Arizona republican., 1917-03-02
QUEENSTOWN IS
LIKELY To GET
NEWS IF SUBS

WASHINGTON, d. C.. March H.
Describing Queenstown. the pIac.
from which Consul Frost has sem
50 many messages telling Of torpedoed
ships, the National Geographic society.
whose headquarters are here. says in
bulletin issued today
Queenstown is likely to se "a cen
Ter OF news OF tho German sui marine
crusade. inasmuch as the ordinary
channels Of shipping pass nearby.
The town. numbering slightly NOR.
Jhan 5000 souls. has three-fold
distinction as 4 seaport a water place
and Pritish naval station IL i;
well-huile and attractive place. with
a mild climate: and being built Upon
an Island. its streets rise in terraces.
one above the other and offer a
su''erh outlook over the neighborins
waters.
Within fifty years tie place was
only a small fishing village and was
known as the Cove Of Cork. It,
present name was received in IS4s
bv reason Of its having been the
first spot in ireland upon which Queen
Victoria set foot.
1t stili serves as the mort Of the
CITY of Cork. from which ii is twelve
niles distant Cork itself is located,
ut the point Of entry Of the river
Lee into the bay.
The hareor Of Queenstown is splen-
dldty defended ny two forts-C,arIfsIe
and Camden-at it's entrance and nv
Fort Westm0reland. which is situated
upon Spike Island. one Of he grour
"t three isles which make ~ the
government dockya~d and constitute
the fine natural breakHater Of the
narb0r wherein 4 large fleet can tfnd
safe anchorage.
Spike Island. according to a writer
III the journal of the Cork Historical
ana Archaeolosical society. excels any
island IN the circuit Of the Prifiei,
Isles ia its chequered. albeit unevent
ful. history. pom no other island
on the Irish coast he declares. have
so many strangers ewes rested ar
SO few persons voluntarily set foot
the point of the last comment being
mat here for many years was situated
me chief convict prison for all Ire
1T was once one Of the bot, is,es
Of the past along with Iona MI
II Michel and the Skclligs: and bere
q monastery was built By st Mocbua-
"a, Tho had received the island from
tathal, King 1f Munster. for that he
had been healed of the HOLY man Of
deafness. blindness and dumt,,ess
From the Seventh to the T'weIftE
century. however. the record If tho
molly island Is a com1Iete blank. caused
no doubt. b., the disappears nee of rho
mona steIA+ Al the later date Spike
island became Anglo Norman sro;f
under the charter Of Henry Tf-,vb .,,ce
another hiatus Of three hundred years
takes place in its history. and if ie
recorded that the place was infested
by smuggiers.
Toward the end Of the Eighteenth
century the island PASSED to tho
'froWn, and no time was lost in forfi
Tying IL In 1873 a battery of twenty
Tour guns had been installed and in
ltsV the position was named Fort
Westmoreland by the nobIeman Of
tiat tamily who at the time was Lord
island '''''' me
Two ears before the Queens ,.isft
to the town. Spike Island was. made
q convict depot. uDon the adjustment
"a the transportation scheme Of nun
IshJleht which had been IN vogua
orr harbor had been Il concentration
point Tor these unfortunates. who v.ere
hUodied into a prison shfr, Win.
awaiting their deportation. Soen az
many az 1000 conpicts were II ha
FOUND a Spike and they were am
ployed ut work upon the fortificatio,,s
system Of good conduct ra,vard,,
was established and the length er
Imprisonment ard the privileges f. ba
enjoyed We're made determinanlv nv
the conduct Of the prisoners Whit
nnder detention. The island oeasad
70 be a prison in 1855 at which titnt
WIS hdhtied over to the military an.
thorities - au-