Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-08-11
MORO CASTLE.
Aspects of the Grim old Sentinel Mt San.
tiago A ftcr the Surrender.

The walls of Moro Castle, says cor
respondent of the New York Sun. who has
visited the fortress since it's capture, rise
perfectly smooth. with a slight inward
slope, and are ornamented with rich
mosaic work ut their base. The moat 81
feet deep. stops at n dam-likc wall at
either end. In days gone BY If the mout
were filed. little cascades rppled over
these walls falling to the ocean, 30 feet
below, for the walls are al the tops of
sheer prccipiCcs rising almost perpendicu-
larly from the waves.
Many materials have entered into the
construction of the old castle. The most
common is the rock of the cliff itself.
limestone conglomerate. There are IL few
sandstones and several varieties of brick.
Some of these are very arge-twiCe the
ordinary size. Tho walls are succeed
within and without. and all the chambers
are vauted. The plaster is all firm on the
inside except where struck by shells dur
ing the recent bombardment, Most of the
roofs are of solid rock, as are all floors
except near the entrance.
The Keystone of the entrance arch way
is of gray sandstone and the arms of old
Spain are carved in II. Portions Of great
unprecedented doors remain. but other
wise the entrance Is plain. The odor that
pcrvades every closed room Is far from
romantic. The stencil that rises every
whore is of very recent squalor and filth
ness.
In the room Immediately beneath the en-
trance arc stocks. Two great beams of
wood are notched to receive a dozen legs,
locked together. The edges of the leg holes
arc worn smooth with use, and visions
and fancics of the ancient punishments
for minor faults fill ones mind as he
moves on.
At the northwest corner of the topmost
| story of the MORO, exposed on three sides
and directly under one of the fagstaffs
| and one of the cannon mounted on the top
| of tho castle, Is single ROOM whose win
| dow, eight feet from the floor. looks to
| the north and whose door opens to the
| south. Here Lieut.. lIobson was confined
| for four days. And when the fleet bonn
barded on June 6, here, the sentry whose
| box was in front of the door locked him
| In. and sought "A place less exposed. Hob
| sons seven companions were in two other
| rooms nearer the centre of the castle and
| at a lower level.
| All cooking In the MORO appears to
| have been done over open fires. The water
supply of the castle consists of four large
| clstcrns. which receive not only the
drainage of what few tiled roofs there are,
but also that from all the courts pas
saGes, stairways and platforms. 1t seems
almost incredible that the water so gath
|
purposes, but no other source Is apparent.
The guns in tho MORO are all 18th CEN
| fury manufacture. There are five mortars
and two cannon mounted on the topmost
level, One bears the arms of Spain and
| of France. and was cast during the reign
of Philip V. and Elisa. Two 6-inCh smoot h
bores, are of French make and bear the
| insignia of Louis Charles de Bourbon, ard
the Latin notices. Ratio Ultima Regum''
and Nee Pluribus Impair" They were
cast in l755 and l7IS.
Thirty steps down, on n bastion opposite
to that on which Hobson's cell faces, are
| two very old smoot h. bore J-inch canine n,
unmounted. These are all the guns now
in the upper level of the castle though
there Is an artillery room opening off a
platform % steps lower down well stocked
with powder. Shells bombs and grenades
There are also plenty of rifle racks, APP
parently in recent use.
The middle level of the Moro more
properly, perhaps, of the system of forti-
lcations on the points at the foot OF a
winding flight of 100 steps. The first 20 of
| them are covered and pass under the
chambers of the MORO proper. The rest
are cut into the face of the cliff. The
works at this level consist of a battle
mented platform extending for great
distance around the point. Back of the
platform great chambers are hewn out IN
the solid rock of the cliff. Guns have
been mounted, not only on the platform
but also In the easements Some are .
some and some 5ia inches all very old.
fashioned At the eastern end OF the plat.
form are series Of storerooms followed
back into the cliff. They contain great
stacks of tin powder cans, shells and solid
shot and over loo cases of powder marked
inspected 1898
The lowest level of the fertilization is
Sc steps lower down and not over % fee,
above the water. 1t Is a small bastion
A 6-inch bronze common OF 1888 has beer
dismounted from its carriage by shell
from the fleet 1t was the only gun there
There are rectangular piles of solid sho
OF all calbres all over the Notifications.
The damage done to this wonderful old
structure ty the American bombardments
Is comparatively trivial 1t was never
fired on deliberately until July 2 and ever
then but few shells were wasted on 1t
The rock and mortar We're so dry thai
every shell that landed raised an i'm,
mense column OF dust, and the cliff is SC
} precipitous that every shot left Ions
trail of crumbled stone behind It, ant
from the outside much of the place looks
in ruins
The worst damage Is at the southwest
corner OF the topmost level, where the
Oregon shot away the Flagstaff in the las,
bombardment. The battlements there ar,
all levelled. and the solid stone Roof /.