The Washington herald., 1909-01-12
KEY WEST, ISLAND OUTPOST
By FREDERIC J. HASKIN
By FREDERIC ]. HASKN.

vessels. Salas sold his island in 1SZ1 TO
John W SimOntOn, OF Mobile. who organ
lied q syndicate composed OF Mobile mer
chants and the American consular officers
at Havana Il was the purpose Of these
men TO devote the island 10 salt manu-
facture, and II was Immediately settled
for that purpose.
The United States took formal posses
/ sion Of the island in 1S22 The flag was
raised by Capt Perry. the same who aft
/ erward gained Immortality by opening
the empire Of Japan to intercourse with
/ the outside world. Capt Perry declared
that the island was an invaluable asset
/ for the navy, and as a military outpost.
We named it Thompson in honor OF
/ the then Secretary OF the Navy. and the
( baby town he called Port Rodgers in
honor Of Commodore Rodgers, then
| president OF the Navy Board But these
names did not catch on. and the English
corruption Of 'CsyO HuesO" was adopted
by everybody. II has given rise 10 the er-
roneoCs notion that Key West Is the west
/ ernmOSt Of the Florida keys. but other
wise Il is just as good a name as any.
The first cigar factory in the United
States 10 make cigars OF Havana to-
bacco was established in Key West in
/ lS3l. and practically all OF its output
was exported to England The business
prospered. and by IS40 had become more
I important than the salt industry, which
l soon died out. The business grew slow
/ y until after the civil war. when better
( shipping connections gave the cigar
makers access 10 American markets. The
| business increased b. leaps and bounds,
! so that BY lSG Key West was the cigar
manufacturing center OF the country.
second only 10 Havana IN the whole
world
/ II the railroad had come 70 Key West
/ IN that day the cigar supremacy prObab-
l ly would have stayed there, and the
/ city would now have 10000 inhabitants.
But Tampa got the railroad. built cigar
I factories. and after a long struggle out
/ distanced its rival For thirty or forty
years Key West was the largest and
most prosperous city of the St<te.
( Realizing that a railroad connection
would enable IL 10 retain its predominant
importance. Key West has been trying
/ for years 10 obtain the boon which II
VIII receive within the next two years.
7 The first survey FOR a railroad 10 Key
I West was made in 1916. over practically
+ the same route as that chosen by the
/ Florida East Coast Railway extension.
F Il was made IN connection with survey
+ FOR land telegraph line. In the fol-
lowing year, however the city obtained
/ cable connection and was made A station
Z on the ocean cable which connected the
United States with Cuba and Jamaica
/ Other railroad surveys were made ard
many schemes were laid. but all were
I abandoned because there was no one with
sl5.090 GO or $50 90 GO who cared 10 invest
II in what seemed 20 be a most doubtful
railroad experiment The sugar and
other staple exports OF Cuba then went
20 Europe and the Cuban freight busi-
ness did not hold out the alluring pros
/ poets which 1t does to-day
Key West is the farthest south OF any
American city. II exception Is made of
I the insular possessions. Il is almost
within the torrid zone. and its climate is
/ tropical, but II has the cOmpensating
/ benefits OF the trade winds, so that in
summer the Thermometer never goes
. higher than % degrees and In winter
rarely below 70 degrees. At first the
settlement suffered because the climate
+ was so moist that II was impossible "a
. keep fresh meats. The invention OF ar
tihcial refrigeration and the ice machine.
The work of a Florida man. changed all
that The danger from yellow fever has
been reduced 10 a minimum BY modern
science, so that Key West is quite habit
able
/ Commercially and strategically In
pOrtant as an outpost in the southern
F sea. Key West has other claims TO at
tenJiOn- Here may be found the exquisite
beauty OF the tropical ocean. the tropical
sky. and the tropical land. a constantly
shifting picture painted by the God OF
\ things as they are for the people who
dwell in the islands OF the summer. seas
/ lCOIgught. Isls. by Frederic J. Haskin-l
/ TO-mOrrOw-The Tropical Town OF
/ Tampa.