The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-01-21
'FLAGLER'S FOLLY
lSNOT So FOOLISH
Instead, His Dream Has Proved
Far-Sighted Business
Sagacity.
GREAT FEAT NOW REALITY
This Week Will Witness Open
ing OF Florida East Coast
Railroad.
tspecial TO The Times pispatch.J

Especial 10 The Tines Dispatch.1
washington, January 2p.-yShep [ hs
Florida East Coaat Railroad op-ns nm
it's extension from knights Kew 10
hey west Monday, the most remark
able piece OF railroad engineering tho
"orlo ever knew--that of laying trnrL
over bridges and Islands 100 miles ont
10 sen-will have been. complst,.t nu,i
put in service.
rms railroad has ordered a number
OF s%itt car ferries for c service he.
tween lNey West and Havana, ,,inety
mics across tho Straits of E'lorida. SO
Ia. ana' py me end OF this month there
wiz be what is practically a single
railroad from Jacksonville, Florida, RI
santiago de Cuba, Mt the far south
eastern end of the island OF Cuba soon
tne traveller can board The Pullman car
IN New YORK. If he reaches Kew West
az night asleep he will wake I'm in
me morning still in his berth. 10 find
ms car standing In the station of the
Chitea Havana Railways In Havana.
ile may never realize he has cross
Gu deep arm of the sea- SO ouie,I,,
"'ii the car be shifted ahoard the fer.
~ ana so swiftly will be the ferry
aeross the niiety-mile strip of water.
ana soon the retincr in Central Cub,
can load a car with bulk sugar nm
sacked, for delivery In Rocky Mountai 4,
territory, The railroad to Kew Wc.t
ana the ferry practically connect
1una with the continent by land
"FInsIcr'a FolIy.n
Railroad men who laughed at an
tension built at cost of sometb,n :.
i'he 9lSo,ooO mile and called 1T
flagleE'a folly" now admit that II
was Il piece OF far-sightcd business
saGacity. The Standard Oil .,npEnate
urcamt OF accomplishing three things
WIN the Key West extension, End the
approaching opening of the Panama
Canai makes railroad men believe he
VIII not miss his ambition by very
much.
Fias]cr hoped that the extension
would result in most OF the freight
onsincss between Cuba and the United
states travelling by the Eln-!aa East
coast Rahroad, and to-day IL is admit.
tod that counting in the eSpensiye
HghteraSe charges and handling ard
| IehahdlinS of freight shipped by
water the steamship companies ca a
haroly compete with the railroad oven
~ charses relatively high freigkts.
ilhgler also hoped 10 get the Incl i.
dental freight brought now T. New
York b! foreign vesgels bound for
south American ports and Asiatic mort !,
Vfh Cape Horn. When tho canal Is
opened Key West viii DC on the di
rect route Of vessels bound from En-
| rope 10 the Orient, 1t will be handy
Tor these ships to reserve part of their
cargo space for freight for the United
| states, as the ship viii not have 10
! leave It's course TO deliver the copsiCn-
men's. Experts now agree ths mich
| Of this trade Will be diverted from,
| Sew York TO Key West. when the
canal IL built
finally, and most important. Fjarler
expected his road 10 be the strongest
| niaaeF Tor semiiast freight from the
| Eastern States to the Pacific coast via
the canal There is little doubt that ne
WI Eet ms trade for Key West IS the
: nearest Eastern port TO the canal
Key West Is a city half seaniah
half american. with 5000 inhatitanrs
most Of whom will see their first train
( "Aen the luxurious special. with itr
| m!ilionalra guests celebrating tho
opening OF the road. rolls into Key
West this month
Tremendous Taak.
me building OF the road has been
Tremendous task. and during the
hurricane season, "a dangerous one
Since February i, 1908, he line ~.
f, been open TO Knight's Key, a not ~
land eighteen m!lee out in the CAR q.
Mexico. ''i %
after crossing thirty mile arm o,
sSe EpfEgfaaes on an emhankn,ent
punt by dredges out Of the b,us r,,,d
OF the swamp. the railroad etarts or,i
on IT'S voyage over a succession q,
CORAL rock Keys SEPARATED by narrow
straits Of gulf water scarcely wide,
thsn creeEs ISsy Largo. twenty.sever
Iniles long. is crossed. and then IN.
road approaches Long KEY; thence an,
upon the largest irtsduct Of the route
| l"o miles OF reinforced concrete abut
| mehts and arehes. holding tho tracl
| one ieet above blue water.
81 Prom Knights Key to B,s Pin, u,