The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-06-08
snapshots at "A Spanish Fort.
HarTser's Weekly


San Sebastian Is the summer capital or
tho Spanish court and all the diplomatic
world OF Spain. II is 30 far from Madrid
that the court generously makes the for
eIgn diplomats guests Of the nation during
tho hot season--that Is 10 say, pays Ahe.r
hoard and lodging bills all the time II is
absent from the capital. II IL a most gen.
erous act considering the state OF the
Spanish treasury. Perhaps. however the
court Is 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 go into bank
ruptcy any day than TO have to keep Of
fee hours in the capital during August,
My first business on waking up next
morning in this pretty little seaport, was
- climb up to the fort protecting the
harbor. and see what sort of detenses
they were. Tho town played an important
roe In the early part Of the century. when
Wellington finally drove the forces OF the
great Napoleon beyond the Pyrenees. IT.
deed. hardly town on the line OF our
bicycle ride but has been fought over. IL
not besieged and sacked. during the Ma
poleouic 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 to the fact that my
two rnelodious companions apostrophized
the blue Atlantic by singing a duet that
would have dIsarned a pruSs!an gen.
te--a". At any rate. ! nated that the
t0ss battery. after leaving the town, con-
sisted OF six Notwithstanding guns Of
small calihTe. perhaps three~inch They
were made in 1874. and presume are used
exclusively for saluting purposes Fur
Their on | passed SIX modern breech-ioad-
sng krupp@ which appeared TO constitute
an thu artillery defense Of this port There
were places prepared for six more pieces.
excellent positions, from which tho guns
had been removed mary years ago-pe--
hsps they were needed i'm Cuba.
We passed many tablets marking the
burial PAGES OF British officers who had
been killed here in the war with Napo-
leon-the chlselng was clean as though
done today. Hard ~ were some OF the
garrison washing clothes. with whom va
exchanged gooa-day and inquired our way
about. took n photograph sn one Of the
hssiions of the vacant gun Platform. not
- much Tor tho purpose OF publishing this
military novelty 20 q curious weird as 70
furnish an illustration OF Spanish mill
aaFy Indifference 81 time when the
American press was talking of war when
Spanish wafshfps were under wev o~tergf-
bly, 10 head OF an American move In tho
Antilles and when one might reasonably
have expected a rigorous exclusion Of civil
ians from al forflaei places Had we
acted near any military place Of France
o. Russia as VIZ ala ~ san Sebastian, we
would have been brought befor, ths milf
taFy governor OF she place our camera
would have been conaScatet. our identity
would have been established. and We
might have regarded ourselves ne lucky
II nothing worse happened than being 80
Fortea across the frortier
Hut how TaT our humanity sorang from
tF"Tere'A governmental Indifference. ard
TOW tar from ooaicrnp; Of The enemy. I
c&aGat say