The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1908-03-20
Mr.. FLAGLER's FORESIGHT


Probably the most spectacular rail |
road enterprise ever carried through
in this country s that daring work of
Mr.. Henry VI .Flagler in extending
the East Coast line of Florida down
to Key West. The road has been
opened for operation to knights Key,
within about so miles of Key West
Even on the unfinished portion a very
large part of the work has been done.
A line which runs along the eastern
coast Of Florida so far out at sea that
the traveller at times will be entirely
out Of sight Of land, road built IN
der conditions which none but such
a genius in finance and energy as Mr..
Flagler would ever have been willing
to risk, it well merits the statement
made by Mr.. Elihu Root when secre-
tary of war, that, with the exception
of the Panama canal, it was the most
important business undertaking of the
times.
The opening Of the line to Knights
Key has already reduced the trip from
New York to Havana to 4S hours.
When completed to Key West, and
the vast docks which have been plan
ned by the owner Of the road have
been built, a wonderful situation will
be developed. Most of the magazine
and newspaper stories which have
dealt with this enterprise have point
ed to the farsightedness of Mr.. Flag
Ter, looking not to the present, but to
the future, of Cuba, in constructing a
road to the farthermost point of Flor
ida and the nearest possible point 70
that island. Destined, as Cuba is, to
be land Of great wealth and activity
by virtue of its marvellous resources
and Of its commanding position in
the Gulf of Mexico, this alone would
hardly have justified the building of
this road. Beyond Cuba Mr.. Flagler
must have seen in his mind the time
when, with the Isthmian canal COM
pleted, there would enter into the
Gulf of Mexico the commerce of the
world. Changes of such stupendous
moment as to be beyond the power of
the mind to grasp at present their sig
nificance will then be seen. The gulf
ports will then inevitably become
great centers Of commerce Through
the Panama canal will pour a com
MERGE of tremendous extent, and with
the influence which the construction
of the canal will have upon the Unit
ed States, upon Europe and upon the
Orient, we shall soon see the begin
ming of that time predicted so years
ago by Commodore Maury. the path
finder of the seas, when he said that
with the Isthmian barrier removed, in
the Gulf of Mexico the worlds COM
MERGE would be centered. Mr.. Flag
Ter, realizing the truth of this, is
building an all-rail line, which when
it reaches Key West, will be the only
possible railroad route to the United
States port nearest to the Panama ca
nal. With a government arsenal and
fort at Key West, with that point ac-
cessible by rail from all parts of the
United States, and closer to Panama
than any other gulf port, there is de-
velOped a strategic and spectacular
situation which sooner or later will
appeal to the public mind with the
same strength with which it evidently
appealed to Mr.. Flagler when he frts
conceived the idea Of this undertake
ing. 1t is not like any other railroad
undertaking Of the last 40 or 80 years.
Taken in all its bearings, it is unique.
AS a piece os railroad construction it
is unlike anything else. But other
men have done great and daring
schemes of construction work. Add
ed to this Uniqueness in construction,
and to it's being the only railroad in
existence built for miles over the
ocean itself, is the strategic and COM
handing influence which it has with
relation to the Panama canal and to
the dominating position which the
United States must hold by reason of
the canal in the commerce of the
Baltimore Manufacturer Re
cord.