The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1910-06-03

per:
God moves in a mysterious way.
His wonders to perform.
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm"
News correspondent in mid-oCean.
Chas Wayne Ray.
The Famous Gibraltar.
On board S. S. "Cretlc," April %
The Temple Tour party visit Spain.
Special to The News 1t Is of very
great interest and valuable instruc.
ton to visit FIT Gibraltar. an English
fortress and one of the strongest in
the world.
1t was first used as fort by
Moorish chief in I'll A. ID.
This fort is on the north coast of
the Straits of Gibraltar. which are
from six to thirteen miles wide.
The Rock of Gibraltar is | ,439 feet
high, and is 3,2l0 miles from New
York, but by the southern route by
which we have come the distance is
3,3SS miles or 1888 miles from the
beautiful city of Norfolk. The popu-
lation of the town of Gibraltar is 90
900 of these 5000 are British soldiers
on duty for the government, and the
English have held the fortress since
1904, captured by General Rookie. In
the beautiful Alameda park is a large
monument in honor of General Elliott.
who captured the place This strong
hold Is the key to the Mediterranean
sea. and, as it is now fortified 1t is
in fact impossible for any fleet to
pass or repass this rocky giant of this
beautiful entrance, and glance at
the batteries will convince the most
dubious. For instance the high rock
is hewn out so that 1900 can go in
side, and here are kept food supplies
sufficient to last for five years. Then
there are holes bored out for the can
non openings, these are everywhere
up and down the mountain side, there
are in all 1910 cannons, or one for
each year since Christ's birth; every
year two new cannons are put in and
one old cannon is taken out. The
largest of these cannons weighs 100
tons and uses a ball weighing 224
pounds, which carries fifteen miles,
or across the straits and two miles
over the land into Africa. The largest
dry dock in the world is at Gibraltar.
took my party of eleven ashore
here and taking three carriages we
drove over the city and through the
beautiful parks and gardens. The
bold headland of Gibraltar is a vast
mass of jurassic rock, towering above
the sea beneath, and the harbor is
excellent and $4,000 ships call here
annually. In the harbor are the flags
of all the nations and we were de-
lighted to see our own stars and
stripes. On the streets you meet a
most cosmopolitan crowd of people,
for the streets are always crowded,
and the gaudy plumes, and peculiar
picturesque costumes of the strangers
constantly moving up and down the
avenues makes it intensely fascinat-
ing to stop a few minutes and watch
the procession. The Moors are the
| most strangely dressed, and are seen
| in large numbers. for it is here that
free market now attracts him, but
in the span of 1000 years this was
a stepping stone across which he came
to ravage the Iberian peninsula, and
this was his last foothold when the
conQuering Spanish drove him back
across the sea. 1t was for this fort
ress that nations for 1000 years have
varied struggled and fought and
thirteen times it has been besieged
for periods of months and years.
High above the city is cannon call
ed the evening gun which is fired at
6 p. M, each day and is a warning
for every stranger to leave the city,
and those not obeying this order are
arrested and brought to trial, one hour
and half is allowed before the iron
gates are closed. Those wishing to
remain longer must secure permit
from the governor.
A few miles to the north is the
border line of Spain across which the
English carriages are not allowed to
drive nor are the Spanish carriages
allowed to drive into Gibraltar, but
between the two countries is mar
row strip of neutral land about a
fourth of mile wide.
| Everywhere you turn there is a
charm or attraction, every passerby
will entice your attention because he
possesses some tsrange manner or
dress.
The very atmosphere of the place
wins your self-possession. Every
house. palace, cathedral, church, store
or bazaar strikes you with unbounded
amazement. Passing down along a
street | endeavored to take the pic
lures of two Moorish men, but they
covered up their heads and howled
like whipped dogs, for it is against
their religious belief to have theil
pictures taken, they put their robes
over their heads and waited a lone
time and then looked to see if | were
gone. Here we broke our journey and
went into the Spanish town of La
Linea. When we left New York we
never dreamed of going into Spain
but we were very glad we could go
But dear friends. Spain is not the
United States not by 10000 leagues