La Junta tribune., 1913-03-22
SEA VOYAGE ~ RAIL
one Hundred ard Twenty Miiss on
the Cars with Islands a. step
ping Stenss-

:
the Cuban habit Of doing nothing To-.
day rhat could be- put off until to-
norrow and moved 50 !eisureiy get
ling back to our New York beat
lha, the mean old thing went off and
lift us. As the Mallory steamers
only touch at Key West each Satur-
day. this looked at first as though
Ne we're shipwrecked for al least a
week The weather Was hot. the
Aunrry mosquitoes continued 10 bite
Eithout giving tne least warning and
rhe prosper was anything hut attran.
uve: 30 ". pulled out the next day
by rail for the north.
rs Key West is one hundred aud
rwcuiy miles from the mainland OF
Florida. IS" mad the novel experience
NJ taking a sea voyage on N" ears.
n you viii imagine a str tch -
ocean doit 4 with thousands % small
Stands extending through them f7r
one hundred and twenty miles using
the Islands ss stepping stones you
viii have some idea u this road
The southern nai' of Flo'i'a is q
coral ref resting upon fhe hr'tTm -
shat was once the ocean THIS r"'i
vas COUNTLESS ages On building a'd
q, It reached the surface the shlt'-
iug sands loaded with seed, cloth q
II with vegetation. This one hundred
aud twenty mile stretch of coral reef
nas only been clothed with yogeia-
zion In spots. and Is known ns fh"
Florida Kcys In between thrs" lit
lie Islands IL the coral rock but q
rrw feet below tho surface ~ tho
sea So the railroad rests for ID"
entire distance on this foundation.
having to 60 In one place 70 a depth
n g. feet to reach H. Where th"
water Is shallow a grade rs built 10
height of 5 nr 10 feet above tho sur
face using the material az hand just
- b. done On the lard Where N"
frpth T. greater rub" ga driven
down 10 tho reef and tho water and
and pumped ont and the snnr" till.
81 with concrete These cement
nnnr are tho foundation on which
,hc road Is carried for miles being
connected by steel stringcrs In som"
places and IN others concrete arch
n used The longest single stretch
Of rad STRAIGHT as an arrow aud L.
rcl as table is seven miles. |
an told that in the disianc. 81 one
hundred aud twenty miles two-thirds
nf u T. entirely over the sea and
aucthlrd on the little Islands scar
tered along the route.
on the Nuantic side ~ the railroad
,hr deep water is quite close In som"
places and large boats ar" seen from
m. car window: and then when sou
glance ont - the opp'si'r side ~
fhs car AVID s." slsn au uubrokrn ~
p,usa of the oc.an tire s-"sa'i"u T.
peculiar 20 saw the least This FLOR
iia East Coast Railway IL also pc
eullar In some other rcsnccts rndc
on It from Key w.~, TO jacksonville.
/, distance ~ 5es mites In which dis-
lance there l. not variation in th"
elevation above sen level - over 2"
I.t Roth ends are certainly nj,
sea l-,rt ard I am told that In
mc Interior of rloriia th.r" i no
shorc an elevation of over 200 feet.
The trip along the east coast Of
Florida was Interesting In many ways
and am nov very GLAD that Ne
missed the boat
The first stop was ~ Miami. about
MY milna from N" southern ~.
fr.mny ~ the mhirl1fi and tno other
al St Aug etiiue. th' Oldest city IN
The rnu"i f'sl,a iuurdcd In 1855.
Ninmi ia 1n'v g.. wears bid bni the
hrycr = thc two lrach about loooo
population 81 the AK. - the town
evidently has but little 10 do With
me Nif' MIAMI j. kNlHI ~ hhN'
900 ooo p'cple ~ soon a. the Para.
ma Csuai gets to working and the
other s"nports. Mobile. Tampa and
N'y West which visit.d all osp.c,
IN have like increase but old 81,
srg,stine 10 willing Ia rest an her
past record and continue Ca fa'i.n
eff m" tourist A. Miami no
ar - real estate firms. all differ.
ent varieties except they arr alik.
m on" r..ard. VIZ, they can al lie
ilk" old Munchnns"n himself rh.-.
real estate dealers ar full of push
aud energy, -, think rone of
tha siFht seeing guides and curio
sellers down her. have them skinned
mil" One ~ thes. later ut Tam.
pa told ns abou, usinr biz nllirai.
OF for u watch dog. but IN. queen ~
m. whol. buuci ia woman a, the