Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-12-16

|
ida peninsula and, among othe
places in its path. greatly dam
| aged ST. Augustine, serves t
call attention 10 this our oldest ant
perhaps most interesting city. The en-
tire business section of the city wa
flooded with inrushing sea water, Will,
the wind and waves created havoc, thu
water pouring over the famous SCI
wall.
| The spirit of manana-tomorrow-
so visible in st. Augustine the momen
the traveller alights from his train thai
he does not need to be told the Span
ish once lived in and ruled the town
There is not another city in the Uni
ted States. not excepting such few typ
ically alien towns as lie along the Mex
lean border In the far southwest, which
is so foreign. No matter where the
visitor goes he finds reminders of old
spain, constantly reckoning him to be
hold her ancient glories.
Yet here there Is a delightful blend
ing of the old and new. Spain left
many old buildings which are quaint
and odd In their typically Spanish and
Moorish architectural features, and
their methods of building are still fol
lowed to a considerable extent. adapt
ed. OF course, to modern needs. 1t is
nearly a century since Spain coded
Florida to the United States, but ST.
Augustine remains as living reminder
of the rule of the Don, and the shadow
of the Andalusian regime remains. But
1t is a shadow without gloom. Every
where in this old, old city the spirit of
Spain is breathed. but only to the won-
der and delight of the visitor, never
with bitter memories.
The wealth of many millionaires has
been iavished on st. Augustine Realiz-
ing that the chief charm of the old city
was its antiquity and that its monu-
ments and structures left by the Span
ish were necessary to its life, as it
were, the ancient landmarks have
been preserved or restored, and many
sections are as Spanish as they ever
were In the days of the naughty COVER
nors Of CASTLE. The Spanish flag float
ed two centuries over the bastions of
San Marco, and were it to be suddenly
raised again on that old fort the Span
ish effect would be complete.
San Marco, by the way, is probably
the greatest object of curiosity to Wis.
itors. The United States government
has renamed the place Fort Marion,
but modernization cannot take away
Its quaintness nor it's charm. Over the
door of the sally port, the coat of
arms of Spain still looks out, carved in
stone. and nearly as sharp as in the
days when it came across the ocean:
and all the Fort Marions" in creation
cannot modernize that 1t is one of
the first things the tourist sees when
he comes to the old fort, and II pre-
pares him for the typically Spanish
things he will find further on.
Visitors like to stand long in the
shadow of the walls of Fort Marion.
and climb to its watchtower at the cor.
ner of the rampant. The sentry towers
too, are attractive, and the place ia Wis.
lied over and over again What there
is in this old fertilization that exerts
so subtle charm is mystery. Other
places there are in this country which
have more of history and a great deal
more of importance, but they have not
the power to attract. To me the fact
that 1t Is the only example of medieval
strongholds on the American continent
Is something of a reason. and doubt.
less others are similarly impressed.
The spirit of Spain hovers over the
old fort In imagination one sees the
soldiers of centuries ago lolling about
the place, gambling, dueling. quarrel.
Ing, drinking. staggering. There
these swaggerers and Adventures had
their taste of life in the western world.
and there they left their strongest i'm.
print that we have in any part of the
American continent.
Fort Marion is in charge of a rand.
hre ordnance sergeant of the United
States army, who takes the visitors tn
the many points Of interest. He has
every detail Of the settlement of the
town and the establishment of the fort
at his tongues end, and once he is
started on the story there is no side.
tracking him until he has finished.
Fort Marion Is the water end of the
old Spanish works. which began at the
city gates away over at the other side
OF the town. Between the entrance and
the main fort It has barbican, a small
fortification which may have had its
uses some day in the past The fort is
surrounded by moat and originally
was reached by two drawbridges. one
Of which extended from the glacis and
the other from the sally port, which is
Cow the only entrance.
In the easements are to be seen the
oic dungeons whore the soldiers who