Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1908-02-10
OVER OCEAN wAvEs

| HHllhm ~ NhAAlpp WAANhB W AhN
Chicago Record.HefaId, sayGs 3
The most remarkable railroad IN the
world, which Henry NJ. FIagler il
Building on concrete arches through
the shallow waters OF the ocean along
the garland OF palm groves that cover
the keys south OF Florida, is now in
operation for a distance Of eighty-one
miles to knights Key, and regular
trains began running over 1t on the
18th inst. Through sleeping cars will
be provided from New York and Chi
cago, and they ultimately viii be car
ried across on a ferry from Key West
70 Havana, making the distance in
six hours. The railway is more than
half done, and, as the present termi-
nus at Knights Key has all the ia
ciliies for handling the traffic. Mr..
Flagler decided to place the COM
plete portion In operation and have
1t earning the expense Of maintenance,
ut least, while the remainder OF the
track Is finished to Key West. Prac-
tically so per cent Of all the construc.
don work Is done and everything will
be ready for through trains to Havana
BY the opening of the tourist season
next winter.
Knights Key, the present terminus
Of the Flagler system, Is 1O9 miles
south Of Miami, forty-seven miles
north Of Key West and lis miles
north Of Havana. The road between
Miami and knights Key is built
twenty-eight miles upon the main land
Of Florida and eighty-One miles across
and between forty-two keys. For
nearly onehalf OF the distance the
railway track passes over the water
On concrete arches, whose foundations
rest upon the bottom Of the sea.
The first twenty miles OF the line
runs through the Everglades and
nangrove swamps, where thousands
Of tons OF rock filling was hauled in
from the ocean, and the grade was
made by two large steam dredges that
burrowed their own channels as they
moved along, one on either side OF
the right OF way, and lifted the earth
from the excavations upon the road.
bed 10 form an embankment that W.
now as solid as the earth itself, In
this way two canals have been built
one on either side OF the track through
the Everglades, which are a protec.
ZION TO the track and will serve ano
ther useful purpose In assisting to
drain the manErOTe swamps OF South.
srn Florida and make them habitable.
AZ the town OF Homestead, twenty.
eight miles south of Miami, the track
haves the continent OF North Amer.
Tea and starts upon its way over the
ocean. Seventeen miles south OF that
point II reaches Key Largo the largest
Of the keys, which Is fifteen miles
long, and from there jumps from key
70 key by means Of massive masonry
and entertainments OF cement and coral
rock. In crossing the deeper chan.
nels several drawbridges have been
provided to permit OF the passage OF
vessels, The intervening water be-
tween the foFty.two keys varies In
width from n few hundred feet to two
miles or more. and IN depth from
few inches 10 thirty feet. The EN-.
bankments are riprapped with rock to
prevent washing. and are defended by
piles and every other device that the
engineers could invent TO protect the
railway from the attacks Of the water.
which Is sometimes stirred up into
great violence by the force OF the
wind Tho track IL thlrty-one feet
above high water, so that the pas.
senIrs In the railway trains may sit
In the windows OF Pullman cars In Sc.
renety aud have an opportunity Of
seeing how the Atlantic Ocean looks
In gale.
Some Of the keys are very small.
merely an acre or 20 OF sand that has
bccn piled up by the action OF the
water upun foundations OF coral tha,
have been constructed through the
ages by these wonderful little insects
that set us all a goOd example ia "a.