Science & Tech
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On a small island surrounded by the sea, hundreds of soldiers at Castillo San Cristobal depended on collected rainwater for drinking. Most of the fortification’s water was stored beneath the ground in five huge cisterns reached through masonry-enclosed wells. Each cistern measured 57 feet long, 24 feet high, and 17 feet wide, and together they could hold about 870,000 gallons of water. Floors and roofs throughout the fortification were designed to catch rain and drain it into these tanks for storage. The Spaniards also worked to protect water quality by banning animals from the fortresses to avoid contamination and by lining the tanks with limestone to help keep the water clean.
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