The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-01-22
RAILWAY OVER SEA
WAS OPENED TO-DAY
Impressive Ceremonies At
tend Completion of Re-
markable Road.

MIAMI, Fla, Jan. 22.--Ihe compile
ton of one of the greatest engineering
feats of the present age was celebras
ed today when the first great railroad
over the sea-" the Key West Extension
OF the Florida East Coast Railway was
formally opened. BY using the Florida
Keys as stepping stones, this steel
highway runs over 1856 miles of salt
water from a point few miles south
of Miami to the island city OF Key
West
A special train bearing American
and foreign dignitaries was sent over
the remarkable construction as the
feature of the exercises formally COM
momoratng the putting into service
of the extension. Many OF the foreign
embassies and legations sent represen-
tatives to take part in the celebration.
at the invitation of President Taft,
| among them Italy. Mexico. Portugal.
Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic.
Ecuador, Guatemala. Salvador and Ur-
uguay.
The United States armored cruisers
Washington and North Carolina and
| the scout cruisers Salem and Birming-
Navy. and the Portuguese cruiser Ar
mazda participated in the celebration.
It Marks an Epoch.
| The completion of the work on the
! extension marks an epoch in railroad
engineering as important as will be
the opening of the Panama Canal in
the history of shipping. 1t is the same
thing reversed. In the one case. ships
are made to climb mountains; in the
| over the sea.
In construction this feat is consid
cred the greatest accomplishment OF
it's kind in the world. The entire line
to Key West extends a distance OF
1856 miles, nearly half Of which is over
open water Forty-two keys, or is
lands, are crossed in this stretch.
Contamination of it marks the real
ization of dream of Henry NJ. Flag
Ter, Standard Oil magnate, and one OF
the foremost figures in the financia
life of the nation. He has had the
idea constantly in mind ever since the
Spanish-American war excitement
when he conceived the proposition o
making traffic communication between
the United States and Cuba easier ant
more practical The project viii
shorten the time from Florida main
land to Cuba by almost twenty hours
Work Begun In 1905.
The actual work was begun in 1905
i~to
for by Mr.. Flagler were submitted t.
him by engineers. The president o
the road glanced at them and, turning
to J. r. Parrot, vice president ant
general manager of his railway, ant
, his right-hand men in all his Florids
undertakings, said:
"All l want to know is whethe
the road can be built"
Eyes, it can," replied Mr.. Parrott
Then, go ahead and build it," MI
Flagler directed.
The engineers estimates were tina
the feat would cost fifteen million
dollars. It has cost much more thai
that, and the officials of the road sev
eral times were obliged to negotiat
loans of millions in order to ensur
, it's completion.
Since work was begun in 1905. tn
; dirt has been flying ceaselessly. I'm
mense pile drivers have been sinking
foundations, huge dredges have bee1
sucking up sand from the bottom o
the sea to construct a road bed, ant
an army of between 5000 and 400
men has been pushing its way stead
lily southwark from Miami out over tn
waves and tiny islands toward Ke.
:. West.
The difficulties were many and tn
problems to be solved unusual. 1t wa
, necessary to assemble steamboats,
; tugs, lighters. hundreds of barges
, launches, floating derricks. pumps
pile drivers and repair shops. for
since this was to be railroad at sea
sea craft had to be utilized in it's con
struction. The Florida Keys traverset
by the line are mostly uninhabited
though some of them are high and DIR.
at all seasons Of the year.