Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1920-09-23
SOUTHERN PORT
IS BLOCKADED
Attempt to Land Telegraph Cable
at Miami Brings About Queer
Situation.
MIAMI IS IN THE LIMEL|GHT

United States Warshlps Blockade q
United States Port in Time Of
Peaee-GeosraphIc Society on.
eiaI Tells About Place.
BY JOHN OLIVER LA GORGE.
Viee-Director National Geoaraphic
Society.
Miami, Fla.-Probably for the first
time since TIE stirring days of the
Clvll war we find southern port
blockaded by United States warships.
happily, however, it is no crisis
brought about by an uncompromisine
demand for the integrity of state
rights, but to prevent a cable ship en-
tering the port of Miami, the most
southerly city on the Floridian main.
land and the third largest in the state.
from the standpoint of population.
Nesting beside the beautiful waters
OF Biscayne bay and separated from
the Atlantic only by TIE peninsula of
Miami beach, the city has RAPIDLY
come into Its own, due to the strategic
geographic location it occupies on the
South Atlantic coast, and II gives
promise to rival Jacksonville as
port OF call. When one realizes that
one-third of all the grapefruit in the
United States comes from the county
IN which Miami is situated and that
one-tifth of all the animal life In
America north of Panama IS to be
round In the waters of the Gulf stream
which lave the golden strand of Miami
beach In its front yard, and with the
great potential agricultural wealth of
the Everglades at Its back door, small
wonder that Miami has grown, as
Shown by the last census report, 40
per cent.
Rivals the Riviera.
Blessed with year-round climate
that rivals the Riviera, with ever
blowing trade winds that temper the
semi-tropical sun, Miami bids fair to
take rank with anything Of Its size in
the United States for development
along highly profitable and thoroughly
businesslike lines.
1t is not surprising that a telegram
company desires to bring tie Barbados
cables into Miami instead of Key
West, hundred odd miles south Of
this point; but there is some dlplo-
matte hitch about England's control Of
cables which has caused this pratical-
ly unheard of situation of United
States war vessels blOckading a Unit
ed states port in the time of peace.
Three years ago the money on de-
post In the banking institutions Of
Miami amounted to something like Sd
100000, in the summer of 1919 to
$12OOO,0O0, in March, 1920, to ST.
100000, and today the amount Is up-
ward of $2O,00O,OOO. Moreover, in
permanent population 1t has grown in
ten years from SAT- to 29,549. During
the winter months there are nearly as
many traffic "cops" on It's well-paved
streets as there are in the national
capital, ten times it's size.
One of the most important develop.
ments OF Miami beach Is the Inaugural
ton and completion of the Miami
aquarium and biological laboratory.
located at the beach terminus of the
wonderful 1OO-foOt causeway stretch
ing three miles in length which spans
Biscayne bay, connecting the city with
the ocean beaches. AS the scientists
generally agree that all land animals
came originally out Of the sea. the
study of the myriad forms of life in
the tropical seas will, 1t Is believed,
develop links between the sea and
land animals that will add much to the
worlds knowledge of this important
question. Since the question of food
las been accentuated as an aftermath
of the world war, the eyes Of econ
omists have turned to the warm seas
to develop the possibilities of it's in
Vulnerable fish life.
New Species Of Tuna.
Just as the shoemaker's child is
proverbially without footwear, so II
was that there was no aquarium or
biological station on the entire Allan
tic coast south Of Philadelphia, and,
consequently, no extensive and ade-
quately equipped and situated institu-
ton to which the ichthyologists of the
country could make pilgrimages and
study at first hand the wonders of the
fauna of the Gulf stream. Heretofore
these specialists in zoology travelled to
the aquarium at Naples, Italy, and to
other European institutions, simply be.
cause there was nowhere in the warm
seas surrounding the southern part Of
our own continent place where they
have the means at hand to pursue
their highly important work.
Only a month or two ago, an entire
ly new species of tuna, one of the
most valuable food fishes In the world,
was located and described by the d.
rector of the Miami aquarium, and II
these great fishes of the horse.
mackerel family can be developed In a
commercial way 1t will have an inter.
esting bearing on the problem Of low
ering the high cost OF living.