Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1889-04-30
TFof the spirit Of JeGerson.l
Letter From Florida.
Kry Wrsr. FIonIDA. March 50,

A@GAeCt - tSssttss = y - -
KEY WHIST, FLORIDA. March 80, 1889.
Geo. w HdiItcs, Eesq.:--lsey West - the.
largest city IN the state mud nc lqrgea elgar
The ninth port of entry In th United Stlf
Kew West Is called the Island city, II : COM
pletely surrounded by water. IL Is l1Qat ~
miles from Port Tanlpa and q natitieai 81
go from Havana % m ngtlsl miles out 90 I,
The malls arrive tipi u week on the mac l1-
cent Olivette, which is the Tampa, Key West
and Havana steamer. "A little about this
steamer and / will then proceed TO give an ac-
count OF my Southern home. The Olivettc Is
Handsomely fitted up, she is 800 feetlong, with
four immOnsc boilers, elegant cabin and state.
rooms The meals served on shipboard arc
sumptu0us, but there are not very many ablo
but / was able to take mine. She has made
the run from sHaYaua to Key West in four
hours and forty-iY minutes, the fastest time
made by any steamer. Key West is quito u
nice little city, It has population Of about
q. 600 Inhabitants, 1t Is the county seat of
Monroe county, the most southern county in
the State and is composed ofiail the islands of
Florida from Cape Romano on the Gulf OF
Mexico 10 Miami on tho Atlantic Ocean, a dis
lance OF two hundred and dfty miles or moro.
We have public schools and one of the finest
converts to he found any place Churches of
all denominations. five hotels, and some hand
some Buildings. the buildings generally have
no chimneys, they arc not Needed. unless from.
the kitchen. We have orr 200 cigar factories
some of them employing rs high as 500 hands
Key West cigar factories pay skilled hands
from s1S.UOsto $500 per week Young girls
earn from So 90 To 90 per week. mud some
of them make more. There is more duty col
lected ut this than all the other ports of
Florida, Georgia eud one-haif of Alabama
combined. Key West can boast of four rs fine
steam fire engines us ever went to a FIRE. also
one hook and ladder cOnpany. = We have about
eight or ten miles of street railroad sanll ex-
tends through the most populons and business
portion of the island. Tie climate is tic finest
in the world, and no consumptive was ever
known to come to Key West from a colder cli-
mate and die of lung trouble. in sfact the eli
mate Is essentially tropical and frOsis are un-
known here. The temperature was never re-
corded lower than forty-oHe degrees. aud only
one time at that. which was tllirty-three or four
years ago. The lowest since then was about
so or 81 deegres. The average temperature
in summer seldom exceeds 30 DEGREES. III
winter the waters OF the gulf. seconded by the
warm. Tetulgent rays of the sun temper the
chilling blasIs of the frozen north, 81 when
they reach tLe Cora, Island. they arc as pleas
ant US could be wished for by the thinnest
blOodcd cOnsulnptive or dyspcptic. Men come
to Key West suffering from throat and lung
troubles and who had abandoned, all hopes OF
recovery; they arc here to-day and apparently
in sound health. This is easily explained
Northern doctors recommend salt water to be
forced through the nostTils for snch COM
plants. Theyery air here is q continued and
natural application of this remedy. 1t is inn
pregnated with the curative qualities contained
in tue salt water. Markets OF Key west-they
are good aud improving that is the markets
of Monroe county. There is nothing in the
vegetable line ruised in Key West. and We de-
pend almost entirely upoili canued goods
Sponge 1shing.-We are now dealing in bus
iness that amounts to one million, dollars per
annum toithc county. Thousands of sponges
are taken in our waters, They arc taken in
water from five to ten feet deep. You often
see, so have been told; thousands of them
sold at auction in Key West. Some sponge
These sponges are shipped to nearly all the
principle cities of the United States. Now
will deal for a short time about the products
of the Island. The soil is about the saule MS
the West Indies. 1t is the home of the palm.
The tree has no tap root aud will thrive on a
thin soii-this is the cocoanJft. Like the orange
tree, the older 1t gets the more 1T bears. a
bearing cocoanJ.t grove is of less expense than
more. They require no cultivation aud are as
hardy in this section as the cabbage palmetto
that Vows everywhere IN Florida. on can
ship item any month in tho year. We have
mas and other fruit, aud they can he bought
for o mere song. A few more words and
viii Close. as do not want to take up two
much space in your valuable paper. Come day
in the future will write you about my trip
from Memphis. Tenn. to Key West will
then tell yon about lily Island homo and also
tell ybu ul,out how cigars are made here and
the working of u mI:ri. ci!silf fitt1rY, One
thing must moi forget tottll vnIs el1onbtcss
/ have scel the only person thai will ever
see from dear old CharlesicrWII as iong MS re-
main here L was very nmcll surprised. aud
much to nIy pleasure was called down tnScc
gcntleiils.n thoGE it sir;,nss;is knew no
one hUre hui to- and hclitild * hose hand shouId
/ grasp but my friend and feloR-toWllsmh
J. z; Holmes ESQ You can in!agine my de-
light and hnsY Pheasant it was tn hear him
talk about tile old place. and untnbers of peo-
pie that KNOW. He spoke especially of my
true friend air. Geo. T.. Light can never