Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-10
BUILT ON THE KEYS
Railway Being Constructed
South From Miami.
GREAT EXPENSE INVOLVED
Concrete Work Has Cost Over $780,
900 Mile.
NOVEL ENGINEERING TASKS
1t is Believed That All of Them Have
Been Successfully Solved-one-
Third Completed.
GREAT EXPENSE INVOLVED
NOVEL ENGINEERING TAs
BY WILLIAM F.. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.
KEY WEST. March g. 1907
There are several notable engineering I'M
dertakings in progress in different parts of
the world. but none more remarkable than
the construction of railway along the keys
OF Florida from the town of Miami to the
Island of Key West by Mr.. H. NJ. Flagler
1t is an extension of the Florida East Coast
Line. of which he is the individual propri-
etor. 1t has presented several novel prob
lens in engineering involving winds. tides
storms at sea and other phenomena which
have hitherto been confined to the province
of navigation and have not been considered
features OF railroadlng But it is believed
that all of them have been successfully
solved One-thrd of the construction has
been completed. a great variety OF diff
Culties has been overcome and 1t is only
matter of time. labor and material to finish
the enterprise The money comes from the
well-filled private bank account of Mr..
Flagler. He has sold no stock; he has
issued no bonds; he has borrowed no
money; he has organized no syndicate; he
has paid for everything individually and
will own the road himself. Fortunately
his dividends from the Standard Oil Com
pany keep pouring in the money while he is
dipping IL out to pay for one of the most
expensive railroad projects tnaI was ever
proposed. When l asked Mr. Flagler the
other day why he was building this eXtraor
binary road he replied:
Because nobody else would take the
job
The risks were so great the engineering
problems were so novel and uncertain that
no contractor of responsibility or expert
ence could be induced to undertake the con-
struction. 1t is bein gdone by the regular
staff of the Florida East Coast Railway
Company. of which Mr.. ]. r. Parrott is the
general manager and Mr.. j. G. Meredith
the consulting engineer. Mr.. Flagler him
self taking his customary interest in over
looking the work.
The Proposed Line.
The distance from Miami to Key West
along the line of keys is ia miles. If you
will take a map of Florida you will be able
to understand the situation and appreciate
the unusual character of the road very
much better than / can tell you in words.
South OF Florida, and between that state
and the Island of Cuba. are innumerabe
islands-mOre than 5000 il is claimed-caIl-
ed keys" They are formed by those in
dustrious little insects which are responsible
for the lower half of the state of Florida
and formed of minute particles of lime
stone. put together like honeycomb. The
mechanism is as perfect as a jeweler could
produce. Human skill could not surpass
u in exactness or in beauty, and every
atom represents the labor of creature no
larger than a pinhead.
Some of these keys have considerable
size. an area of several square miles. Most
OF them are very small. having area of
only few square rods. Many are covered
with vegetation. particles of earth having
been lodged on their surface by the wind.
and sand from the sea bottom has been car
ried up over them by the tides. Seeds of
trees and plants and grass have been
dropped there by birds or have been borne