Republican news item. [volume], August 11, 1898, Image 3

About Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??

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(SPAIN'S SETES!
Strongly Fortified But Not Able to With-
stand Watson's Fleet. ||j
The most important of the coast
cities of Spain on which Admiral
Watson fixed his glittering eye is
Cadiz, on the southwestern coast, be
tween Cape St. Vincent and Gibraltar.
It is the principal city of the Province
oi' Andalusia, the garden of Spain,
and has a population of about 60,000
souls. Andalusia is the theme of the
most glowing descriptions of travelers
in Spain, and it is often characterized
as the most beautiful country and the
finest climate on the globe. In that
" land spring is well advanced in Feb
ruary, and there is a marvelous blend
ing of northern and southern vegeta
tion. Apple and pear trees blossom
by the side of oranges, cacti and
aloes, and the ground everywhere is
covered with flowers. In the valleys
even the banana, cotton and sugar
cane are grown, while the fruits of
this region are esteemed the best in
Spain.
Cadiz is built on the extremity of a
tongue of land projecting about five
miles into the sea and enclosing be
tween it and the mainland a magnifi
cent bay. The site very much resem
bles that of some of the West Indian
cities, particularly San Juan, in Porto
Rico. Seen from either side, the city
appears as an island, and it is known
far and wide as the "White City." De
Amicis says:"To give an idea of
Cadiz, one could not do better than
write the word 'white' with a pencil
on blue paper aud make a note on the
margin, 'lmpressions of Cadiz."' The
natives call it"The Silver Dish," and
it hasv also been likened to an ivory
model set in emeralds. Every house
in the city annually receives a coat of
whitewash, which is glaring and dis
agreeable when new, but soon mel
lows to a fine ivory tint. For the uni
formity and elegance of its buildings
Cadiz must be ranked as one of the
finest cities in Spain, and it is said to
surpass all others in cleanliness, al
though the death rate is nearly forty
five per thousand.
The city is six or seven miles in cir
cumference, and is surrounded by a
wall with five gates, one of which com
municates with the isthmus. The rail
road station is just outside the wall,
as are also many of the business houses
of the place. The walls are thirty to
fifty feet high, nineteen feet thick, and
on the side of the bay, where it is ar
ranged in broad terraces, is a favorite
place for walking in the evenings.
This is known as the Alameda, and
commands a fine view over the ship
ping and ports on the opposite side of
the bay.
Cadiz is strongly fortified; in fact,
the whole city is a fortress protected
by ramparts and bastions. It is de
fended by the forts of Sau Sebastian,
on a long, narrow tongue projecting
westward out to sea; Santa Catalina,
on a high rocky line, to the northwest
of the oity, and forming part of its
wall; Matagorda and Puntales Castle,
on either side of the narrow approach
to the inner bay, and Fort San Fer
nando, otherwise known as the Cor
tadura, an intrenchment south of the
city on the long narrow isthmus con
necting it with the mainland.
Cadiz is said to have been founded
eleven hundred years before Christ,
and even under the Romans it was a
emporium of trade. In the seven
teenth and eighteenth centuries it
reached the zenith of its greatness, and
most of the trade of Spain with her
A.DIZ AND ITS HARBOR—THE MOLE AND LIGHTHOUSE IN THE DISTANCE.
>lonies passed through Cadiz. In
e beginning of the present century
had fallen to almost nothing. With
.e opening of the railway to Seville
d improvements effected in the har
>r, trade began to increase, and it is
ain an important port. More than
housand vessels enter each year, of
Woh about half are steamships.
Barcelona is pre-eminently the busi
es city of Spain, and lies on the
editerranean coast, near the north
.stern boundary. It was described
' Cervantes as "the flower of the
beautiful cities of the world," and
Washington Irving had many pleasant
things to say of it in Lis day, but now
it is the great factory town of Spain.
Inclading the suburbs, where all the
factories are located, its population is
500,000.
The old city, as distinguished from
the modern additions growing out of
the industrial developments of the
place, has played an important part in
the history of the world since the days
when it was raised by Augustus to the
rank of a Roman colony. But the
Gatalonians, or Catalans, whose capital
ISLAND OP CEUTA, SPAIN'S PENAL SETTLEMENT.
it is, consider themselves first Cata
lans, afterward Spaniards, and for a
long time the people did not know
whether they wished to be French or
Spanish. Even at the present day
they are quick to protest against any
action in Madrid which is not to their
interests. They have been in frequent
revolt, although in all other respects
the Province of Catalonia is the scene
of fewer lawless deeds than any other
part of Spain.
Barcelona is famous among tourists
for its cathedral, one of the finest
speoimens of church aohitecture in
Europe, and for the Rambla, a wide,
well-shaded street nearly a mile long,
extending right through the city and
a favorite promenade. It resembles
the boulevards of Paris in many re
spects. Another famous Spanish sea
port is Bilbao, in Biscay. It has many
curious sights, the most famous of
which is the tree tower.
The ancient walls of Barcelona
were torn down after a long period of
street rioting by the Catalans, who
were determined to remove them in
order to allow industrial expansion,
and their places have been taken by
wide streets. To the southwest of the
ancient city is a crest or high hill,
which breaks down precipitously to
the sea. It is called Montjuich, and
its summit is occupied by the Cas
tillo de Montjuich, a strong fortress,
said to have accommodations for 10,-
000 men.
Cartagena, sometimes called Cartlia
geua, is a small place of about 30,000
inhabitants, but its harbor is the
finest on the eastern coast of Spain,
and is very strongly fortified. The
place was founded about 243 B. C.,
more than twenty centuries ago, and
was originally known as Carthage
Nova, or New Carthage, to distinguish
it from the African oity. It is now
the seat of a Captain-General, and
one of the three largest marine de
partments.
The towns lie on the north side of
a deep, narrow-mouthed bay, and its
streets are spacious but not impos
ing. The stone of whioh most of the
houses were constructed is friable and
the whole appearance of the place is
dilapidated. But a good deal of busi
ness is done, principally from the
mines nearby, which are very produc
tive. Thousands of men are em
ployed in transporting lead, copper,
iron, zinc and sulphur to the port.
Large quantities of esparto grass are
grown near the town and it consti
tutes one of the principal exports. It
is used in the manufacture of paper.
The town is walled and is over
looked by the Castillo de la Concep
cion, a hill some 230 feet high, within
the wall and crowned with fortifica
tions. In the northern part of the
place there are three other hills in
side the walls, similarly fortified, and
to the east, beyond the railroad which
comes in from Murcia, is a high hill,
and the Castillo de las Moros. The
narrow entrance to the harbor is
flanked by high hills, breaking down
by precipitous voloanio oliflfs on either
side. On the summits are strong
forts, and down near the shore are
many powerful batteries. The hill on
the ea.it is 920 feet high, and is
crowned by the Castillo de San Julian;
that on the west is 650 feet above the
water, and the fort upon its bummit
is called the Castillo de las Galeras.
The harbor is sheltered by the island
called La Escombrera, two and a half
miles from the narrow entrance,
which breaks the force of wind and
waves, and the town is still further
protected by two other forts, the Atal
aya on the summit of a hill 655 feet
high on the west, and the Castillo de
Despenaperros on the east.
Cartagena has had a stormy exist
ence for more than twenty centuries.
As early as 210 A. D. it was taken
with great slaughter by Scipio the
Younger. In 425 A. D. it was pil
laged and nearly destroyed by the
Goths. Under the Moors it formed
an independent kingdom, which was
conquered by Ferdinand 11. of Cas
tile in 1243. The Moors retook it,
but it fell into Spanish hands again in
1276. The town was rebuilt by
Philip 11. of Spain on account of its
harbor. In 1708 it was taken by the
English, and in the next year was re
taken by the Duke of Berwick. In
1823 it capitulated to the French, and
in 1844 was the scene of an insurrec
tion. About thirty years later it re
belled again, and on the 23d of
August, 1873, was bombarded by the
Spanish fleet under Admiral Lobos.
Sis months later it was occupied by
troops.
Malaga is the oldest and most fa
mous of Spanish seaports and has a
population of nearly 120,000. It was
founded by the Phoenicians, and was
brought under the sway of Home by
Scipio. In the middle of the thir
teenth century it reached its zenith,
and after its capture in 1487 by Fer
dinand and Isabella it sank into insig
nificance; but in modern times it be
came famous for its grapes and wines.
The climate is very mild, and oranges,
figs, sugar cane and cotton thrive.
Recently Malaga has taken a promi
nent place as a manufacturing town,
but most of the factories are in the
new part of the town, on the right
bank of the river which divides it.
Malaga is not fortified, and looks
directly out upjn the Mediterranean;
but its southern part merges into the
slopes of the foothills of the Cerro
Colorado, some 560 feet above the
bay. On the summit is the Castillo
de Gibralfaro, the acropolis of Malaga.
Ceuta is Spain's pet island colony
for convicts, and commands the ap
proach to Gibraltar and the Mediter
ranean. The Canaries are all there
is between Watson and this grim isl
and, where, under the cover of for
bidding walls and mountains, Spain
TBEE TOWEB AT BILBAO.
has tortured her exiled prisoners for
centuries past. Ceuta is a rock
ribbed, rock-bound island off the
northeast coast of Fez, Morocco, and
is twelve hours' sail from the entrance
to the Straits of Gibraltar. It might
as well be called the island of the
seven hills, for from these it derives
its name. Of these the mo6t con
spicuous is Monte del Hacho, which
looks out toward Spain like a signal
point set up to say "All's well."
Stretching back from the mountain a
narrow peninsula connects the island
with the main land of Africa. On this
neck of land the town of Ceuta is
built. All around are fortifications,
the high hills put up there by nature
and the prison walls and moats built
in succession by conquerors and re
modeled and rebuilt by their suc
cessors and strengthened again by the
Spaniards when they made of it a
prison hell. The seven walls coiled
about the town itself are thick and im
passable, save here and there where
arched bridges have been cut through.
Between each wall there is a deep
moat of sea water, set down like a
seductive trap to catch any unfor
tunate convict who might escape the
vigilant guards stationed all around
the walls. Every one of the seven |
hills is fortified now. Up high on i
Monte del Haohc there is a strong j
citadel garrisoned by Spanish soldiers.
Here and there the wails are pierced
by the noses of cannon, bat there is
no evidenee that they have ever been
u-ed except for signaling, and it is
doubtful if they conld be brought to
much better use, owing to their im
movability.
The Canaries, that colony of Spain
off the northwest African coast, have
only two ports of any consequence,
Teneriffe and Las and the
inhabitants are a painfully peaceful
lot of non-combatants, wretchedly de
fended, poorly armed and likely to
run up the white flag at the first sight
of a war ship.
THE PRISONERS OF WAR.
Spain's Captured Sailors Are Contented
With Their Treatment.
The naval battle off Santiago, in which
AdmiralCervera's fleet was annihilated,
has placed in the keeping of the Gov
ernment about fifteen hundred pris
oners. These sailors, who left their
native shores for the purpose of do
ing damage to American coasts and to
capture or sink our ships, are living
contentedly at Gamp Long, Seavey's
Island, Portsmouth, N. H., which was
prepared expressly for them.
These sailors are a study, and for
many reasons. They represent the
national typo; they show the quality
of men who form the Spanish army
and navy; they are unmistakable evi
dences why the Spanish Government
was able to plunge the people into a
war which threatens the reigning
dynasty with greater dangers than
those of peace.
The captured sailors are made up of
men and boys. In their ranks can be
seen the gray haired veteran, wlio has
spent his life in the Spanish navy,
down to the smooth and innocent faced
boy, who, were he an American, would
yet be at school, enjoying his youth.
The suffering tho prisoners endured
TYPICAL SPANI9H SAILOB, A rBIHOXER OF WAB
OS SEAVEY'H ISLAND.
while they were in Santiago Harbor,
and the effects of the naval battle,
made many of them look extremely
wretched. When they landed at Camp
Long they had hollow cheeks, sunken
eyes and sallow complexions. Many
of them were barely able to move and
bandages covered their wounds.
It is a surprising fact that the
greater number of the prisoners are
boys, and yet this illustrates much
better than anything else the despera
tion of the Spanish Government.
Taken from their homes and impressed
into the service where their heart is
not, it is hardly surprising that the
Spanish navy was so easily defeated
at Manila and Santiago. The
type of the Spanish sailor between
the veteran and the boy is a
fair specimen of the peasantry class.
Under normal conditions he is a
strong, able-bodied fellow, willing to
work when commanded, unlettered
and superstitious. There is no doubt
that these sailors have a deal of faith
in their officers, as the scenes of their
parting testify, and the sailors would
be willing to follow their officers
wherever they were led.
Now that they are prisoners on
American Boil, they are receiving the
treatment which, it can be safely said,
has rarely been given to captured foe
in time of war. They are receiving
every consideration. Comfortable
quarters have been provided, good
food and decent clothes have fallen to
their lot. They are made to feel as
Admiral Cervera so prettily said, that
these prisoners "are the wards of the
American people." That expresses it.
We are civilized, and treat our unfor
tunate enemies in a civilized way.
"These sailors are beginning to ap
preciate their treatment. Theii
minds have been disabused of the
falsehoods they were told by theii
officers. The prisoners were told we
would kill them if they fell into oui
hands. Allowing for the misfortunes
they have suffered, they are happy in
their imprisonment, and their natures
are softened by such kind treatment.
As they are naturally dull, they dc
not indulge in much amusement iu
their confinement. They associate it)
groups and spend most of the time
talking, probably about their folks at
home, their mothers, wives and chil
dren, as the case may be. Some ol
them play cards, and pass the hours
that way. Some walk around for ex
ercise, but as a whole tho sailors dc
not seem to be very fond of it. Thej
like to lay around and take life easy
and thankful for whatever comes theii
way.
Sef.vey's Island is well guarded, sc
that if any attempt to escape is made
it will be frustrated. Marines patrol
the grounds around, and machine gun>
face the big yard in which th<
prisoners take their excercises.
|FOR FARM AND GARDEN^
Sowing Land to Clover.
All land sown to wheat should be
sown to clover. If but one season's
growth is to be expected, this short
growth will be worth quadruple the
cost of the seed. A clover sod of one
season's growth is much superior to
wheat stubble only for plowing under
for corn.
Tnfte<l I'nnale*.
The pansj is a species of violet—vi
ola tricolor. Some thirty years ago
some Scottish nurserymen crossed a
wild violet of Scotland, violet
amoena, with a garden pansy, and
the result was a beautiful hybrid.
Other species of wild violet were sub
sequently tried, until the distinct race,
known as tufted pansies, was pro
duced.—Meehau's Monthly.
Protecting Orchard* From Frosts.
To protect orchards and gardens
from frosts, have plenty of "smudges"
prepared, i.e., piles of sawdust or
other material that will give much
smoke, then one hour after sunset, if
air is still and dry, sky clear, and the
temperature under forty-live degrees,
look again at nine o'clock and if tliir
ty-eiglit degrees or less, watch closely,
and if thirty-five degrees is registered
tire the smudges at once.
Good Result* From the Garden.
It does not require an expert to ob
tain good results in the garden. Select
a good, warm, early piece of land, en
rich it well with either good, old,well
rotted barn manure or commercial
fertilizer, have the ground well
plowed and thoroughly harrowed,
then plant the seed, each variety in
its proper season. Then be sure to
keep the weeds down,and you can but
reap good results. The garden can
be made to produce something new
and fresh for the table for almost
every day, from early in the season
until late fall, if we only take advan
tage of w hat may be grown in our cli
mate. —New York Weekly Witness.
Cream Ripening.
The vessel should be so kept that
! the cream will ripen evenly, thus
avoiding loss in churning. The tem
perature should be kept between sixty
two and sixty-eight degrees until the
cream is ripe, and it should then be
| cooled before chin uing. Well-ripened
1 cream should be so thick that it will
i run in a smooth stream like oil, and
j when the paddle is dipped into it and
held up the cream should stick all over
it like a thick coat of . paint, and have
a satin gloss of surface. The churning
should be continued until the granules
are the size of wheat kernels, then
draw off the buttermilk and wash
through two or three waters, whirling
the churn around a few times. From
a pint to a quart of water to the pound
of butter should be used, and this
water should be at a temperature of
forty to forty-five degrees in hot
weather, and from fifty to sixty degrees
in winter, depending upon the solid
ity of the butter, size of granules and
warmth of room.
Air in the Soil.
The importance of the thorough
cultivation of the soil is recognized by
all who experiment to an extent suffi
cient to show results. Air is as nec
essary to the soil as moisture, for by
its admission the chemicals of the soil
are put into active operation and
brought into condition to be made
quickly available by the growing crop.
The manure, the remains of plants
and much of the humus of the soil is
converted into saltpetre, that valuable
chemical. When the soil is merely
stirred with hoe or cultivator a forma
tion of nitrates is promoted and an
increased state of fertility brought
about by the action of air on the or
ganic matter in the soil. Cultivation
on a larger scale, therefore, cannot
fail to increase the fertility by the
admission of iucreased air and mois
ture to the soil for the direct feeding
of the plants, as well as the action on
the elements in the soil, and the de
struction of noxious weeds which rob
the cultivated plants of needed food.
Raising Poultry Foods'
The profits in poultry raising depend
quite as much on obtaining the food at
a small cost as on anything else.
Every raiser of poultry on the farm
should devote a portion of the soil to
this purpose. The plan of picking up
the leavings after the harvest for the
use of the poultry is well enough as
far as it goes, but bruised vegetables
will last only a short time, aud one is
left, at the period when green food is
valuable, with nothing of that nature
to feed. Wheat, oats, millet, barlev,
corn and rye should be raised in small
quantities, as well as a fair amount of
clover, timothy,or sorghum for winter
use. Dried clover hay is unsurpassed
as a winter food for fowls, and it pays
to feed it even when it must be bought,
but it can be easily raised and cured
and fed chopped at great profit. Such
vegetable crops as cabbage, potatoes,
turnips, onions aud the like should
not be neglected. They are easily
kept through the winter and w hen fed
will add greatly to the egg production.
The expense necessary to grow these
foods is small and the return on the
investment very large.
Cutworms and Corn.
Some writers on this subject advise
the cultivation of the ground, believ
ing that the stirring of the soil and ex
posure of the cutworms to the sun will
destroy tuem. While thorough culti
vation is undoubtedly of great be refit
to the soil no amount of stirring and
exposure to the rays of the sun will
destroy cutworms, for when exposed
it requires but a brief space of time
for these pests to again secure cover
ings, and after many years' close ob«
servatiou of the habits of cutworms I
doubt if a single one can be destroyed
by simply stirring the soil.
In my experience I have found two
distinct species of cutworms, one cut
ting the corn on the surface of the
ground and being readily found and
caught in the act of destruction. The
other is out of Bight and cuts the corn
about an inch below the surface, and
the mischief is not detected until the
corn begins to wilt. Corn cut below
the surface of the ground is irretriev
ably ruined, but when cut above the
ground, when small, with the excep
tion of being retarded in growth, it is
seldom injured. Corn planted on sod
that has been pastured the preceding
year is more liable to be damaged by
cutworms than if no stock had been
allowed upon the ground.—John Cow
nie in lowa Homestead.
Losing Young Chirks.
Many complaints are heard this
year, mainly from those who have bad
their first experience with au incuba
tor, regarding the large proportion of
the chicks hatched which die during
the first two or three weeks after
hatching. In most cases the fault is
laid to the incubator, which is hardly
fair. The cold, wet weather which
has prevailed has been hard on the
little chicks and caused the loss of
many ot' them. Overheated brooders,
overcrowding and poor ventilation are
also responsible for many deaths
among chicks. It is safe to say, how
ever, that the main trouble, not only
this year, but all years, is due to in
herited weakness, and when this is the
case no amount of care or attention in
feeding will overcome the trouble.
Chicks will often hatch in the incuba
tor on time, or a little before time,
and be extremely lively for a few days
or even for two or three weeks, then
suddenly die. Chicks hatched by the
old hen frequently do the same thing.
There is more in the proper selection
of stock for hatching than most peo
ple are willing to believe, and it pays
every time to know something of the
ancestry of the embryo chick in the
egg you intend to hatch even if the
breed is pure. In the majority of
cases where a male runs with forty or
even more hens, the proportion of fer
tile eggs laid by the hens will be small
and even the fertile ones will produce
weak chicks. Other well-known causes
are responsible for weak chicks.—At
lanta Journal.
Rome Common Strawberry Pegt*.
The one which has been most abun
daut this season is the strawberry root
worm. The mature insect is a beetle
about the size of radish seed with a
shining black or brown surface, and
two autennie resembling a pair of its
legs. It is quite active on its feet,
but when disturbed it "plays the'pos
sum" and rolls into the ground. I
have found as mauy as five at a single
hill of plants. These beetles are, of
course, the consequence of the root
worms or larvic which last fall were
feeding upon the fibrous roots of the
plants. The worms are small whitish
grubs, which when they are full grown
pupate i.. earthen cells under the sur
face of th<_ 'round and therefore are
out of sight while doing their greatest
damage.
The other insect found is the straw
berry crown borer, which in the beetle
stage resembles a weevil, though it is
not one. The larva or borer is a whit
ish, yellow-headed grub resembling
the root worm except in being footless.
It is one-tifth of an inch long, and
lives in the crown of the strawberry
plant, weakening it so that it cannot
survive the winter. The crown-borer
pupates within the cavity formed in
the crown of the plaftt but emerges as
the adult beetle, which is gray in
color, one-fifth of an inch long, about
September or October, remaining in
the fields until spring, when eggs are
laid for the new brood.
Both these iusects become particu
larly destructive in old beds of straw
berries, or in new beds on old straw
berry ground where no other crop has
intervened. Neither travels far from
its birthplace, therefore rotation of
crops is the most practical preventive
treatment. Old fields should be
plowed under as soon as the crop of
fruit is off. If a small section is to be
retained for plants, their removal
should be accomplished as early as
possible. If the beetles are found
about the young plants intended for
next year's fruitage, spraying with
paris green late in summer will kill
such as are feeding upon the foliage
at that season.—Ueorge C. Butz ia
New England Homestead.
The Career of a Hat.
"The life of a Panama hat, that is,
if it is a good one to start with," ex
plained a hat dealer, "compares some
what with the life of the owner of it.
One can run through either in a hurry
or hang on for a long time if it is de
sired. If carefully kept a Panama
hat should last all the way from ten
to forty years. I know a gentleman
who resides in East Washington who
has owned and steadily worn during
the summer mouths a Panama hat for
nearly forty years. It has been
bleached every couple of years since
and trimmed and reliued, and it is to
day to all intents and purposes as
good as when I first saw it thirty
years ago. I know of another Pana
ma hat now worn by a physician in
this city, which has had almost as
long a life. Long before he got it his
father wore it. I know dozens of
them which have been' in use from ten
to twenty years. The lining wears
ont, but the body of the hat keeps
good. Of course, care has to be used
to keep them such a long time, but
the Panama itself is almost indestruc
tible. The original cost of the hats
that I refer to was not exorbitant,
none of them costing over sl4*"
Washington Star.