Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1908-12-06
TRIUMPH OF RAILROAD BUILD
ING.

The greatest achievement in rail-
road building in this country in re-
cent years-and perhaps the greatest
of all-is the construction of the
Florida East Coast road. Only a
few days ago United States Judge in
New York dismissed the charge of
peonage brought against the labor
agent of this most remarkable rail
road. 1t has since been shown that
the peonage agitation against the road
was started by some irresponsible
workmen, who after the manner OF
hoboes had run away from their work
and sought to justify the breaking OF
their contract When the road was
projected the use of the Florida con-
victs was offered at forty cents a
day, but Mr. Flagler, the head of the
undertaking, decided to use free la
Dor, though more expensive.
A news story of this great enter
prise says in part:
Vice-President PARROT, who now is
in New York on business connected
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 lagoons
to connect Key West by direct line
with Miami, now estimates that this
one of the most novel engineering en-
terprises of medern times, will be
completed and trains running for its
full length within year.
Already the line is completed an(
trains are running for eighty-foul
miles south of Miami, right down
to Knights Key. Work also is be-
ing pushed forward from Key West
up and over forty miles of roadbeC
has been constructed by the gangs
that are working northward to NEE
the other workmen who rapidly are
moving south. This means that to-
tai of 124 miles has been completed
out of the 1876 miles of road surveyed
from Miami to Key West The great
est of all the engineering feats OF
this wonderful line, however, is We
to be completed This is the eleven
mile gap from Knights Key to Bahi;
Honda where the line is being car
ried over the open ocean on con
crete arches.
The effect of the great extension
on traffic to Havana, however, al
ready has been felt because now thu
steamers for Havana meet the trains
at knights Key and take passenger
and freight from that point to tn,
Cuban capital instead of eighty-fou
miles north at Miami When thu
l line is completed to Key West hug
! railroad car floats will take entiTt
trains across the Florida Straits II
Havana, a distance of ninety miles
without compelling passengers t.
leave their car seats or sleeping ca
| berths and without the necessity o
breaking bulk on a single consign
ment of freight This will mean tina
the Cuban sugar planter will be en-
| abled to load his product on freigh
| car side-tracked at his plantation
| have the car hauled by rail to Hav
ana, floated to Key West and thel
rail-hauled right to New York o
any other point without any of tn
| expense, trouble or damage danger
of a second handling.
| This great project, which is bein,
| financed from beginning to end, b.
Mr. Flagler personally, generally i
regarded by engineers as the mos
expensive stretch of railroad eve
| built, the average cost of construc
ton, from end to end, exceeding 500,
600 mile, while the additional CAPT
tai requirements for docks, channel
ing, car floats and equipment will
bring the total cost approximately t
| S30,000,000. Already Mr. Flagler ha
expended upward of $15,000000 O
| the work