Griggs courier., 1897-04-16
KEY WEST A QUEER PLACE.
Few Americana Live There Great
Market for Fruit.

Few American Live There &c Great
Market for Fruit.
A man who recently has returned
from key West, Fla, says the first im-
preston stranger gets of that place
at the present time is that the city has
gone on a perpetual holiday spree.
flies from almost every house,
top, and the colors are about evenly di-
vided between "old glory" and the em-
blem of the Cuban republic. People Of
ali classes and ages wear pins or other
symbols bearing the motto "Cuba
libre," and if Uncle Sam would only nod
or say nothing at all about it
the $4,000 patriotic Inhabitants of this
seagirt isle would skip across the chan-
mel and tack the queen of the Antilles
to the star spangled banner without
any more fuss. Castillo del Morro,"
or Morro castle, is only 81 miles from
the government dock at this point, aud
our swift cruisers could cover the dis
tance in a little more than four hours.
The defenses of Havana are obsolete
and out of date. and a Cuban colonel,
a member of Gemez' staff, openly de-
clares that anyone of our armored ships
could pass the fort and take the city
without difficulty; that is, as far as the
land defenses are concerned.
This far southern city. lying almost
within the tropics, is the only town of
Importance below Mason and Dixon's
line that was never under the stars and
bars of the confederacy. The popula-
ton is about evenly divided between
white Cubans, colored Cubans and
white Bahamians. There are not more
than score of real American families
resident on the island, but notwitk-
standing this fact the great mass of the
people are loyal to the union first and to
Cuba next. 1t is curious, though true,
that of all the houses, dwellings,, stores,
hotels and other buildings that dot the
island from one shore to the other, not
one of them has chimney or anything
that will answer the purpose of chim-
ney. Handsome residences and lowty
novels are alike in this respect, and
from an eminence. gazing out over
acres of roofs on all sides, one is at once
struck with the want of something to
complete the symmetry of the picture.
Wood and coal or fuel of any kind are
unknown quantities, as the tropical at
mosphere furnishes ut all times of the
year all the heat required, and for cook
ing purposes sticks of carbon arc used,
which are sold by peddlers, who hawk
their wares about the streets.
There are few stores. as we under
Sfn nd <e
Signboards in Spanish will tell you
where barber shop is located or where
to buy coral ornaments. There are not
more than half a dozen real stores con.
Quoted on the American plan in the
whole island.
Instead of market there is daily
auction near the government dock,
where everything in the way of provis.
ions, furniture and fruit is knocked
down to the highest bidder. Bananas.
alligator pears and pineapples are the
commonest articles of purchase, and
here ships from Jamaica, Cuba and
Nassau, in the Bahamas, unload their
cargoes and dispose of them at ruinous
rates rather than risk voyage at this
time of year to more northern ports.
Quick sales and small profits seems to
be the prevailing idea with them. AS a
consequence Key West is, perhaps, the
greatest banana and pineapple market
in the world. On almost any day one
can secure an enormous bunch Of
bananas, ripe or green, at from ten to
fifteen cents, and can cart away all tine
luscious pineapples he cares to purchase
at one, two or three cents each. Di-
rectly opposite to the harbor docks. on
the farther side of the island, and fac
ing Cuba, is large dancing pavilion
called La Brisa. where Monday and Fri
day nights and Saturday afternoons
public dances are held. 1t has large
broad verandas overlooking the sea,
which make ideal promenades, and a
commodious dancing hall within. where
those who desire can trip the light fam
tastic to their hearts content upon the
payment of small fee. The very best
people attend these dances, and many
go simply for the promenade or To
smoke or chat with friends, but should
anyone step even SO much as toe upon
the dancing floor dark-skinned Cuban
is Immediately at hand with prof.
fered hat into which coin must be
dropped.
There must be at least 5000 refugees
in Key West, noncombatants and eXiles
from their homes, who dare not return
under the present Spanish rule, and
who must await the solution of the war
problem one way or the other before
they can return and resume their peace
full cupations.-Chicago Chronicle.
Marvellous Mechanism.
The human body is an epitome in
nature of all mechanics, all hydraulics,
ali architecture, all machinery of every
kind. There are more than 80 me-
cnanical movements known TO mechan-
ics to-day, and all of these are but
notifications of those found in the
human body. Here are found all the
bars, levers, joints, pulleys, pumps,