The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1911-02-17
|HLOR|DA'SNfW
SEA RAILROAD
Benefits to State Described by
Mr.. Ingraham in Examiner
RESOURCES
SfotisticaI Reports Show Phenomenal
Growth Great Advantages From the
Drainage and Railroad Projects

Written for Chicago Examiner by j..
Z Il. Ingraham, vce-president of the
; Fiorida East Coast Railroad, who for
fWenty.six years has made study of
progress and development of Florida).
MANY years ago Mr. Henry M. Flag
len remarked that he was going to try
\ 20 do for Florida what the Spaniard,
Che Frenchman and the Englishman
had each tried to accomplish in turn,
and in vain. Mr. Flagler built the
Ponce de Leon and Alcazar hotels at
81 Augustine, the first of the great
6vstem of nine hotels. now known as
jtfe Florida East Coast Hotel System,
Nth hotels at Ormond. Palm Beach,
iam, Nassau (Bahamas) and on the
leach near Jacksonville.
He built the Florida East Coast Rail-
Wv, from Jacksonville 1866 miles to
slami, the greater part through bar.
IN wilderness. He founded towns
long the way, contributing literally to
ehOrches of all denominations and
rch0ols. He employed many hundreds
I ~ men in his various works, helped
fiousands to establish homes or farms
III themselves. He built up the east
I. 6bast of Florida by his perseverance
IND pluck; he never admitted that any
! ling could fail if proper care and eff
xort were expended upon it. By his
ample he encouraged others, and by
M means he aided them. his greatest
j|Ibh being "to help men to help them.
IVES" the greatest of philanthropy.
This expenditure of money, time and
1remitting effort has resulted in es.
foblishing the east coast on a sound
I(Iancal basis. Its success has been
I'd all over the State of Florida, and
81 three great crops, fruit, vegetables
"a tourists, have given it world wide
Iputation.
1906 Mr.. Flagler began the Key
lest extension from Homestead to Key
lest, 1923 miles. This is not long
(ece of railroad construction, but there
1ore no precedents on which estimates
fof this work of this character could be
Used. Contractors came down, looked
over the wide waste of rolling waters
a be bridged, shook their gray heads
md returned unwilling to even try their
s)ill or trust their judgement in such
UNUSUAL Undertakings.
1.-The difficulties are these, narrow
Hinge, more or less broken, of low coral
Hands or keys jutting out from the
6Iainland to Key West to be connected
~ embankments, trestes or vladucts
md bridges, the Atlantic Ocean on the
nth, the Gulf of Mexico on the north,
jIrotect ted in places by the outer reef on
{7ke sonth side and by sandbars on the
forth. :,
n These islands are rocky, hence afford
>&<bed for the railroad for liz miles, the
q lance to be trestled, or bridged, or
s He'd in. After many months of care
a ! examination by Mr.. FlagIer,'s en-
|1Ineers, the actual work was begun.
edges were put to dig two parallel
nails 100 feet apart, from point
4 ross the Everglades south of Home
lad to Jewish Creek at Key Largo,
urteen miles, the dump between the
edges being for the future railroad
Id. A number of light draft steam
|ats and barges were bought and sup
T. les were carried, including water(for
fresh water is found on the keys to
mps scattered along the keys from
wish Creek to Key West, and thous-
Ids of laborers were put to work
kading the roadbed on the keys.
These men were we'll cared for, food
as good and their health was made an
bject of care. great dredges were built
bought, and put to filling IN with
Nv, sand and rock, the shallow waters
tween some of the keys; trestles
ere built across these waters, and the
brk of filling in these places that
Md be so treated, was carried on
Chit and day by dredges and by trains
cars, dumping rock and clay along
e sides of these trestles.
Where the water was too deep for
lis treatment, reinforced concrete
aducts we're built, the longest at
png Kew. being POI miles in length,
ameter of arches so feet, the track
Vel is 81 feet above sea level. This
pe has also been used for number
openings at other points. knlgnts
ley and Little Duck Key bridge IS OF
(eel girder spans, these Orders are ~
let long, feet high, track level being
he same as Long Key viaduct. The
riders are supported by reinforced
bncrete piers. :,
The total length of bridges is l7;6I
Niles. The total length of embank-
tents built by dredges is AL miles.
At Knights Key. III miles south OF
liami, a wharf was built where &C.
lent, granite, gravel and sand from
be Hudson River quarr;es and Baitl-
Aore, and other construction supplies
bud be landed by sea going vessels.
Il Jewish Greek. Indian Key Channel,
raw bridges were provided. -. ,
Recalling as MIR. Flagler did, the