The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-06-08
Snapshots at a Spanish Fort
Ia

San Sebastian is the summer capital OF
tbs spanish court and all the diplomatic
world OF Spain. Il is 80 far from Madrid
that the court generously makes the for
eign diplomats guests OF the nation during
tho hot seSson~that rs TO say. pays Ele:r
board ard lodging bills all the time IL IS
absent from the capital. Ii Is q most gen.
erous act considering the state OF tbs
Spanish treasury. Perhaps, however. the
court IL not altogether selfish in the mat
ter. for Madrid in the hot months is as
bad as San Antonio or Washington and
the government would rather so into bank
ruptcy any day than 90 have to keep Of
fec hours in the capital during August.
My first business on waking up next
morning In this pretty little seaport, was
TO climb up 10 the fort protecting the
harbor, and see what sort Of defenses
they were. The town played an important
roe In The early part OF the century. when
Wellington finally drove the forces OF the
great Napoleon beyond thu Pyrenees In
bicycle ride but has been fought over, /.
not beslegei ard sacked. during the Ma
poieonic invasion.
We passed three sentries in our walk
were not challenged. and no notice was
taken of the camera / carried In my hands
We were watched with some curiosity,
which I attributed 10 the fact that my
two moiodious companions apostrophizei
the blue Atlantic by singing "A duet that
would have disarmed a Prusslan gem
darme. At any rate. I noted that the
first battery. after leaving the town. con-
sisted OF six Misunderstanding guns Of
small calih-e. perhaps three-lnc,e. They
were made In 1s44 and presume are used
exclusively for saiuting purposes Fur
Their on / passed SIX modern breech-load-
ing Krupps. which appeared TO constitute
"a Sta3 gfF AeF~ - l. rsx.~-
were p'aces prepared for six more pieces.
excellen; positions, from which the guns
had been removed many years ago-per-
haps they were needed In Cuba.
We passed many tablets marking the
burial places OF British officers who had
been killed here In the war with Napo-
ieoi1--tho chlSelinw was clean as though
done today. Hard by were some or the
garrison washing clothes. with whom We
exchanged good-day and inquired our way
about | took a Photograph in one Of the
hsSlia8s Of the vacant gun paatgorrn. not
- much for the purpose Of Publishing this
military novelty 20 "A curious word az 10
furnish an illustration OF Spanish mill
1AFF Indifference a. a time when the
American press was taking ar war whe~s
Sparish wsrshtps were under wav ox.ensg.
Div 70 head or An American move IN The
NHiEcS and when one might reaaeua lsIv
haSa expected r'gorous exclusion ~ rEvg{-
lars from all fostlaei places Haa We
acted near any military place ~ Franco
ST hn%Fia AZ ~ ds FL San Sebastian wa
would have been brousht ~ fore ths milf
faFy, geTeToor Of the place. or camera
wnaa1 have tve0 coaG~catesl our identify
wouM have hesn established. and We
iniRNt have rsRa7ts9 ourselves "a lsesv
Il n1'h3ng VERSE happened than being 60
cor(ssi across the frontier
hnt Row fsr our Immunity srranr from
iFEsve-e=I governments! Indifference and
5'ov far from contempt os he .nnr,v ?
cas- Of say