The Republican journal., 1903-02-19

sion turned INTO KING street we gave
the mule the benefit of the doubt. We
imagined this to be parody of the
seemed to us very comical bur
lesque. We moved on and passed down
st. George street, the old main thorough
fare of the town. 1t is long and narrow,
well paved with brick, full of stores,
hotels, and residences with hanging
balconies. All the streets in the older
portions of the town are very narrow;
indeed, they are reproductions of old
Spanish or Moorish streets, transplant
ed, as it were, from the ancient homes
of the CastillianS to the new world. At
the head of this street stands the old
city gate, built about 1920. 1t is all that
remains of the old city wall, and is a
point of interest to the visitor. A short
distance away stands Fort Marion. the
old Spanish fort, begun in 1865 as San
Juan de Pinos by the first negro slaves
brought to America, finished as Fort
San Marcus, and changed to its present
name in 1925. The thickest part of the
wall is 40 feet and it covers five acres.
1t was bonn barded in 1744 by Governor
Oglethorpe of the colony of Georgia.
IT is built of coquina stone and is SAID
to be the best preserved specimen III
the world of the military architecture
= e., not
on the western continent. Its walls
and watch towers remain intact, but
it's guns are dismounted and the moat
is dry. 1t is in all respects a castle,
built after the plans of those of the
middle ages of Europe. There are the
inner and outer barriers, the bastlon,
the draw-bridge, portcullis, wicket, and
all the appurtenances OF such fortltica-
tons. In 1886 part of the northeast
bastion caved i'll, exposing deep and
dismal dungeon. Impelled by curiosity
the United states military engineer
descended into this dungeon, when to
his surprise Ne discovered the skeletons
of two human beings. He also found
two iron cages suspended from hooks
in the wall of the dungeon. One had
partly fallen down from rust and damp,
and human bones lay scattered beneath
it. 1t was a CHASTITY relic of Spanish
cruelty. Coming out we entered the
chapel. \ part of the altar still re-
mains, and the inches III the wall that
held the basins of holy water can still
be seen. We then inspected the cell
where chief of the Seminole tribe Of
Indians was held as prisoner. BY long
fasting he managed to escape through
a very small aperture i'll the wall be-
tween the iron bars.
Leaving the fort we walked upon the
sea waIl--a splendid promenade, begun
in 1890 and finished by the United
States government in 1S33-42 at a cost
of 800, Oo0--to St. Francis street where
stands the oldest house in st. Angus
tine The church records show that
this house was occupied by the monks
of st. Francis from 1865 to 1890 The
chapel they used can still be seen. In
1890 it came in possession of a deputy
of the Spanish government, and de
scended in the same family until 1892.
: A large collection of antiques can be
seen here. Among other interesting
places visited We're the cathedral. com
pleted by the >panarls in 179l; burned
in l>>-: rebuilt the following year. the
old walls remaining; st. Francis bar
racks at the south end of the town: an
old Franciscan monastery built about
lT4O: Anastasia Island, with its light
house 20 feet high; South Beach; old
coquina quarries; the jetties, reached
from the foot Of King street by bridge
1900 feet long: and the Dade monument
in Barracks cemetery. Major Dade and
his entire command of 10 men were
massacred by the Indians during the
Seminole war in 1885. The Plaza, a
small but pretty park contains the Con
federate monument, the Old slave mar
htt, dHtl lilC oHly HiohuHiCi CAIdul
commemorating the wars for the Span
ish constitution of 1912,
So l might go on indefinitely, but /
will close this letter with mention Of
the hotels There are fifteen or more
that are first class in all respects. The
leading ones are the Ponce de Leon, 500
guests; Alcaza, 400; Cordova. 300; Mag
nolia, 300; Granada, $50; St. George.
$50; and the Florida, go. The Ponce
de Leon was built by Mr.. H. NJ. Flager
of New York, at a cost of three mil
lion dollars This superb and costly
structure measures $50 feet or Alameda
avenue and $50 on Tolomato street.
The architecture is purely Spanish,
from the tall towers and oyerhanging
tile roof to the court and arcades. Shell
concrete is the material, with arches,
windoW-caps and trimmings OF deep red
brick. and cornices and finals of terra
Gotta of the same color. The building
towers upward from its courts, arcades
and four wings to a central dome, flank
ed by two large towers 40 feet high.
The court is $50 feet square and is COM