Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-05-09

York time.
Another letter FROM Mr.. Miliiken' re-
cciyed last evening. Sent from Nip'rs
April %. dnsarines his visit y ''ipra'-
tar. y says:
NV impression Of Gibraltar were 81
n larec rock fortified and garrison"
with n few soldiers AMI trained arm
I.rieta n,uch 10 NV surprise l hhi
,rsteo1 under its walls. city or -".""
naorle and 900 british soldiers. W'lh
harracke TO accommodate twice mat
number The Pritiel government mas
.yp.nded $50 600 coo here to make TINS
tho greatest naval base ana Coalin" sta
.;.., thcy have away from: home. Ni'h
their wonderful navy and command OF
~. Straits If Gibraltar ana the Su"Z
canal they are. inIe"l. in!ding very
important position. Th"s" arc anchored
:, tho ,,arhor. as n7amY ae - dienantlct'
shjos. turned into cohling harces f"r til,
storage of coal. TIL" straits Of 'hbra!-
"a, ar. ahnu. % nil"s lviic. Her" Wa
SURPRISED again for mad an idea that
tho distance was hrt 2 or A miles.
II &c n vr~v impressive SIGHT as on"
.,,rroachce Gibraltar from the west
First come 10 III ~ til'fNii T'''i' 80
,hn north and the high rock on the
African shore. The distance h'I"
straight across, is not so TAR as IL =
further in and abreast 81 the rock "'
Gibraltar which is eastward ana acr'''
n ,ine bar which makes M in as mn'h
rs fye miles to the north between th''
Htanieh hcadland or point. and GthraI-
.ar Gibraltar itself ia 4 rock abont
three miles long. running about NORTH
and south. and rising to between III"
11m feet above sea level. IT vol
.,,ou,, fnye a tunnel through from SCI
,o, an tho west to SEA level on tn"
.., think if would he between y,
,r;,, owl , mile in length; perhaps in
,l..,oa nearly the latter. The picture
h,o,, &, given Ny the Prudential Life
Insurance CO., and which IS anout rs
~, usually see 1t. ie taken from 'i'''
,,orth end view. Here again ] WIS sur
,,...,d rs I had the idea II was as II
taken from shipboard ~ ore might D.
sailing. ,sst. going In or out OF th''
mediterranean. 49,,
Tn. amount Of labor which has been
,,,,r,o. led here is simply tremendu""S-
THO ,i,rsta fun Of tunnels md galleries
!, 20 sai,1 aud while "nr can ace H.ahE
of tho mort tOles vet many more are
.hs,urad b- trees AMI shrubs Whi'''
h,vo h.ap encouraged th rr"w un amour
tb,n 4 signal station Is on the hie;h'S.
mart of tie rock. Thrrt IS also Marco -
r,..t.n, Of wireless insta:ted near the
EAST end Of the rock.
We took n drive upwaca and OUT -
wards rho eorth end. where W" conr'
view the harhor and the dry COCKS. \
,,.r-. fine new dry dock * nearly conf
,I,,cd which will accommodate tn
LARGEST vessel af'oat. There are tW'
ether docks smaller in size. but We
,,.,,,utcd three vessels dockei in one OF
,hen,. We are told thar the water from
the Atlantic is always running VIVA
the Mediterranean IN the surface. pu'
about 20 feet down there is n counter
current
Gihraitar had No strat"si' importancF
with the ancients. Tho rariGators OF 'h'
inland sol hcsitGted when they cat'l' l.
these two Pillars Of Hercules as 'hoS'
two head lands were called. Thef pt
held the sinking ~ the sun I'm the wes'
ard looked with fear ana dreao upon
the une> plorcd and unknown ocean. III
fact they dare not ventur" beyond tnes'
head lands. IT was .ong AFTER the nr7'
century Of The Christian era before they
even dared to com" out ana san up IN
Sparish coast. Finally. in the eighth
century. during tho rapid spreah ~
Js,,u, when. having conquered Asia
Mirror. Persia. Pal"stin" ana EgEp'' th'
followers Of Mohammcd had sw'p'
along tho African coast. ana rfacnr'
the Atlantic coast. There. pausing d!
The southern Pillar Of Hercules lady
Lar. they looked across tho Straits n
the Companion Calp". and on Arnii :"
III \. D.. they took possession of wha
is; now called Gibralt1r and the ada
cent country, and It remained in thei'
possession for $50 years. or untii takei
possession hy the Sran'ards III lf'-
Thirty wears before ;'olrmbus discover
ed America. Spain finally considered l
of such minor Importance thht SH
maintained Il garrison reduced 10 bu
80 men. and in 1908, England by n sud
den and unexpected attack. gained pos
session and has held it ever since. al
though Spain has since attempted Z
wrest II from her.
What scenes have hoen witnessed D.
this rock 1t beheld Columbus sailing
hut to discover 4 new wor'd. 1t mas DC
held the most powerful navies or the'
time as they have sailed past.
An old Moorish castle is still extan'
and in very good state of preserva
ton. 1t must have been built nearly
Thousand Yeas. What scenes have bee'
enacted with in range of itS VISION
Gibraltar is connrrtr,! with the man
sand Inv long narrow neck or lan
called the Neutral ground. The cost
main,epance of Gibraltar is more tn n
s, mO IN, per year, but frnm mi'itar
point of yie-y it is we'll worth II.