Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-17

mass OF RUNS. AeOluS, INC L-oeiAi e
of the winds, seemed to thrust ven
geance upon the little city. casting open
his NEUROLOGICAL bag and hurting his cap
tives upon the unsuspecting town Ac-
cording to late reports many lives have
been lost. nearly every family is homeless
and the destruction of property will
amount to millions. although the storm
was of short duration. The wind. coming
from the gulf twisted and seethed until
only wrecked buildings show the wrath of
the hurricane.
Before the storm Key West was one of
the most picturesque of the southern cit
les and was sometimes called the "Ha-
vana of America on account of its pecul-
lar Cuban atmosphere, and was mecca
for winter tourists.
Key West. the most southern city in the
United States-verdant with the luxuriant
foliage of the tropics. surrounded by
wonderfully beautiful. opalescent emerald
sea, its jewel-crested waves surging
against it's shores. transparent as crystal.
showing the garden-like bottom to depth
Of twenty-five feet or more-is an island.
and the capital Of an island county. Mon
rec, the county in which it is situated, is
largely at sea. and embraces all the is
lands of Florida from Cape Romano on
the Gulf of Mexico to Miami on the At
lantic ocean: it has also a strip Of terri
tory on the extreme southern peninsula,
and covers a stretch of over 260 miles.
Key West is seven miles long, from one
to one and half miles broad. and eleven
feet above sea level; it lies far out in the
gulf stream. which flows in sight of the
city whose warm waters protect her from
frost or ice. Havana is in direct line.
ninety miles south. and the climate of
the two cities about the same.
Fort Taylor at Key West, casemated
fertilization. on an artificial island. Is the
citadel guarding the channels through
which the Atlantic communicates with the
Gulf of Mexico in the chain of long line
Of low-lying tropical foliage reefs. continu-
ing the east coast OF Florida as far as
the Marquesas and the Dry Tortugas.
The principal islands are Key West, Key
Largo, with its plantations Of pineapples;
Ten Thousand Islands, rich with Indian
legend and tradition: Elliott's Key. Plan
tation Key, and hundreds of smaller is
lands from a few acres to several miles
in extent.
Key West presented the appearance of
a West India city, and was one Of the
most interesting and beautiful places in
America. The stranger is forcibly i'm
pressed with the tropical semblance and
wonders to himself whether he is really
in the United States. The handsome and
substantial residences, most of which
were destroyed by the hurricane. were
shaded with tropical trees and EMPOWER
ed in perennial flowers, which riot there
all the year.
Roses are everywhere. Large bushes are
ablaze with fragrant muti-colored wax
like blossoms. Orchids hold high carni-
val on the trees. The royal poinciana,
when in bloom. mods its immense clusters
of brilliant red flowers in the air: the
night blooming cereus, acacia, magnolia
frascotti. fill the air with their fragrance;
oleanders spread their branches high
above the cottages. Bearing cocoanut
palms, as tall as eighty feet, tamarind
.rees and the banyan from India attain