The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1908-12-11
viii Be Rushed
To Completion Now
Hundreds of Men Going to Work on
FlOrida'S Great Railroad to
Key West.

Key west.
New York. Hundreds of men will
soon be rushed southwark to work on
the completion Of the great Florida
East Coast Railway, following the de-
cision of Judge HOugh, of the United
States Circuit Court, in dsmissing, as
without cause of action, the so-called
peonage cases that had been brought
by the United States Government
against the labor agents of the railroad.
While the action was pending il the
courts the men in charge of the con-
structiOn work on the sea-gOing rail-
road, which is to be Henry M. Flagler's
greatest achievement, were 10th to push
forward with the same amount of ener-
ey that had been displayed prior to the
action of the attorney general in taking
cognizance of the reckless charges Of
labor slavery that had been made. Ev-
ery effort to make up for lost time now
will be put forward by Vice Pre-. ident
Joseph r. Parrott, who has been in
charge personally since the work began
in June, 1905 Fully 1000 men are now
employed south of Knights Key and
more workmen will be sent to the field
of operations within few days.
Vice President PARROT, who was re-
Gently in New York on business con-
nected with the great extension which
is jumping over a stretch of thirty
miles of open ocean and over thirty
miles more of submerged keys and la
gOOns to connect Key West by direct
line with Miami, now estimates that
this, one of the most novel engineering
enterprises Of modern times, will be
completed and trains running for its
full length within year from resuming
work.
Already the line il completed and
trains are running for eighty-four miles
south of Miami, right down to Knights
Kew. Work also is being pushed for
ward from Key West up and over forty
miles of roadbed has been constructed
by the gangs that are working north
ward to meet the other WOrkmen who
rapidly are moving south. This means
| that a total of lbs miles has been COM
pleted out Of the 1855 miles Of road sur-
veyed from Miami to Key West. The
greatest Of all the engineering feats on
this wonderful line, however, is yet TO
UG NDlAlRAGkCls AAio 10 NAAC AA-hANAg B0B
from Knights Key TO Bahia Honda,
where the line is being carried over the
open ocean on concrete arches.
TRAINS TO CUBA,
The effect Of the great extension on
traffic of Havana, however, already has
Oeen felt because now the steamers
for Havana meet the trains at Knights
Key and take passengers and freight
from that pOiLt to the Cuban capital,
instead of eightY-four miles north to
Miami.
When the line is completed to Key
West huge railroad car floats will take
entire trains across the Florida Straits
to Havana, distance of ninety miles,
without compelling passengers TO leave
their car seats or sleeping car berths,
and without the necessity Of breaking
bulk on q single consignment Of freight.
This will mean that the Cuban sugar
planter will be enabled TO load his pro-
duct on a freight car sidetracked at his
plantation, have the car hauled by rail
TO Havana, fioated 10 Key West and
! then rail-hauled right to New York or
any other point without any Of the ex-
peIlse. trouble or damage dangers Of q
| second handling.
This great project, which is being
financed, from beginning to end, by Mr..
Flagler personally, generally is regard
ed by engineers as the most expensive
stretch Of railroad ever built, the aver
age cost Of construction, from end TO
end, exceeding 500, 900 a mile, while the
additional capital requirements for
docks, channeling, oar floats and equip
ment will bring the total cost approx
mately to 10000, 900. Already Mr..
Flagler has expended upward Of $l5,
900, 900 on the work
1t was more than a year and half
ago when this great work was inter-
rupted by the United States Attorney
General and charges were made that la
bOrers on the railroad work were held
in bondage, compelled 70 work practi-
cally without pay and were subjected
TO various sorts of oppression.
The case WIGS presented to the Fed
eral grand jury in New York and indict-
ments, charging conspiracy, were found
against Edward j. TRAY of JacksOn-
vile, Fla, resident labor agent for the
road; against Francisco Sabbia, who
has a private bank at 225 Bowery in
this city; and against Frank A. HOugh
and David z. Harley, who were en-
plOyed by the company to take south
the gangs of workmen that were en-
gagged in New York. AT an expense that
has been estimated 10 be as high as
$500, 0GO, the governments attorneys,
after three years Of preparation, had
their cases literally thrown out Of court