The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1899-02-16
FAMOUS DRY TORTUGAS.
Z ONCE NOTED FORT IS BROUGHT
INTO PROMINENCE AGAIN.

I O1uAuTOn AZ Tue hO-chlltu OTy 1OIlu
gas, says the Detroit Free Press,
brings this singular place into greater
prominence than it has had for G
quarter of a century. From 1860 to
1865 the key and fort formed an i'm.
oortant station-tbe key Of the gulf
coaling and supply station for the
famous Bouquet feet and our cruisers,
which belonged to the gulf squadron.
The word Tortugas means turtle,
and refers to these animals which
Frequent tho keys in May to deposit
their eggs. The name applies to a
group of low-keys, which rest on the
water like emeralds on sea OF azure,
formed by the pure white coral sand.
The keys are nine in number, and
are called Garden key-on which is
situated the great Fort Jefferson
Bush, Bird, Middle, Long, Northwest,
Sand, Loggerhead and East. Logger
head key il long and slender and bears
the lighthouse One of the loftiest in
the United States. Sand key is to the
north, on line with East aud Middle
keys During the war it had battery
and was the smallpox station. East
key is famous for tho Spanish gold
laden galleon which was wicked here
in the eighteenth century. The light
house keeper at Garden key found, it
is said, $40, 900 in gold.
In the center of this great reef,
whichrepresents possibly thirty square
miles, lies Garden key aud Fort
Jefferson, surrounded by a harbor as
perfect as can be imagined. Garden
key was we'll chosen as the foundation
Of the fort, us it is like a spider in the
center Of web, into and about which
tho narrow yet deep channel winds
80 narrow, that in all probability
mono but tho 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-like harbor, lies % white
sandy lagoon, once partly covered
with coral, and on its extreme edge
the sen beats fercely. To the south,
the great lagoon stretches away, while
to the west there is ship channel
with intervening reefs of greater or
less depth. 10 the north, the condi-
tons are similar, with three large keys
Sand, Middle and East and their
surrounding reefs.
1t was the original plan in 1917,
when Fort Jefferson was begun, to
place on each of the surrounding
islands q sand battery, thus making
the outlying islands part of the
plans of defense, but this was never
completed.
The fort, named after Thomas JEFF
ferson, gradually took form, and is
one of the remarkable structures of
masonry in this country, being of
brick, and o half q mile around, in
closing thirteen acres, and having
three tiers of guns, numbering in all
over five hundred.
The fort was surrounded by ditch
or moat, and this again by sea wall,
30 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 build
lngs formerly used by the engineer
corps. When the war broke out the
fort was we'll on toward completion.
The walls were up and the process of
filling up with concrete and coral
taken from the reef was under way;
but thare were no guns, and it was
Fome time before the fort was even
fairly we'll equipped.
The fort to-day is, literally, q hol-
low mookery. One shot from any one
of the white oruisers would, in all
probability, crush in an entire case
mate. 1t is splendid monument by
contrast of the advancement of mill
tary science, type OF obsolete
methods, now Of value only as she'll
which might be covered with bags OF
sand or concrete Of the dead coral
rock ofwhich the great reef affords an
abundant supply,
As the war progressed 1t became the
'amous Dry TortuRas prison. where
bounty jumpers, deserters and war
;ime criminals OF all kinds were sent.
The most notable were the conspira-
,ors Spangler, Mudd, Mclaughlin
md others, sent in some instances for
life, but oil finally pardoned out under
reconstruction.
At one time there were about 1000
prisoners and 1900 troops ON this
'andbank of thirteen acres. In 1864
almost every month transport ar
lived with prisoners las motley a
rowi as one could wish to see, some
n old uniforms, some in citizens
'lothes, some in rags, unwashed.
vermin-covered; despair and criminal
ty written on many faces, while here
md there were reAned-lookiSg, de-
,pairing men, who had been unjustly
to the great prison.
The prisoners were marched up
into the fort, arranged as on dress
parade and the roll called. Soma
we're missing, had died en- route and
were buried in the Gulf Stream,
others were sick. When each man
answered to his name his trade was
asked aud he was detailed to congen-
ial work. The carpenters went to the
shop, the masons we're set
TO work laying brick to complete the
fort, the laborers to hauling sand.
while large numbers were employed in
attending to police duty and in clean
Ing the garrison; the druggists and
doctors went into the hospitals as
nurses, the cooks to the mess hall.
And SO great was the surplus that the
officers took many for cooks and SER
wants as matter Of good policy,
The writer's family had two OF these
men. One, who had been chef in
New York. had gone Into the bounty.
business aud had retired 20