Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-02
Once a Resort for Buccaneers and
Pirates.
SITE OF old FORT JEFFERSON
A Magnificent Structure That Has
Been Left to Decay.
LIKE AN ANCIENT CASTLE

From the Providence Journal
At the western extremity of The long
chain of keys reaching out into TIE Gulf OF
Mexico from the southern end of Florida
is the group known as the Tortugas. This
cluster Of sunken reefs and shoals with
perhaps ten small keys that are dry. i.e.,
that rise above the surface OF the sea.
extends some ten miles in a northeasteriy
and southwesterly direction. and is about
six miles across. 1t incloses In it's midst
deep. secure and commodious harbo-.
where the North Atlantic squadron. under
Admiral Sicard. has recently rendezvousei
for its winter maneuvers In the gulf. The
Tortugas are about seventy miles west OF
Key West, and about 10 miles north OF
Havana Like Florida Itself. they are OF
coral formation overlaid with sand, .ni
the dry keys are gurerally well covered
with mangrove bushes end small cedar
trees. There are three entrances to the
barbor, called the Northwest. Southwest
and Southeast channels. At the western
edge OF the group stands Logger head Key
lighthouse. rising 152 feet above the ssa
ard visible at the distance Of eighteen and
oEe-half nautical miles: IL has been de-
soribed as of great architectural beauty,
Eaving more resemblance TO a monument
than lighthouse. Another lighthouse ia
on Garden Key. between the two southern
sen. 1t Is sixty-five feet above the level Of
the sea.
A Resort for Pirates.
Florida was purchased from Spain by
the United States In 1919 for s5Ooa.ooo.
The Tortugas had been for a long time
past a resort of buccaneers and pira-cs,
the sccurge of those seas. and the advis-
ability of building a fort on some one Of
the keys was early discussed by our off,
49,
a foreign power from seizing a harbor so
Fear our coast, where a naval station could
be established, than from any great value
in itself to U.S. Nothing definite was done.
however, until President Folks admins
tration, when, in 1s47. while jefferson
Davis was Secretary OF War. work was
begun on Garden Key on the fort after
ward named jefferson. Millions of money
were spent on its construction, but il never
was entirely finished, and has now been al
lowed to fall into a very dilapidated condi-
ton. All the building material as well as
the supplies for the laborers. had to be
brought by sea.
Garden Key, on which Fort jefferson
stands. has an area OF about thirteen acres
The fort itself is hexagonal In shape, and
covers about nine acres of ground, at each
angie is bastion. the curtain walls have
a double tier of caSemates,and the whole
work, II fully armed. would have mounted
nearly 500 of the heavy guns of that day.
A low wall surrounding the fort forms a
noat sixty feet in width. A channel
among the reefs and islets lying about Gar
den Key furnishes a small hut secure inner
barber. having depth Of from three and
one-quarter TO seven and one-half fathoms
OF water, its entrances are from the larger
harbor. Many relics of the old buccaneer-
ing and piratical days have been found
here i'm the form of ships guns of both
iron and brass, and many coins of all
countries. both silver and gold.
Old Fort Jefferson.
We are all more or less familiar with the
old masonry forts constructed at that
period of our history on the Atlantic coast.
but Fort Jefferson is described as having n
particularly interesting appearance. Rising
as 1t does directly from the sea- il looks
like a floating castle. 1t is further said:
"A heavy cornice or cas.ellated baitlement
gives a noble and picturesque feature and
at each bas.ion the round towers furnish
nne stairways of granite and arc surmount-
ed with pointed roofs. which with the mod
ern traverse magazines on the top of the
parapet some sixty feet from the base
give more the effect of some ancient castle
than Is seen in other works of this country
The sally-port is the only entrance and
here are drawbridge and heavy gates
This, 1t is hardly necessary to add was on
the harbor side of the fort. Inside is a
large parade ground, once covered with a
fine growth of Bermuda grass. and there
were also number Of large groups of
while above all rose the tall cocoanut palm
Many varieties of flowers grew there and
the banana plant also fiourished and bore
fruit.
The ofhcers' quarters were In a three
story brick building 400 feet long The
rooms were large and handsomely finished.
while broad verandas ran around the out
side. Opposite to this were the soldiers
barracks, building similar in appearance
and OF the same dimensions, but when gar
risoned during the rebellion the classmates
were largely used for this purpose The
other buildings, chapel, commandments
quarters, storehouse and hospital, were
commodious and built on the same scale of
expenditure.
Left to Decay.
As first planned 1t is said that Fort JEFF
ferson was to be the center or citadel of
an extensive system of strong Notifications
embracing the whole of the Tortugas group.
60 as to effectually guard all the entrances
TO the harbor. The government has a
quarantine station here, and there is a hos
pital On Bird Key about three-uuarters of
mile southwest of the fort. II has
several times been recommended that the
government repair this fort and again gar
rison 1t, but II is very doubtful IL IL IA ever
done 1t Is too distant from the mainland
10 nave any Importance except as a uaya,
station. and Key West at present serves
TINS purpose fairly we'll The powerful
guns now carried by men-of-war also make
a complete change In the system of FORTH
hcation necessary. and the battlemenfed
walls Of Fort jefferson are more likely to
be left 90 molder away like the fendaI
castles Of the middle CO. th..