The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-04-04
HISTORY OF DRY TORTUGAS.
The Once Famous Fort Jefferson Again
Prominent in National Affairs.

tFrom the San Francisco Chronicle.)
The rendezvous of the white squadron
at the so-called Dry Tortugas brings
this singular place into greater promi-
nence than it has had for Il quarter Of
a century From 1860 to 1866 the key
and fort formed an important station
the key of the Gulf--a coaling and sup
ply station for the famous Bouquet fleet
and our cruisers, which belonged to the
Gulf squadron.
The word Tortugas means turtle, and
refers to these animals, which frequent
the keys in May to deposit their eggs,
The name applies to n group of low keys,
which rest on the water Exc emeralds
on sea of azure, formed by the pure
white coral sand.
The keys are nine in number and
are called Garden kcy--on which is sit
uated the great Fort Jefferson-Bush,
Bird. Middle. Long. Northwest. Sand,
Loggerhcad and East Loggerhead key
is lon. and slender and hears the light
house-one of the loftiest in the United
States. Sand key is TO the north, on Il
line with East and Middle keys. Dur
ing the war Ii had Il battery. and was
the smallpox station. East key is IA
nous for the Spanish gold-ladcn galleoL
which was wrecked here in the eigh-
teenth century. The lighthouse keeper
at Garden key found. it is said, 100000
in gold.
In the center of this great reef, which
represents possibly thirty square miles,
hes Garden key and Fort Jefferson. sur
rounded by a harbor as perfect rs can
be imagined Garden key was well
chosen as the foundation OF the fort,
as it is like a spider in the center of Il
web. into and about which the narrow,
yet deep. channel wsndis-so marrow.
that in all probability none but the
smallest of the. feet will venture in,
though during the war fairly large
transports came up to the little wharf.
To, the east of the fort, beyond the
blue ribbon-tke harbor, lies a white
sandy agoon. once partly covered with
coral. and on its extreme edge the sea
beats fiercely. To the south. the great
lagoon stretches away, while to the
west there is a ship channel with inter
vening reefs Of greater or less depth. To
the north, the conditions are similar, with
three large keys--Sand, Middle and
East, and the surrounding reefs.
1T was the original plan in 1S47, when
Fort Jefferson was begun, to place on
each Of the surrounding islands sand
battery. thus making the outlying islands
Il part of the plans Of defense, but this
was never completed.
The fort. named after Thomas Jeffer-
son. gradually took form. and is one OF
the remarkable structures of masonry
in this country, being of brick, and half
mile around. inclosing thirteen acres
\ Il.
ing in all over 800.
The fort was surrounded by n ditch
or moat, and this again by sea wall
so that the fort virtually rose out of
the water, having upon the outside
hardly more than an acre of made land,
which afforded room for the quarantine
wharf and several buildings formerly
used by the engineer corps. When the
war broke out the fort was well on
toward completion The walls were mp
and the process Of filing up with con-
crete and coral taken from the reef was
under way; but there were no guns, and
it was some time before the fort was
even fairly well equipped. Indeed, it
could have been taken several times by
| the confederates.
| The fort to-day lis, literally, a hallow
white cruisers now lying off the reef
would i'll all probability crush in an en-
| tire caseInete. 1t is splendid monu-
ment by contrast Of the advancement
of military science, a type of obsolete
| methods, now Of value only as a shell
| which might be covered with bags OF
sand or concrete of the dead coral rock,
of which the great reef affords an abun
dant supply. The fort was never at
tackled during the war, as it would have
been impossible for the Confederates to
| hold it. AS the war progressed Et be-
came the famous Dry Tortugas prison.
where bounty jumpers, deserters, and
wartime criminals of all kinds were
sent. The most notable were the con-
spirators, Spangler, Mudd, Mclaughlin
and others, sent, in some instances, fol
| life, but all finally pardoned out under
| reconstruction.
| At one time there were about 1,OOC
prisoners and 800 troops ON this sand
| hank of thirteen acres.