The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1898-04-09
OF rmE FORTRESS.

!
year.
ENCLOSURE OF THE FORTRESS.
Since 1888 Fort Jefferson has been used
as a Federal Quarantine station, under the
charge Of DR.. r. D. Murray, and in the
Summer months it could be visited only
with his permission The Adjutant Gen
eral Of the army describes the fort as "a
double casemated, hexagonal structure Of
brick, standing on Garden Key, Tortugas,
the most southwestern part Of the Florida
reefs, i'll latitude "a degrees 81 minutes
~ seconds north, longitude 50 degrees 50
minutes 53 seconds west. In 1864, he
adds. lit contained about l.. 600 prisoners
| The key contains seven acres. five of
which are within the walls of the fort
The average height of the key above the
sea is three and one half feet, but an ex-
c;vation over two and half feet develops
the primitive coral and the salt water of
the gulf
The landing place is in front Of Il wooden
structure, in which is the fumigating ap-
paratus "i' the quarantine station, and a
wooden bridge leans across the fifty-toot
wide moat up to the heavy granite portal.
\ steam launch and several smaller quar-
antinc boats float peacefully in the moat,
and in dozen steps from the entrance the
visitor Is within the fort On every side
stretch away the long rows Of casemates,
one above the other, in as good condition
how as when first built The fort proper
is too solid structure to become ruin III
anything less than centuries. The only
signs Of decay ever evident have been i'll
the wooden galleries to give access to the
barbette magazines, extending in front Of
what civilian would call the roof OF the
fort. These have been weakened by age.
and occasionally hurricane has blown one
down. To the right is cottage for the
keeper of the Tortugas Harbor light,
which shines from the top of one Of the
bastions, and beyond this is an immense
three story brick building, barracks for the
men. Directly opposite the entrance,
across the inclosure is the officers quart
ers, another large three story brick build
ing 70 the left of this is row Of one
SlOGS DlICk HOUSES ltI tIt
/ officers
4 SCENE OF DESOLATION.
! The inclosure up to the time Of the re
| cent activities was Il picture of desolatlon.
Bushes had oyergrown it, and there were
trailing vines that trip the exploring visi-
tor, and buttonwood trees in clusters.
Thirty cocoanut palms have grown till
their teathery tops are far above th walls
of the fort. When there were 1000
| prisoners and about 500 soldiers within the
fort outbreaks of yellow fever were fire.
! quent, and all the victims but two were
buried on neighboring sand keys. which
have since been washed away. \ small
monument near the barracks marks the
resting place Of the two who were buried
within the walls-Brevet Major Joseph
Sim Smith Assistant Surgeon, who died
of yellow fever Sept. s, 1867, aged thirty
years, and Henry Price, only son Of Joseph
Sim Smith who also died Of yellow fever
ten days later, aged three years and six
| months.
Water was always serious question at
| Fort Jefferson and Immense stone tanks
were built for its storage, extending under
almost the whole structure and under Il
large section of the inclosure. y giant
steam condenser was kept almost constantly
at wcrk; but this expensive machine has
stood as many years idle and uncared for
that it is ruined by rust, and is falling to
pieces. The quarantine establishment was
supplied with rain water caught upon the
acres of roofs
QUARTERS OF DIR. MUDD.
The most noted prisoner the fort held
was DR.. Mudd, the physician who attend
ed John Wilkes Booth after the assassi-
nation of President Lincoln Dr. Mudd' :
cell was one of the large casemates in the
lower tier to the left of the entrance, and
some one has painted upon the exterior OF
its heavy wooden door: Leave hope be
hind who enters here. >, 1t was gloomy
but spacious room, from which Dr. Mudd
made several unsuccessful efforts to escape.
At the time of one of the serious yellow
fever cpidemics in the fort, when not Il
surgeon was left alive on the island, DIR.
Mudd offered his professional services.
They were accepted, and he worked ST
faithfully that the officers afterward united
in signing the petition which secured the
prisoner pardon.
In one way and another, more than
$50, 900, 900 has been expended upon the
fort; and until the recent discovery that it
was valuable base for naval operations in
the Gulf both military and naval men
were disposed to laugh at it as Il useless
work. 1t is 50 well built, however, that
with small expenditure it can be converted
into formidable modern fortress.