Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1908-04-16
SEAGOING RAILROAD,
Remarkable Line That Runs On
Florida Keys.
CUBA NOW HALF A DAY NEARER

Finished 10 Within Ninety Miles OF
Havana-NovS Open 70 Knights ksy.
When a train with a little party OF
passengers on board recently pulled
slowly southwark out OF the station Of
Miami. on the extreme southeastern
coast Of Florida, it's transformations de
pArture marked a dramatic moment 10
the history Of a man and n railroad
and an event the bearing Of which
upon the future relations Of the United
States and her nelghbors Of the West
Indies can only be fully told by time.
says a st Augustine H'la.l special dis
patch to the New York Globe.
The train was the first over the IA
nous ''seagoIng railroad which Henry
NJ. Flagler has been pushing with all
the resources OF the Florida East
Coast system. which he rules, literally
out over the sea toward Key West and
Havana. When the trains began run.
ning to knights Key. Cuba was
brought half a day nearer the United
States, and Havana was for the first
time placed In direct connection with
New York and Chicago.
The traveller can now board q Pull
man train IN either OF these cities.
whlFl across n dozen degrees Of lati-
tude direct TO knights Key and there
step from the train aboard a boat
which win land him in the Cuban capt
tai, 1l6 miles distant. within six hours
In another year. when the remaining
fOrty-seyen miles to Key West have
been opened. the distance between I'm
Gle Sam and his island ward will be
still further reduced. Key West II but
ninety miles from Havana, and Il II
planned TO Join the two by a ferry
service which shall take the trains
themselves straight through.
The conditions that confronted the
builders were these: From the southern
mainland OF Florida In n long curvlng
line 10 the southwestward the coral
islets called the Florida keys stretch
away 20 Key West. the last Of the
chain. Eastward lies the Atlantic.
westward the bay Of Florida. Begin
ming at Homestead, twenty-elght miles
they must build along the line OF these
keys and across the scores OF channels
aud passages which separate them one
from another a road which should be
so solldly based as 20 Withstand the
dreaded autumn hurricanes which
have their breeding place among tine
West Indian islands. Some OF the
channels are a few feet wide. some
thousands OF feet and some miles. The
widest OF all. the spanning OF which
was the last piece OF work In the COM
pletion OF the section now opened, Ii
i've and n half miles across from ls-
land to island. Everything except the
rock for the Foadbed and embank-
ments had to be transported from the
mainland. for the keys are mostly bar
rem and could furnish no supplies.
Even water had 10 be brought In
tanks. and the workmen had to be
housed In floating doFmitorlea over
much Of the distance.
In spite OF these difficulties and Of
the obstacles Of mud and water. stir
currents. jungle. rock. heat. mOsqul-
toes and storms. the work, once begun.
has been pushed steadily on without a
halt until the end II In sight From
Homestead. where the extension be-
gins. Il Is seventeen miles to the coast
at Waters Edge, This part OF the con
struction Il on the mainland. but II Is
through the strange south Florldlan
region Of low everglades and man
grove swRmps. Interpreted with high
or patches Of rocky pine land.
From Waters Edge the road crosses
Jewish creek. uniting Barnes and
Blackwater sounds by a drawbridge.
and after skirtlng Lake Surprise,
where thousands Of tons OF fillIng were
swallowed up In vain attempt to run
the road straight across the lake. It
lands upon the middle OF Key Largo.
the largest Of the keys. Fifteen miles
bring the southern end OF Largo. and
there the road becomes really amphib-
ious, OF the seventy-seven miles re-
naming to Knights Key more than
hair r. built over water on cement and
coral rock entertainments or on con-
crete yladucts. supported on concrete
piers anchored to the rock bottom and
strengthened with plles. At the deep
or channels there are drawbridges TO
admit the passage OF vessels. and In
the embankments which cross the shall
lower passages are twenty-five foot wa
ter openings az frequent intervals.
From Key Largo the extension
crosses Tayernler creek 20 Plantation
key, which II traverses, thence over
another narrow arm called Snake
creek 10 Windlys island. then across a
wider passage to Upper Metacumbe
key. The longest viaduct yet reached
carries the road from Upper Meta.
cumbe TO Lower Metacumbe. whence a
still longer embankment takes Il over
the wide channel to Long key. the next
stepping stone. Then from Long key
TO Grassy key comes the longest leap
Of the whole way. Between these two
there are ave and one-half miles OF sea.
which are crossed by the famous ocean