Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1902-05-02

ing Fort Sumter; besieged insistentl
by the Federals; partially burned b
the Confederates in fear of capture b
Sherman; devastated by earthquak
and cyclone; now, inviting the worl
to its Inter State and West Indian E1
position-an index to the growth 0
the New South and the advent Of th
West Indies as an important factor ii
our national life.
With straight and regular streets. j
occupies the fork Of the Cooper ant
Ashley rivers, whose deep tideways o
the respective widths Of 14OO and 21Ol
yards here unite with their common
estuary of seven miles in length L
form Charleston harbor-one of The
best on the Atlantic coast with depth
of 80 feet over the bar, increased from
16 by the government jetties,, and an
ample landlocked lying in channel
with mean dept of 45 feet. Here the
largest vessels in the world have &C.
cure place Of refuge The main light
of the harbor can be seen for 18 miles.
Bell and whistling buoys guide the
mariner when dense fogs prevail. and
variously colored mortar buoys index
the channel.
AS one gazes out towards the sea. it
seems as if the hand Of providence
must have placed that isle Of sand, a
veritable picket on duty, midway in
the channel to protect the city from
unwelcome intruders. What else
could have been the mission of that
desert isle and where more advantage.
ously could it have been placed for de-
tense! From early time fort. it has
history of great length-a history in.
terwoven In the hearts Of every Ameri-
can, who loves the stars and stripes.
Subjected to one Of the most severe
bombardments ever known, it was
evacuated by Major Anderson, who
four years later raised the identical
flag over it that he had 80 reluctantly
hauled down. In appearance, today,
to the casual observer, who looks for
the blockhouse with bristling guns,
which he gazed at so intensely and
imsginatively in his school boy history
it is disappointing. He sees but pile
of sand covered walls but not cannon
in sight, as the fort is modern one in
every particular and fitted out entirely
with disappearing guns, many Of them
massive Is inch calibre affairs, which
are rarely fred owing to the great de.
straction of glass which they cause in
the neighborhood. The Charlestonians
boast that they could blow up ship
almost, before it could get started from
the old country.
These guns though completely hid.
den, can be raised. carefully aimed,
fred, and again lowered in q very few
moments. One can judge something
of the magnitude of 10 inch gun
when he learns that the powder and
shell for one discharge costs approx
mately $500.
Extensive Improvements are being
made at Fort Sumter and visitors are
denied admittance to many parts for
fear of foreign spies, The fort is we'll
garrisoned and the glorious banner of
the nation, which crown all, can be
seen from the streets of Charleston,
five miles distant. May the emblem of
a reunited country ever proudly wave
over that grim scar.visaged sentinel,
who now, as in the past, guards the
lives and fortunes of the Ivory City"
About a mile and half to the right
of Fort Sumter. looking seaward, are
the ruins of old Fort johnson, where
under the command of Col. James of
Virginia, the first shots were fired ut
Sumter. Owing to the narrowing of
the channel by the government jetties
and the long distance firing guns, the
fort became useless and was aband-
oned. It was from James island upon
which the old fort was situated that
tbs British so heavily and disastrously
bomba rded the city IN 1880 On this
island is grown the finest sea cotton in
the world, which commands 1S to 20
cents per pound when ordinary cotton
sells at to 10. The quarantine station
occupies the point Of the island and
yellow buoys with their warning to
keep away line the nearby waves.
On the opposite side on Sullivan's
leland is Fort Moultrie, the able sec.
ond of Fort johnson in its onslaught
upon Sumter. It was this fort that
caused such damage to the British fleet
when they attempted to capture the
city in 1776. The palmetto logs seemed
indestructible by the shots of the
enemy. 1t was in this engagement
that Sergeant Jasper tied the fallen
flag to his cannon sponge staff and re.