The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1935-08-08

missing by which the bridge was at
one time raised and lowered, and we
suppose the remnants of an old port
cullIs could have been found within
the walls above that entrance.
The fort consists of high stone walls
built IN irregular form and covering
two or three acres of ground. The walls
are several feet thick and within them
are rooms for the housing of the gar
rison, quarters for the officers, an
apartment within which church serv-
ices were held, another room for The
incarcerating of prisoners, and a damp,
dark and awful dungeon.
These rooms were somber in the
extreme They must have been damp
and gloomy The only light that could
enter when doors were closed was
through a narrow channel let through
the thick walls, a slit of hole possibly
some eight to 10 inches wide and per-
haps three feet high, set high in The
wall, one of such light channels Cor
each room The walls of the fort are
in the form of an irregular rectangle
and these various rooms open into an
inner courtyard One of these dark
rooms is now called the fern room,
for the reason that on its walls a
species of small fern now grows nour-
ished by some food from the stone
and by the dampness of the walls. But
the strange thing about this is that
this species of fern is not found else
where throughout that entire section
and how those ferns got their start
within that dark room is mystery
Complete and Total Darkness.
There is sombre feature connected
with this old fort and indicative of The
character of the people who built It.
One day when workmen were moving
a cannon across the upper floor Of ,,he
fort, the cannon broke through The
floor and fell into a chamber whose
existence was unknown to the moderns.
Investigation showed that The entrance
to this chamber had been walled up
and that it had in reality been used
as dungeon in the early days. The
bones of one or two human beings
were found within it, The dungeon was
within the interior of the building,
wholly cut off from light and ventila-
ton. Into that hlackness of night poor
wretches were thrown whose deaths
were desired by those in authority.
There was no means of ventilation and
1t is said that anyone thrown in there
could not have lived longer than IL
hours
An electric light is now in that
dungeon. A channel has been opened
for ventilation and fan keeps the air
pure. We were invited to step inside
the dungeon by our guide, the door
was closed and the lights turned out,
and we were in utter and complete and
total. darkness, an absolute absence Of
light. We came out of there glad that
we did not live in days when dungeons
were in popular use.
The upper part of the fort is lat
and is now reached by steps, which was
formerly a runway, without steps.
Around the outer edge of the fort, on
all sides, is a stone parapet some two
to three feet high. AT frequent inter-
walls embrasures are cut through this
parapet, and through these openings
cannon point their muzzles, command
ing all approaches by land and water.
The fort is an interesting old relic
and our visit Through it was much
enjoyed.
St. Augustine claims to be one Of The
most historical cities on the continent
and much can be found there to in
terest one Here is said to be THE
fountain Of youth from which Don Juan
Ponce de Leon first drank in 1913 in
his search for eternal youth. Here is
the Fountain Of Youth park, consisting
OF more than 20 acres. In the city is
the oldest house in the United States.
1t is built flush with the street. 1t is
now the property Of the historical soci-
ETY. Here also is the oldest school
house in the United States 1t is quaint,
historic and in original condition Built
Of red cedar, hand hewed and wooden
pinned. This tiny wooden structure also