Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1900-08-20
WORLDS FORTIFICATIONS.

| Next to Gibraltar, Malta is the
strongest fortress in the world.
The only fortress of consequence in
Denmark is the capital, Copenhagen.
| The strongest fortress in European
Russia is Cronstadt. 1t is the Russian
naval depot of the Baltic sea.
The earliset known system of forti-
fcation was the stockade. 1t has been
employed, at one time or another, by
all nations, but is still in use in
| Turkey.
! Offa's dixie was a defensive wall built
| by the Romans against the Welsh. 1t
was an earthen fertilization, 113 miles
long, and entirely cut off Wales from
England
| The only fortress in the United
States is Fortress Monroe, in Virginia.
1t is surrounded by moat filled with
water from to Is feet deep, and from
rs to 100 feet wide.
The two principal German fortresses
on the Baltic sea are at Kronigsberg
and Danzig; on the French frontier,
Metz and Strasburg, and on the Bel
gian frontier, Cologne and Coblenz.
France has, on the German frontier,
| three first class fortresses-B elfort,
Verdun, and Briancon; on the Belgian
| frontier, Lille, Dunkirk, Arras, and
Donaz; on the Italian, Lyon, Grenoble,
and Besancon and on the Atlatic coast,
Rochefort, Lorient and Brest.
The southern entrance of the Red
sea is commanded by the fortress of
Alden and the port of the little island
of Perrin, in the straits of Bab-el-Man-
deb the guns of the latter completely
covering the narrow channel, and the
| fortress dominating the entrance to
| the sea.
The difference between a fort and
fortress lies in the fact that the former
| is designed to contain solely the gar
rison and their munitions, while the
latter is often city containing large
number of noncombatants.
The Chinese wall is the most extern
sive fortifcation in the world. Ac-
cording to the surveys made within
the last few years, this wall is 1,728
miles in length, and it passes up steep
mountains, down into gorges and Ta-
vines, crosses rivers, valleys and
plains, seemingly regardless of obsta-
cles. It is 25 feet thick at the bottom
and Is feet at the top, and from rs to
80 feet in height, with turrets or tow
ers 35 to 40 feet high every 200 or 800
yards during it's entire length. The
exterior walls are of we'll cut granite
blocks, the interior is filed with earth
and stone, and the passageway is
paved with bricks one foot square.
The erection was begun in 211 B. c.,
and it was designed to protect the
northern frontier of China against
the savage tribes of Siberia.
The greatest fortress in the world is
Gibraltar. The height of the rock is
over 1,400 feet, and the stupendous
precipice is pierced by miles of gal
leries in the solid stone, portfolios for
cannon being placed at frequent inter-
walls. The rock is perfectly impreg-
nable to the shot of an enemy, and,
by means OF the great elevation, a
plunging fire can be directed from an
enormous height upon a hostile fleet
In 1873 the celebrated siege by the
Spaniards and French began and
lasted three years. The fortress was
successfully defended by 1000 British
and attacked by an army of over 10000
men, with 1000 pieces of artillery, AZ
sail of the line, 10 great floating bat
teries, and great numbers of smaller
boats. For months over 5000 shells a
day were thrown into the town.
Golden Penny Magazine.