| Show I I ll OUR NAVAL INTERESTS EAST ANO WEST I I I 1tk t t Strategic Value 1 Of Dry Tortupas f I ti 1 I I I I Great Work to Be Accomplished at the ti Gibraltar of America The Occupation tg I i i I Occu-pation of Fort Jefferson iJ J I Copyright ISMI nels Durlnit the cl II war the fort was The concentration of tie Atlantic I I used Ilur1ngl1hvo11 r Ion I for Confedent i squadron the most torn Idlble fleet as prisoners ant In 1 Cj Uuighlln Art I I lembled In troileal I v attrs by the Unit nold Spangler And Dr Mudl who wen t f ed States since the civil war at the I found mill by it nllltary commission attho 1 Dry Tortusns within 80 mil s of Cuba of 1rllclpUon In the nnnllon of I i and 110 of 1Ion has drnn special I Lincoln mere confined there The first rr C I = 7 Ir J cr I L L 7 i ZZ4i 41tL 4i z 4z F 1 i Z = 11 I I 4 1 = A X l 1 I nig67 I I I A I a P Oftz le a f 11 ip 0 I I X am 0 am I aI 1 la t N 0 it I t J in t 11 1 F1 I 11 I t I I 11a I Wffl 7 11 I I I If I I 1 r = W = atovotsa mm 4 1 I I I I = Z 4 1 47 f T E zw F n7 l I I = I cm 1 1 4 T i 1 = M 4 = I I 4 4FonT 11 17 = L I I 7 IG E i POUT JEFFERSON I I attention 10 tbfif unique corner 01 our ounlry nhlch rain a trtgl Iolnl at view In I today the Gibraltar of AmerIca Amer-Ica The Dry Tortuon Is I a group 01 In Islets or keys from the pnlh word I I Myes forming n part of Monroe county ty t Fa 01 tile extremity 01 the i I Florida koY 120 miles southwest oft of-t Cape Sable and TO miles I cat of Xey Vast The population In generally In 100nll the highest number licam ago Ing about 280 Thor Is an extensive I I luster of sunken rf and hoI and V j i the In above motor ar I t htinlo clId I I k if dry Thy have a length northeast iq f Iii I-ii I I f I I 9 fUt aag lk k l T A I s s I f y a I fUr Owl l 3tv I A J A 1 I tv k 11 4 I I NN 1 01 I I I I 0 6 t I T I if 10 1 I 0 A0 I I I ill poulol I I 111 Ir AM MA ii illP I 13 0 IN Klf I I 11 14 I I 11 00 1 r OR 911111 1 1 W it I 11 1 i I 4 I 11 t 1 I I q I r t Z t jj I I INTERIOR OF TOPT Ji n CIISON CUT xonTun I It and outh of Ion mil and I Iii 1 I eta dill collectively of six Their ex I ct location which Is I In lie gulf ot o l I i1exico It latitude 1037 north and ton fitudg 3 meat I The Islets hlch Are of coral forma I Ion are low and barren except where i i partly Covered mith mftnaioe and I nnall cedar bushes On Huh or nr Z I In key Is Fort Jrrerm m hlh In 1870 l a a1 a garrison or PI men but ever since Yad t yellow fever it fw years ago carried k away me many victims I nearly exterm I J A 4 it I tory of artillery tile he bn left under the charge or C f e Drdnance I ergeant 1 i A411ghthouse known as the Tortugas 1 Harbor Hit n on till Is Itt Inside tin I felt and Loggerhead Iy 1I0hthou at I L the western edge of tie grant > is l 162 feet above tie tea and visible for 1S I 1 f nautical miles Thor tire three ell tr iiceo 10 tile hror minted the no tho I I 1 Mt ssu thment and southeast chn j I 1 f 1 Q I Y t I I 4 l it I I I I 1 II 1 4 AJ W I I 11 I i it I I j a i It j I I Il 11 I I I I I 1 r I i I f i L t Wr C I C VZZo c k ii m 1 1 IL I i i ir ZZ > I rII I J f I 1 P I U I I 1 I II I I 1111I 1111 tl I I I I I I I f I I J I I 1 1 l J i Lac r ra T1 4 t I DRY TORTUGAS AND I VICINITY I died there Bpanglr served out his term of Imtloonm an1 the other Iwo At ere pardoned by President I Johnson r t t I = I Spangler worked about Dalthnore asa as-a drunken carpenter till his death In the early seventies and Dr MuM renewed re-newed his horn practice In St Marya county Ml until his decease a fW years ago A Cousin of his family Is Ion I-on of the present Republican Congress men from that state t Prisoners under sentence of court i martial were often confined there The Tortugas group Consists principally I of Long Hush Uant 21bidle Illrd Sand and Loggrhad kes of hloh Past Is I the largest and Iocgerha the longest and In almost the exact center of which Is I Garden or Uuh 13 acre In extent The main entrance is I from the nt From a distance nOlhlng I Is I seen but n long line of rullem nh tell break on a coral reef several 1 miles In extent The ship channel here enters between East and Hush key s passes Bno and Middle keys then almost doubles on Itself running h l > si bal wllch at extreme low l tide are almost bars Th channel Is I In some places hardly a shIps length I In width and large cruisers would lave dimculty In I entering even If It were possible for them to do FO The channel Is I del of a rich blue color In strong contrast to the reef It turns gracefully around Garden key pinning between It ana Lone key then PAO t BIrd key thus I completIng the circuit and affording an olltlet W the nulhM and northlle b Y Igerhd ky Fort Jefferson Is Ihreror n coral hank In the renter or n great lagoon I troteclel t by coral reefs aid surround e If Iy I a eonti If to mlnlnture arbor 1 Living no It los Ili + ctly from the s i It looks like u runtime Cavite t The snn1 I n thlch the fort stand is I so shallow that b > digging n foot or Ho at > 1 her I alt later an he reached and during hey storm i It has rhon so that one cou1o noat about un a Nil within tile fort Nciertheleis tile 111lad Ie grotm1 In the center man eonrd mitt gn ml little la ni ot Urmndn gr < ie7e I seen In various lard The Patti rom the ally port i whero there to I a d abridge incl I bridge and to the offlere quart rs an frheed vlth tall Cocoa palms and hutton hut-ton wood wllle In urlonll parts of the ky cocoanuts mrew and urlellIhllr roots > deep In the Halt water lie cot tag of itomo of the officer cr oed o-ed with vlnew thus preitentIng 1 an at t naive nn irnt > ce and filly Justify Inn the 110m of Garden key Each cotinate nn Fort Jefferson wan over a astorn During the civil mor uwn It all additionally u1 a II hue > of Operation I against tile COfI 1 trute states and 20W men ha1 I tn lia furnlhe1 with wal t the suipl gave out und a con < 1onr ma kept run n jig lay end < night to eupply the day Mona The ohl fort shown tile wear and fear of time anti Oathor hansmillch Incre nov r fired are dismantled the roor of ba9t one I love bron blow unity hy hurricanes od tile uselesm gun car rilges stand UO ghts crntkln In tile 4 lIn It In I a rltur of desolation nnl decaY Undo Sam 11 bn crlmlnnlly I I negligent of this post which holds the key to the gulf commanding entirely h a northrn approach anti hkh cn b ud an a base for 01 oprnlloll ngalnn Cuba It in I valuable as a coolIng cool-Ing station and meat 01 supplies during a war The place 1 of late I rears has been nothing more the n a it a unnlln station Ion and Ih I marine hospital xervies has had I 1 Its dlilnfectlnr plant there The war department hoevr h 10 rum charge of It and a new i health a tllon t 111 probably be established via Fleming key Thome meat Iho more Injured In thi Maine explosion mho ere In the hospital at Havana whole yellow fe or alwayn exist Avere detained 01 Dry Torlug before being sent 10 Her Wt But a century ago theme Island were the horn or mnrUhn romant and the ocon or Piratical butch rles 1Iorld 112APUM11421 from SIln by the UnItC3 States In Ill for < > 000 000 The Tar turns had then been for 00 years or more the report of buccanr the scourge of those Peas and tho advise bility of building a fort on some one of I he key mas ul 00 taken Into con Idrllon wl tit tho primary object 01 rvenllng foreign poiir 1 from selzlng n harl r h co whore ann mfortaaI I ontablished vol stntlotTcoull be established rat ter than from any great defensive aluo 10 the country Thor was nothing don loweMr until tie administration of resident Polk l115P when In 1817 while Jefferson Davis was secretary of war ork was begun on the fort alter moral named Jefferson Million of money mere expended on Its construe lion but It wa nr completely finIshed fin-Ished All tile building material ai well is the supplies for the laborers hd I i bo taken to Garden koy by sea Th fort to hexagonal In shape and at each angle Is I a bastion The curtail malls hv a double tier of cae sand = and the whole work If fully armei mould have mounted about COO of the < old time guns The anchorag harbor 10 lie northwest ot Garden ky Is I I by Ili rat I on In aren ulth a depth of from 314 to 74 fathoms ot water and excellent 1 excel-lent holding ground Slany relics ot piratical days have bn found there In the form of ships guns both Iron and brass an < l many I coins of all countries of both silver and gold Today It Is I valuable as an Ideal naval station |
