The Columbus journal. (Columbus, Neb.) 1874-1911, 1909-06-09
FORTRESS AMARVH
olsRALTAR Is RIGHTLY coNslo.
Erred lMPREasAeLE.
Hard 70 Imagine How Any Attacking
Fleet Could Live In the Avelanehe !.
OF e.set iThs4 ceaad os ~, !.
/ ppared IN e. -.

!. An enemy's neet could be sent 20
the bottom in ten minutes before gets
ting within, nye-miles q CibpaltAr;;
not even a torpsdo.boat could succeed
In entering the bay undpseryed on the
blacklist night!" That sums up the
opinions OF the most eminent naval
experts ~ to the impregnability OF
the worlds greatest fortress.
But disappointment awaits the
sightseeing visitor. The rock. though
barren. is covered with luxuriant veg
citation: not . fort prominent: not .
gun to be seen even with the most
powerful glasses: no discernible am
munition magazines: no strongholds:
only q peaceful. prosperous harbor
and . sleepy. struggling town.
II IL night and the maneuvers are
on. Swift-playing searchlishts trans
form the bay into . sheet Of simmer
ing silver. upon which are seen ma
jestic British warships and elongated
flying shadows-the t0rped0es. Guns
answer guns out of every conceivable
crevice and corner. blending In one
deafening uproar. while scores OF
shells pl0w the water for miles
around.
Sentries are everywhere: infantry
parties crouch In the shadows; hum
dreds of gunners stand ready behind
hundreds Of guns in these mysterious
labyrinths hewn out Of the solid rock
the galleries;" the vicious barking
of the Maxim guns gives contrast to
the deep.toned baying Of these mann
moth pieces Of ordnance, the mere
report of which cracks stone roofs
and bursts doors and whole windows.
Could any feet live through the muir
derous hail of gigantic shells!
Gibraltar never sleeps. BY day and
night two perfectly equipped signal
stations. proudly Haunting Britain's
nag of ownership, increasingly sweep
the seas around to q distance of If
teen miles on clear day, instantly
reporting the coming and going Of
each vessel. Sentries guard all the
prominent forts. magazines and gate
ways: gunners sleep beside their
guns: engineers are ever ready beside
the powerful searchlights.
Modern needle" guns, the finest in
Europe, are installed on all the most
prominent points. They are unreach-
able from the sea, even as they are
undiscernible. owing to the skill with
which they are painted and draped
to match the surrounding vegetation.
while huge screens drop automatically
before them as each shell is fred.
They have q range Of fifteen miles
and could drop shells on Ceuta. In
Africa. opposite, quite comfortably!
One gun weighs 10 tons and is capa-
BILE of throwing shell weighing three
quarters of a ton! In that marvel of
engineering under great difficulties.
the galleries. are concealed guns for
every day in the year!
These galleries are divided into
three sections. entry to which 10
guarded. while one Is closed even to
high officers. containing preserved
stores, munitions of war. rain water
(for Gibraltar has no springs) and q
complete condensing plant-all calcu-
lated to outlast q siege of seven years.
The firing Is the most mathemat-
ically perfect imaginable. The sur
rounding waters are mapped out into
squares. upon which certain guns are
kept ready trained. SO that 1t is al.
most impossible to miss. During prac-
tice targets are towed across the bay.
the object being to hit the water
few yards In advance of them.