The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-27
QUAINT TORTUGAs.
Its Massive Old Fort and Wealth or
Birds and Fishes.

From the New OrleNns Times-Democrat.
Il was down at Dry Tortugas recently"
said DR.. c. D. McGruAer Of the United
States marine hospital service, "and l
don't know Of a more curious and inter
esting group on the whole south coast It's
traditions are fun Of romance II used to
be a pirate rendezvous you know, and
later on 1t was used for the same purpose
by smugglers. Twice in recent years
buried treasure has been found on the
coast; once il was only a handful Of coin
worth less than 800 but the other time
over $500 In gold was discovered, all ia
the legendary pieces Of eight For all
anybody knows, they may have been left
theTe by Capt. Kidd himself.
The Dry Tortugas Of the present day,
continued Dr. McGruder, rs a government
quarantine and coaling station, and the
most conspicuous object of course is the
fort on the main island, Garden Key Ii
covers ten acres, which means all OF the
island, except some sandpits, and looming
out of that tremendous desolation, with
its fine tiers OF solid masonry, it's huge
bastions, its great saly-port and its in
Vulnerable embrasures bristiing with old
fashioned cannon, il IS a strange and i'm
pressive spectacle A modern 3-inch gun
would knock it all to pieces, but it looks
as massive as a mountain. Inside Is q
small city, with quarters for at least n
tuOurdLu men. II mas immense barracks,
row Of fine three-story houses for Off =
GERS, and no end of storerooms. subter-
ranean galleries, powder magazines and
other buildings belonging TO a compete
post but nobody lives there now, except
little quarantine force and an old watch
man, whose principal duty is to paint the
cannon once year with asphaltum
'If a man likes fishing and is anything
Of an ornithologist, Dry Tortugas is an
ideal place to loaf for say a week For
some unknown reason. the seagulls have
from time out of mind made a nesting
place OF one of the small ne,shboring ISL
ands, and they swarm there by couutlr SIS
thousands. l camped on Gull Is and for
a liz le while last spring, and among many
odd experiences / recall one in particula ar
/ was going to my tent in the early even
ing when I noticed a very large and pecu-
| Harry marked seagu.l sea ed on a Fog
| The bird was weak and dropping, and
catching il without difficulty, l found its
threat split open clear mo the esophagus
caused, I suppose by striking on some az
ged projec ion While diving. | washed the
wound, sewed it up and set the I'd back
on his log He stayed there all that n Rht
and all next day, but disappeared in the
morning. The fol owing night | was living
on my bunk, trying TO go to sleep. when
! l heard noise and In stalked the gun.
, The birds were so numerous and tame Thar
II was no unusual thing for them to walk
right In to forage for scraps, but l confess
! was greatly surprised to see nv pa
tent He took up a position on a box and
sat there grave and motionless until near
~ dawn, when he departed in the same
dignihetd fashion that he entered. ! never
saw him again, so l fiatter myself the
operation was success.
Sea fsh of all kinds abound in those
waters They range from the enorroous
bnrracoota to the beautiful little angel
rsh' purple on the back and deep gold on
the belly The best sport is to spear them
with the two-pronged grain, and tha
wat|nman, who = native Indian ,s
marvelOusly dexterous with IT, He Ia
been In the service over tn rty-6ve wears
and is a most interesting old chan Ono
day, while out fishing. he looked down IN
the crystal-clear water and saw the rvracl,
of what was evidently an exceedingly old
Spanish ship lying on the bottom. II bad
TWO rows OF brass cannon and likelv as
not IL was one of the vessels of the Cre,t
Armada that are known TO have ned 70
those waters and were never heard of
again. During the war this old mai,
was the jailer Of DIR. Mudd. who was sent
TO Dry Tortugas after the shooting Of
President Lincoln. He is full of curious
stories and is a great companion for
fishing trip.
Just now. the government is erecting
immense coal sheds at the main island
and is also putting up a 10 OOO-gallon dis
filling plant to furnish fresh water to the
ships of the navy. The work was com
menced during the recent war and is be-
ing actively prosecuted. Just WHY Dry
Tortugas was selected is hard for an out
s.der 10 understand, the natural infer
ence being that the Notifications necessary
10 protect the station could be used to bet
Ter advantage al some port OF commercial
Importance. / dare say. however. that
the naval experts regard the spot as
point of strategic value"