IN AND ABOUT THE CITY. 
95 
contains a large collection of books, newspapers and prints. It is open 
to the public. Another library is that of the Convent of San Agustin. 
Firemen. —The Cuartel de Bomberos, or fire station, on Zulueta street, 
north of the Plaza Hotel, is equipped with modern fire-fighting apparatus, 
and the system does not differ in any essential particular from those of 
the United States. 
The Arsenal (El Arsenal) or Navy Yard was on the harbor front, five 
squares south of Colon Park. The Navy Yard was established in 1724 f° r 
the building of war ships to act as convoys for the galleons and fleets from 
Mexico to Spain. The hard woods of the island were considered of 
special value for war ships, since the timber would not split when struck 
by shot. For three-quarters of a century Havana was “the great nursery 
of the Spanish Armada”; and more than ioo ships were built here; but 
in 1796 the industry was discontinued by royal decree, because shipbuilding 
in Cuba deprived the workmen of the mother country of the labor. The 
site of the yard is now occupied by the United Railway station. 
F.t. Principe or Castillo del Principe (Fort of the Prince) is on the 
crest of a high hill overlooking the city on the west. It is an irregular 
bastion work surrounded by a deep moat, and commands the city and 
harbor and coast and inland approaches. The fine view obtained from 
Principe well repays for the climb from the foot of the hill at the 
terminus of the El Principe line of cars. 
Santa Clara and Reina Batteries. —Under the old order Havana was 
surrounded with defenses, the forts being supplemented with batteries in 
every commanding position. One of the most important of these was the 
Bateria de Santa Clara, completed in 1797, and named after the Count 
de Ricla, otherwise known as the Count of Santa Clara. It is the most 
westerly of the city’s defenses, being placed in the hill near the shore, 
one and one-half miles from the harbor mouth, and commanding the sea 
approach. It is reached by the Vedado cars. Not far from it is the old 
Martello watch tower (Torreon de Vigia) at the San Lazaro inlet, where 
the Cuba-Key West cable lands. Near the inlet, between the car line and 
the water, formerly stood the battery called La Reina, a stone work which 
commanded seaward and was intended to resist the advance of an enemy 
from Chorrera. It was demolished in 1904. 
Atares Castle occupies a round hill at the head of the harbor, in feet 
above sea level. The isolated site, commanding position and picturesque 
outline, make it one of the most conspicuous objects in the vicinity of 
Havana; it is seen from the town, the ships in the harbor, and the ram¬ 
parts of Cabana. The fortress is a small bastioned stone work, built 
in 1763-67, after the restoration of Cuba by the British. For some act 
of the garrison a century ago it enjoyed the distinction of being the only 
fortress which was permitted to fly a silken flag. The Kentuckian Crit- 
