Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-18

put at drilling for dynamite blasts Others
shovel, while still others work with wheel
barFoWs or drive mule carts A channel
wide enough for a small river IS blasted
along the survey. The rocks and gravel
thus obtained are then thrown up at one
side, forming the railroad embankment
The STAT bedsteads used by the men, while
not luxurious. are easier than most devices
that pass for couches in lodging houses.
The foremen, as rule, have cloth cots with
mosquito MEETINGS, mattresses being dis
couraged, as they are sure to attract TER
min. The Italians, of whom there are some
In nearly every camp, usually Hi their
wooden bedSteadS with palm and other
leaves. renewing them before insects can In
fest them. The half-tamed peIIcans around
the kitchen tents form another sanitary
safeguard. as they bolt the cooks refuse
quicker than the average pig. Most of the
camps are on ground high enough 10 avoid
inconvenience from heavy rains.
All the camps and boats are equipped with
medicine chests and n surgeons kit. and
there is periodic medical attendance There
have been Two or three deaths from disease
contracted long before the work began and
a few men have been droWned-two off The
Miami dock by sheer carelessness. The &c
cident list has been larger. One man was
struck in the knee by pick and nearly lost
his leg. For an army of 5000 working men,
however. the hospital count and mortality
have been surprisingly low. Some of the
tents have wooden floors, some rock and
some dirt carpeted by leaves. Here and
there the tents have been decorated by let
tiers and bear such fanciful dime-novel In
scriptions The Last Hope the Drill
er's Revenge"
More than half OF the 1876 miles between
Miami and Key West the railroad will be
over water but only at two three points
is there much depth. In fact Henry M.
FIegler, the handspring of the work, says,
1t is more like landscape gardening than
railroad building. The construction Is not
as great a problem as the protection from
tropical storms of the few points not guard
ed by reefs before and after being finished,
which has caused contractors to be slow In
bidding. -Four long viaducts are to be built,
the longest and most difficult being seven
miles between Boot Key and Bahia Honda.
1t will stretch over from ten to thirty feet
of water. From Key Largo to the Mate
cumbe Keys the islands lie close together.
Between Lower Matecumbe and Long Key
there is decided gap, and the same is true
between Long and Estetta Keys. but III the
latter case the Duck Keys intervening
merely coral points projecting above the
water, will serve as anchors for the bridge
work. From Bahia Honda to Key West,
forty miles. the keys again lie closely to-
gether. 1t was originally intended to keep
to the Florida mainland as far as Cape
Sable and then cross by a viaduct thirty
five miles long, direct to Key West. but the
depth of the water most of the distance
ruled out that plan. Instead, the extension
is being made from Homestead southwest
ward, over q stretch of the Everglades
called Big Prairie. by dredges which throw
up an embankment. This. in the opinion of
the engineers, Is the most noteworthy WORK
yet attempted
Only short span will be necessary from
the mainland to Key Largo, at Jewish
creek On Largo can be seen growing
figs. grapes. grapefruit. oranges. English
walnuts, guavas, apples. lemons, lines.
peaches. pineapples, plums. tamarfnds.
shaddocks. sappadfIlos, etc. The fish to be
t.r,.s- n are eo,,aYlv foothsonna and plentiful