The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1920-10-07
Punta Gorda, Our Inaccessible Neighbor
(Estero American Eagle)

front, with plenty of good fishing and
boating right at hand.
Friday night we attended the
moving picture show, owned and OPP
Grated by Mr.. Harry Goldstein. 1t
is a fine little brick theatre seating
several hundred people, and the plays
+ presented are much the same as those
shown in the high grade picture
shows of the big northern cities. Mr..
GoldStein, violinist of exceptional
ability and training, personally con-
ducts the music, trio consisting of
violin. cello and piano,-aEd to any
lover of high class music, this fea-
ture alone is more than worth the
price of admission
Saturday morning, in company
with Mr.. Hewitt, we went out on the
big bridge spanning Charlotte Har-
| Dor to note the progress of the work.
We had heard much of this bridge
| from time to time, but this was the
| first opportunity we have had to in
spect the structure at close range.
For some distance out from shore
extends wide dirt fill, held in place
by concrete retaining walls, and
forming the approach.
The bridge, which is nearly two
miles in length, and said to be the
| longest structure of its kind in the
United States, is, with the exception
OF the draw span, of solid REINFORCED
concrete. Even the piling is of that
material, thus insuring a bridge that
should resist the action CT wind and
wave for generations. Wh.n COM
pleted, the concrete flooring will have
an asphalt surface, which will pro-
vide smooth riding.s We found the
work completed to the draw, With
the exception of one span, which is
being poured, and the wooden forms
are being erected for pouring the next
span beyond. Fhe piling is all in
place, and We are told that with a
little speeding up of the work, the
bridge could be completed in three
months time. One of the greatest
drawbacks has been the scarcity and
high price of cement, but we under
stand that this material is now be-
coming plentiful and the price is rap
idly falling toward normal.
The only criticism we could make
of this fine bridge is that it is too
narrow, being but IA feet and 4
inches in width between the concrete
balustrades OF course, with slow
and careful driving, this gives ample
clearance between cars,-about two
feet but one can only wonder what
will happen when some of those big
trucks come along that are sure to
use the road extensively. In such
an emergency one vehicle or the
other would have to back up a half
mile or more to let the other pass.
But then, that is their worry, not
ours.
This new bridge, when completed, !
will put Punta Gorda within so miles
Of Tampa, via Charlotte Harbor. Sar-
asota, Manatee, Bradentown and |
Palmetto, shortening the distance, !
we are told, more than 20 miles and |
with a short road to Fort Myers
would put our county seat within |
little more than 100 miles of
the cigar city. The road is entirely
graded from Punta Gorda to Tampa,
and but % miles of it remain to be |
hard surfaced. The total cost of the |
Punta Gorda bridge will be approx |
mately $23O,OOO.
Mr.. Hewitt, who visited the bridge
with us, proprietor of an immense
garage, situated at the bridge term
with us, is proprietor of an immense
garage, situated at the bridge termi-
nus. This garage, which is 100 by
largest in the United States under
one roof, and without supporting
posts through the center. 1t is a
splendid property of its kind, and
should be able to handle a tremend-
Gus traffic when once the road is OPP
ended through between Tampa and
Fort Myers.
Being somewhat interested in the
pineapple industry, we visited several
pineries, with a view of getting some
yoang plants, as Punta Gorda is the
center for smooth cayenne pineapples
on the west coast of Florida. Many
persons are engaged in the industry
in this section, a large proportion of
the fruit being grown under Slated
sheds, affording partial shade and
producing better fruit than in the
open ground. We found the pine
apple business on the boom. With
better prices now prevailing, nearly
all growers are planting more this