The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-08-31


the society here, could pass and re-
pass without soiling their satin slip
pers." The tourist may easily imagine
himself in one Of the quaint old Moor
ish towns of Spain and Algiers, Judg-
ing from sketches, and photographs or
those countries These narrow little
streets with their foreign names and
foreign faces, their overhangng bal
comics and high garden walls through
whose open doors we get glimpses OF
orange. fig. and waving banana, were
once among the quaint characteristics,
which made the old Florida town
charming and peculiar among all
American cities.
THE PLAZA DE LA CONSTITUTION
Near the center of the city Is the
plaza de la Constitution" fne
public square. in which are located the
principal public buildings, 1t IL
pleasing bit of greensward, covered
with shrubbery and shade trees, with
monuments and fountains. An anti
uuated market place inviting one 10
loiter, with Il pleasing outlook over
the bay and Anastasia island and to
the sails of ships at sea. Among the
notable edifces. are Trinity Epicopal
church. the "Old Slave" market, the
Plaza. Confederate monument, and st.
Josephs cathedral, and an obelisk
| twenty feet high, erected In 1912, to
commemorate the new Spanish liberal
constitution, which never went into
effect The Catholic cathedral, par
| TALLY destroyed by fre and lately re-
! built. is n curious old building; COM
menced in 1860 and rebuilt in 1891,
burned and rebuilt in 1857: contains an
| unique belfry of four chimes of bells
| in separate inches, one of them bear
| ing the inscription, 1882. These bells
| were rung every morning at o'clock,
| on our earlier visit here In 1885. The
| church contains several old spanish
| paintings of great value. one repre-
senting the first mass. held here, Sept.
s. 1866. some 1886 years ago. The floors
are coquina concrete.
The old 1Iugenot cemetery and the
military burying grOund-the gorer-
| nor's palace and the several converts
were of interest to us, especially the
| barracks, in the military cemetery,
where are three low pyramids, built
of coquina and succeed under which
lie the remains Of Major Dade and 1O1
of his command of 10 in number who
We're massacred, August 2S 1895, by
the s. minoles. in ambush. under Osceo-
la. The ancient city gates, the old
Spanish fort, the old sea a-wall were OF
thrilling interest, these combined form
an old world picture strangely in con-
trast with the newness of today.
The main thoroughfare-St. Georges
street--extends through the center OF
rhe town to the "city gate. From
that point IL is known as San Marco
avenue. It is charming drive that
leads out Of st. George street, through
the old city gate to the beach of the
san Sebastion resort. The picturesque
streets are being widened and shorn o
their quaintness in order to meet tht
demands of sw&lng traffic, and man!
ancient landmarks are disappearing
, but the pillars of the "City gateway
: remain as notable monuments of th'
, past. This gateway Is the most con
spicuous relic Of the elaborate system
of fortification which once defende,
st. Augustine. InConsequential as thes
towers may now appear, there was
time when they stood out braveh
q enough. and the town slept securel.
| | when the barrier gate was fast shu
n against the midnight approach of
6 foe from without. The old city gate
l and adjoining walls are believed t.
4 ante-date Fort Marion or the origina
n Spanish fort. The sea wall" extend
- for one mile along the water front
$ and affords a necessary protectio
p. against the encroachment of the sea
Y The site of he town is so low, tina
{ unde- certain conditions of wind an
- tide the waves would inundate muC
e of the town. This fact was recogni2
- I'd in early days and the first wall wa
built in 1890 portions of it still re
main. The present wall was built b
the United States in 1887 to 1S43 a
: an expense of Sl000.0O0. 1t is mad
e of couuina with n coping of New FL
o gland granite. 10 feet high and fou
l. feet wide, and affords n dcightfl
promenade. Everybody who has rea
70 about the ancient city, has read ahol
i the "old fort" To describe it thol
n oughly would require pages. A brit
y description must suffice. TO read
50 one thing; 20 see is another.
THE OLD SPANISH FORT.
" The old Spanish fort, San Marc
2c now Fort Marion since the cesSon
N Florida in 1921 to the United State
l. is "A celebrated structure. that con
I. mands the city. the harbor and I
- entrance from the sea, covering fol
p, acres of grounds. and is n fine spec
Df men of the art of military el
n, gneerinE as developed al the time
e, its construction, over three hundI,
Y. years ago. FOR 200 years. the 70
~ was ST. Augustine and ST. Augusta
ID was Florida" At first II rude Al
o. temporary structure of pine logs bu
r. in 1853. by ST. Augustine year by We
ne the fortifcation expanded i'm magr
st | Jude, until IL developed into the grf
lg | coquina fortress in 1856. In that a
an Of crude artllrv, the Coquina bastiOI
Ot We're capable Of withstandng any q
he tack: but the art Of war has so chan
he ed, since then. Fort Marion Wou
az, quickly be shattered by modern guns
ar It is quilt of couuina with wa
is 81 feet in height and 10 ft
he in thickness. It has four bastio
it ard in all respects military cas-
70, and so designated and in It's day, I
at strongest military castle in Ameri,
is II certainly has never been captur,
in 1t has % easements. 35 feet long a
n IS feet wide and its complement is
guns and 1000 men. In 1858 ii had
'ar garrison of 200 men and il brass ca
ice non. The present for, commenced
he 1890 was completed in 1866, The lal
,e- of constructing this ancient solid +,
nd tress was done by convicts from Me
he 60 and Appalachian Indians, over
ith space covering 100 years
in Work on this fortress was beg
INT more than three centuries ago, 1t