The weekly true Democrat., 1907-11-01
SEA-CoNC TRAINS
TO RUN soon.
First Section Of All-Rail Rouss a
Key West.

A special to the Tampa Tribune from
New York gives out the following
The announcement was made here to-
day by representatives of Henry al
Flagler that the ocean-going railS0ad
which he is building from the FLORIDA
mainland to Key West will be opened 10
traffic as far as Knights Key, ZOE n,lcs
south of Miami, on or about January rs.
next, and that steamers will be put mop
Grafton from that point to Havana. This
decision TO open the road to traffic Tor
the greater part of its course q year
ahead OF the time set for it's final com
pletion is Mr.. Flagler's reply to the re-
port that the building Of the road has
been given up.
"The road has not been abandoned.
and there Is no intention of abandoning
it," said Vice. President j. r. ParrotC
who is in general charge Of the con-
structiOn. ION the contrary, we expect
TO have trains running as far as Knight'a
Key, with steamships operating betwocn
that point and Havana by the middleol
January, knights Key, which n 20
serve as the temporary terminus Of the
ocean extension, is about two thirds otlhn
way fron Miami to Key West. The open.
ing of this section of the hns to tralIn
does not mean, however, that only two
thirds of the work is completed. Fully
80 per cent. of the land work betweeo
this point and Key West is finished. Nor
is II true that any engineering ditiicul
ties have been encountered that WiH
prevent the completion Of the lower part
of the extension. Every engineerinG
problem connected with the building 81
the viaducts that will carry the lino o4er
the open water sections on this portion
of the route has been met and solved h
building the part of the road already fin-
ished.
"Most of the material required fOs
the completion of the ocean line hns
been delivered and paid for. II Is not
true that the cost of the road thus far
has greatly exceeded the estimates, a6
has been reported. The road has been
built within the estimated cost, and
while 1t is impossible IN work of this ma
ture 10 practice all of the economies
possible in ordinary land construction,
the completion of the line is in no wise
beyond the financial ability OF III.
Flagler."
The Key West extension Of the Flor.
ida East Coast railroad which Henry M
Flagier projected during the Spani1h
N|+t||."
into more direct communication with
the United States, and on which be hnn
had an army Of between three and four
thousand men employed for the patf
two years, differs in many respects ffon
any railroad ever before built. tot
more than a hundred miles il runs pre
tically at sea, following the line Of tte
Florida keys from the mainland 20 ke
West. All the machinery employed hq
TO be mounted on floating dornitorlo
on some sections of the work. All 81
the supplies used were transportod
from the mainland. and large heet of
vessels was employed in the construc
tion. The road Is reported TO have cost
nearly 500, 600 a mile to build. lt Wll
shorten the journey between the United
States and Havana by from ten 20.
twelve hours, and with The inauguration
Of car ferries from Key West TO the ca.
ban capital when the road is completed,
Il will establish an all-rail route between
this country and Cuba.