One
Interested.
NOTHING BUT 4 STONE BUILDING,

A-s.eAinS hbout E.cl ytninS 1hat MOdern
Fort Should Kave-Armed with a Few
Ancient Guns SIMPSONS Fire Did 1t,
However, Practically No Harm-Socapa
Battery More Modern with Couple of
Real Guns, One of Which Was Dis
mounted.
Sal:i-so de Cuba, Aug 4-ICopy-
right, 1898, by the Associated Press J.
Ell MORO, bull, on the rocks and of the
rocks, is rich in moats and frowning
battlemeats, drawbridges and subter-
ranean passages, dungeons and re-
minders of the age of helmets and
rapiers. Moreover it is surrounded by
a confused mass of barbed wire fencing,
recently erected to keep out the Ameri-
can soldiers ard marines. 1t is de-
serted now, and as silent as the flight
Of the vultures that wing their way
over its summit. One searches long
through Morro's passages and over the
roofs that even the lizards foresake
during the monday heat for signs of
the guns that are said to have replied
so valiantly to the fire of the American
fleet. On the top battlement one Hnds
several small nortars, made Of bronze
and cast in Spain in the early part Of
the seventeenth century. These are
curiously carved. Snarling dragons
| form their fanciful handles.
Two Ancient Bronze Cannons.
On the same roof are two mounted
! cannon of bronze. about fourteen feet
long, one of them bearing on it's sur
face and intermingled with carved coats
of arms, fleur de lis and decorations
! whose significance it is hard to com
| prehend, the following inscription:
! Mars ultima ratio rogun. Louis
/ Charles de Bourbon, Comte d'Eu. Due
| d AUmale, nee pluribus impair L JUN,
| 114S, Jean MaritZ.''
! The other cannon, bearing similar
| inscriptions. is dedicated to the Comte
! de Provence and was cast a few years
| before. Both are on flimsy wheels and
! probably have not bsen fired for years.
! The old-fashioned mortars show signs
! of having been shotted and hand ed and
! balls for their gaping threats aue scat
| tered about Search the castle oveT
and you will find several more muzz.e-
loading guns of a by-gone age. IN
/
! helplessiy against the castles battle
ments. And this is El Morro's complete
! armament today
/ One Piece We Knocked Away.
| The southeast bastion that formerly
| upheld the Spanish flag. was knocked
! into dust 10y the shot that carried down
the banner. There are signs of shots
| that have pecked ut the SOLID walls: a
| shell carried away the drawbridge and
broke through the main entrance, but
otherwise I'll Moro bears 10 noticeable
| evidence sf boRlhardment- A few hun
ores yards "a tina ssst-end ss.il on tAs
heights the essteTn battery. Betwsen
it and the castle are some low, red .
TIED hoGSeS, formerly used as quarters
for the garrison of tire fort. here aiss
stood the lighthouse that marked the
| harbor entrance - now shattered and
twisted by the FIRE from the American
ships, FOR which it Doubtless Offered an
excellent target. TIE eastern battery
is of earth; barrels OF cement ard
sacks Of dirt protect the guns.
Some EIore of The Ancient Guns.
Here are two small! so!d pieces made
in SeVilla in 1873 and the ground is
plentifully strewn with unused am
munition. scattered in and out of the
ammunition boxes as these were hur
rieSly opened. Here also are five bronze
) muzzle loading cannon bearing oates
of their casting as follows: 1868. IT'S.
1I13, 1888 and 1863 These, however. ara
| mounted on modern iron carriages AMI
| they have been used. a small house
| just behind the earthworks is still full
of bags Of cube powder and conical
| bullets.