The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-07-21
POOR PLACE TO LIVE In.
That Is What a Northern Visitor says
About the Town of
Key West.

Key West.
l find that Key West goes locally by
the name of 1.-The last place in the
United States" 1t is not the last place,
because there is Navassa, down off the
Haytian coast. Nevertheless, l think
it is the last place | shall want to live
in, Notwithstanding its Is, or 20
really fine cocoanut palm trees, and
its considerable number of picturesque
tumble-down houses, surrounded with
tropical, but half-dried-up gardens.
Some of the streets and some aspects
of the town seen from the harbor must
delight an artist. The tall palms bend
this way and that; domes of foliage rise
beneath them, and peaked roofs of Curl
Gus tent-Hke houses peep up among
this LEAKAGE. One night, in the moon
light, | stood on one of the streets near
the water and looked up to the sky
athwart row of these palms. A strong
breeze was blowing and their luXuriant
LEAKAGE rustled dryly. The sky here
seems to be always intensely blue, and
gloriously beautiful for the palm trees.
From one point on the wharves there
is a superb view of the tower of a stone
or stucco church, surmounted by a
gilded cross and framed by palm treesA
which is worth considerable journey
to see. And the waters around Key
West-in color a pure and most deli
cate green, streaked with intense pur-
ple-seem enchanted in their beauty.
And yet Key West must class as a
bad place to live in, Notwithstanding
these beauties. An island which is
nearly "a hours steam journey
from any other place in its own
country; which has no society, no sail
tn mention, no productions, no back
country, no wells, and no fresh water
except what falls from the clouds, no
cattle and practically with water every
where, no bathing and no boating, and
which does have the most extraordinary
amount of dust that human being ever
had to face, can hardly lay claim to be-
ing a desirable place of residence. no.
tice that extremely few of the army and
navy men who are here have their wives
with them, though many of them must
spend much time in this vicinity. In a
whole big hotel full of men there are
only two or three women. This can
rot be because the place is regarded as
dangerous, since the American fleet
ought to be able to defend place like
Key West against all corners. The
weather at the present time is heaven
ly, and not warm enough rather than
too warm. | have had to put on my
overcoat sitting in the hotel corridor in
the evening: though, to be sure, the
direct rays of the sun are hot enough.
Even if il were great deal hotter the
temperature might be regarded as met
and conquered by the easy unconcern
of the people with regard to clothing.
The native women dress in unbelted
Mother Hubbards" of thin texture.
and the most respectable male resi-
dents attire themselves in suits made of
tow or duck or some such material,s
which cost $3.50.
So 10 its charm of palm and banyan
trees Key West adds an undoubted
charm of climate. the reason why it
Is not a good place to live in must be
that there is nothing of it except dingy
houses, the coral rock. and the dust.
The cheerful Cubans do not seem to
mind this. They live in apparent con-
tent in poor frame cabins built squarely
upon the street, without any shade,
they do great deal of singing and
visiting" and are evidently happy, in
spite of the paralyzing effect of the war
on their great industry, the manufac-
ture of cigars. The colored people here
are much what they are everywhere
else, though the Cuban negroes, who
are numerous, have very different as
pect from the American negroes. They
seem to be somewhat quieter and not
quite so comic.-Key West Cor Boston
Transcript.