Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-03-17

Correspondence 81 TIE Evening Star
kzY WEST. FLA. March Q. 1893.
Stretching ir easy curve TO the southwark
and westward from Cape Florida $50 mics TO
the sand knobs of the Dry Tortugas the Florida
keys form the extreme southeast of the United
States. These keys a series OF low green
islands rising from the long coral reef that
makes a connecting link from island to island
Their dry sands and scanty soil afford little
footing to vegetation. vet the palms and pine
apples and shrubbery have found a footing,
and each little island shows above the clear
blue water as round green knoll. separated
from the water by white line OF sand beach
Well to the westward in this chain of KEYS the
metropolis OF extreme southern Florida. Kew
West on the island of the same name. exists on
the income derived from fisheries. sponges and
cigars. and queer American town II is, too
much more Spanish than ANYTHING else.
RAMBLING LITTLE CITY.
The island is five miles long and q mile wide,
low and ssndv-yet on its western end, where q
reef and the island form a roadstead for anchor
age which the inhabitants call the harbor, a
rambling little CITY OF TWENTY-FIVE thousand in
habitants has grown. The long sandy streets,
for the most part unshsded. are lined with
rough wooden houses. and for the most par.
there are no pavements except q few sun
warped boards.
Yet there are a few quiet streets where pleas
ant modern homes are surrounded bv !ofty
palms and tropical evergreens. and long lines
OF shade trees spread over the street, forming a
vista OF blue wafer and white beach at the end
for the view down almost anv street ends in the
ocean. On the reef to the westward of the
island the imposing mass Of old Fort TAYLOR,
with Its $50 obsolete muzzle leaders, gives an
appearance OF protection. Vet il Is in appear
ance only. for the for is built entirely OF brick
and the guns Of modern cruiser could law it
in ruins in a few shots. The cd fort is unoc-
cupied except by an old serg cant and his family.
who keep it in order, and the only sign of life
there now is when q CAV crowd of girls and
young armv and navy officers come over the
ricketv bridge from the mainland and through
the old sallyport to play tennis on the parade
ground.
ANAvAL STORE HOUSE.
Part Of the government reservation is occu-
pied by a naval store house, q marine hospital
and a coal she'd from which two balky mules
haul the coal in dump cars along a tramway to
the dock, where the men-of-war coal and the
revenue cutter ties up ready to intercept the
smugglers that swarm around the keys. for il
is only ninety miles 10 Havana and the duty is
high on cigars, that manv of the little sloops
and schooners that sail under the innocent
guise " fishermen are ready to make a dis
honest dollar by sailing across the straits with
a load of cigars. which can be aid AWAY on some
lonely key till 1.-The wind blows over" when
they can be shipped north labeled .'dry goods
or any convenient title. The Plant line of
steamers from Tampa to Havana stop at Kew
West three times every week and bring tue
mail and ship loads of tourists for Cuba, VINO
oyerrun the island during the few hours that
the steamer stops for freight and the Morgan
line come In twice a week on their voyage from
New Orleans to Havana. and this completes the
traffic of the metropolis of the KEYS with the
main land. To every smoker in the United
States Kew West is known as the place from
which come good cigars or little inferior TO
the famed "Havanas," and this cigar industry
employs hundreds Of people.
ALL THE TOBACCO IMPORTED.
All Of the tobacco is imported from Cuba,
Costa Rica and 1.-THE states" for little or moth
ing can be grown on the sandy soil Of the KEYS
and the workmen in the factories are mostly
imported too from Cuba. and these Spanish
cigar makers are about poor a class of citi-
Zers as ever came into our broad land. for with
the inherent conservatism of the Spaniard they
hold to the manners and customs and language
of their fathers. and they aud their children
are as loyal to the yellow and red flag of Spain
as their ancestors IN old Spain were. Hence it
is that where one would expect to find Ameri-
can customs and the English Language the signs
on the stores and shops are mostly Spanish A
boarding house is labeled "Posada;" q tailor
shop "Lasterria," and even the bank is
called in Its gilt sign "Banco Union." and if it
were not for the graceful folds of the stars and
stripes floating over the brick cottage-built GUS
tom house one might doubt that this is really
the United States. Then on the northern
shore Of the key the flag floats over the bar
racks OF company =. third United States artil-
tillery, who are quartered here as the nucleus
OF the growing coast defense system, OF which
this Is q link in the chain. and the stalwart
artillerymen stroll about the streets during
their hours OF duty, questioning the hard luck
that sent them from the pleasant surroundings
Of Washington to bake on the lonesome sand
beach Of Key West.
UNIQUE INDUSTRY.
One Of the unique industries Of Key West is |
the catching and curing Of sponges, and there |
is not anything about this queer animal that one
Of the gray-haired old negro sponge fishers can |
not tell. The sponges grow in beds on the coral |
reefs from a nucleus very much coral does. |
and the complete growth occupies but seven or |
eight months. The sponge fishing Meet OF a /
score or more of small sloops and schooners 60 \
out over the beds and drag for the sponges with |
an iron claw the end OF line. Then from 1
the brown mass Of oozy, sandy sponges the Diff |
ferent kinds and sizes are sorted out and laid |
on racks in the sun to dry. Then the sand and /
coral and shell are all sifted and worked outand \
the trimmer with pair OF shears trims the /
edges and irregularities off. after which the \
sponges are ready for shipment. unless they are 4
to be bleached for bath sponges. for which 4
purpose only a comparatively small number 4
are used for il is TO the various arts and trades
tina. most Of them 60. The coarsest grade is !
the rough brown grass sponge" then comes q /
close 6bered, tough variety called glove |
sponge" but the fine soft variety that make |
man in q bath tub smile Is the ..lamb's wool - /
and it is this kind that is bleached to . snowy |
wilderness and sent to the druggist trade
BLEACHING THE sPoxars.
The bleaching is either done by an acid pro- |
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