The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-06

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 all the courts, passages, stair
ways and platforms. 1t seems almost in
credible that the water so gathered could
have been used for drinking purposes,
but no other source Is apparent, and a
chain hanging in one Of the dirtiest cist-
erns gives evidence of recent use
The guns In the Moro are all of eigh-
tenth 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 a 80 c.
m about 10 inches) mortar. IL bears the
mark "Ludovicus I. Hispan. Rex" the
makers name and the date. ''Voie-I-Ab-
ct, Fecit, Sevilla, Ano d. 1724" These
pieces all have individual names, among
them Ell Nianticora Ell Cometa, etc. 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
bear the insignia Of Louis Charles de Bour-
bon, Compile D'Eu, Due DAumale, and
the Latin notices, Ratio Ultima Regum''
and Nee Puribus Impair" They are
named lie Compete de Provence" and
MARS" and were cast In 1855 and 1748.
Thirty steps down, on bastion opposite
to that on which Hobsons 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 off a
platform twenty-three steps lower down
well stocked with cleavers, old powder,
shells, bombs and grenades There are
also plenty Of rifle racks. apparently in
recent use.
The middle level of the Morro-more
properly, perhaps, of the system Of forth
ficanOns on the points at the foot of a
winding fight Of 100 steps. The first TWEEN
ty Of them are covered and pass under the
chambers of the Moro proper. The rest
are cut into the face of the cliff. The
works at this level consist Of q battlement-
ed platform extending for great distance
around the point. One branch of the road
up from Estrella Cove runs directly TO IL.
Back of the platform great chambers are
hewn out in the solid rock of the cliff
Guns have been mounted, not only on the
platform, but also I'm the easements. Only
four of the guns here are now mounted
though half a dozen others are at hand.
Some are 9, some s and some 51a inches.
an very ld-fashioned At the eastern end
of the platform are a series of storerooms
followed back into the cliff. They contain
great stacks of tin powder cans, shells and
solid shot and over 100 cases of powder
marked inspected 1898. There are also a
large number of wooden mounts and extra
wheels for them, some small iron ones and
others larger and Of wood.
The lowest level of the Notifications is
elghty-three steps lower down and not over
twenty-five feet above the water. It is a
small bastion and there Is no entrance 10
Il except from above. There is a cave be-
hind 1t. and a tiled house against the cliff.
A 6-inch bronze cannon Of 1873 has been
dismounted from its carriage by a shell
from the feet. 1t was the only gun there.
There are rectangular piles OF solid shot
of all calibers all over the Notifications and
half-decayed portions of other gun mounts.
The damage done TO this wonderful old
structure by the American bombardments
rs comparatively trivial. II was never fired
on deliberately until July 2, and even then
but few shells were wasted on II. The rock
and mortar were so dry that every shell
that landed raised an immense column Of
dust, and the cliff IS so preciptous that
every shot left a long trail Of crumbled
stone behind IL. and from the outside much
OF the place looks IN ruins.
The worst damage is at the southwest
corner OF the topmost level, where the Orc
gon shot away the flagstaff IN the last
bombardment The battlements there are
all levelled, and the solid stone roof Is torn
up IN a circle twelve feet IA diameter,