The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1886-03-11
Key West Democrat.)
KEW WEST,
AS SEEN BY MRS. L. D. wHrTsoN.

AS SEEN BY MRS. L. d. wHTTS0N.
The winds sweeping across the vast
waste OF waters that surround Key West,
bring to your intoxicated senses the per-
fume of the tropics. Nowhere of the
Italian coast do you see such beautifully
variegated waters from pale green vel
vet ribbon-winding around the rocky
coast-widening aud deepening out to q
royal purple. A delicate pink marks the
liue Of sky where it meets the waters of
the Gulf
"The wash of the waves on the rocks
falls on the ear with lulling, soothing
musical sound"
The graceful cocoanut trees and the
broad banana leaves bend and wave un-
der their burden OF spIendor in this heav-
enly cline, while the perfumed breezes
fan your cheeks-wafted from the land
of the blest, aud the ever Faithful Isle.
With the finest climate in the world,
the city of Key Wes. has the best capa-
bilities OF any city in the United States
for making the most attractive winter re-
sort to be found and when the citizens of
Key West arouse themselves to just ap-
probation of those same advantages and
build handsome hotels and advertise to
the eager world what they are, then the
ii e of Northern and Western travel,
which has built up East and South Flor
ida, will be diverted still farther south
ward to the Coral Isle-the home of the
cocoanut and banana.
There is less truth known Of the city of
Key West than any civilized city in the
world. Half the people think that Key
West belongs to some foreign country, or
that it is wrecking or fishing station !;
whereas it is handsome city of 10000
population, and is the county seat of
Monroe county, Florida 1t certainly has
the most charming climate have ever
seen, and such is the verdict of people
who have travelled over the whole world.
A more hospitable and generous people
never lived than the Key West people.
Strangers coming to the enchanted isle
find warm welcome and when, accord
ing to that beautiful Arabian custom,
they have broken bread and eaten salt to-
gether, they become eternal friends.
Key West, away out here in the Gulf
of Mexico, is lighted with gas, and the
musical jingle of the street car bells is
heard on several different street, there be-
ing seven miles of smooth, elegant track
on the island
There are on the Island of Key West
about two thousand skilled cigar-makers.
and in all about five thousand employees.
including strippers and other hands.
Cigar-making at Key West has grown to
its present Importance since 1867, when
Martinez Ybor, of Havana, opened the
first shop and established the trade for
Key West Havana cigars. In a wear or
or so, two or three other enterprisino
Cubans and Americans established manu-
factories In 1868, when the Cuban revo-
luton began, Key West became the rendez-
vous for Cuban refugees from Havana, and
great many skilled cigar-makers found
good employment there. The Cigar busi-
ness Is the most remunerative on the is
land, and good many men have accu-
mulated handsome fortunes in this busi-
ness
In reference to the Cubans; they are
generous and public spirited, and give
literally to every enterprise that benefits
hey West. Few arrests are ever made
on the island, and the three or four dis
tnct races live very harmoniously to-
gether.
In writing of Key West no one has
ever done the island half justice News
paper correspondents who have visited
the isle in the Gulf have, on account
of the foreign element, simply written of
what they are pleased to term the pecu-
liarities " of Key West, in fact, these cor
respondents have left out all the good and
have written OF it in way, to express it
mildly, that gives bad impression of
Key West. A kinder, better people
never lived. have been almost every
where, and l know what | am talking
about. 1t is certainly a fine business
point. There are good many quite
wealthy men there who have made
every dollar they have on the Island of
hey West. If the world at large knew
the climate of Key West, aud the capa-
bllities of the island, thousands of people
would spend the winter months in that
deliOhttul cl;mato