The Washington times., 1928-07-18

purple, mauve. oclire, browT. red
dish, pirikA Us delicate as those OF
sea shell. "A hotel. filling sta
tons, eating places, and fishing
pilots are located ut IslamOrada.
AT upper Matacumbe Key, about
Sig miles BY the highway from
Miami, but less by train. the auto
mobile ferry ID taken to no Name
Key. 40 miles distant. There are
three 81 these ferries. owned by
Monroe county, OF which Key West
il the center of population. They
and 24-foOt beam. The engines are
set beneath the main deck. allow
/ ing tlnUbstructed runWayS Tor auto
mobiles.
Ths top deck Ii 4 glassed-in ob.
serVatI0n room. The run takes
/ about four hours. At times the
| route Fl like an inland waterway,
u islands are bellAld III every
rectiun. some are merely isolated
mangrove trees, supporting belicans
An hour ana one-hslt out you
pass Long Key, a center for sail
| fishing. on the left, and the great
| K nights Key bridge OF the Over
seas railway. 35,1t1 feet Ions. It
strides over the ocean like 4 mani
moth centipede Of steel.
It was near this bridge some years
AGO that claude Nolan, Florida
sgurtsman caught 4 41,O00-pOtInd
rnit1eodOn or whale shark, the lars-
eat member OF the shark group,
though Ii is inBffensiye, feeding on
| small ertistacfea. In Theses waters
barraclidas and jacks are often seen
harasstng schools OF mullet ana
| pitchers.
Tropical fishing II better IN Slni-
mer than In winter, as the fish bite
| best when the water II warmest.
Hence, summer tourists are more
likely to see more activity among
the fishes. On eight occasions the
writer has seen huge Ox-fays leap
from the water. along about night
fall. These enormous rays, closely
allied to the sharks, sometimes
reach II feet across.
Famed Channel
Tie third Ilonr out tile ferry
boat crosses the famed Bahia Honda
hhannel. one Of the best Spanish
mackerel fishing grounds in winter.
! The main span OF the giant ttestlc
Of the Florida East Coast railway,
on the left. leaps across water 45
feet in depth.
A few miles to the right IL the
Bahia Honda fishing camp" an
open anchorage in the Florida Gulf.
At the end OF the fourth hour the
ferry reaches the landing at No
Name Key, AZ miles from Key
West. The run into The city takes
| little more than All houf.
The carriage of automobiles by
| ferry between Upper Matacunlbs
| and No Name Key, 40 miles, will
| shortly be reduced to 90 miles, by
| the completion Of 90 miles OF road
on the Key yacas, or COW keys,
which intervene between the two
presentfterminals.
| 1t il propos9d-to bridge the final
20 miles. The Florida state road
department has possible routes for
/ the bridging under examination.
The job will reach into the millions,
estimates running all the way from
4 to Is millions. according to the
| type Uf construction.
The Florida Fast Coast railways
| overseas extension, taking a more
direct route. and OF heaviest steel
ana concrete construction, cost ap-
proximately 50 million dollars. BY
using creasoted piling and choosing
shOaier waters. 1t is believed the
bridges can be built for only
fraction OF this tremendous outlay.
While the railroads profit by the
Increased business due to the DE-
velopment Of the country their
benefits are less direct than those
of the competing bus lines.
But 1t is felt that the highway
will benefit everyone. BY com.
plotting the link In the chain from
4 Maine TO Key West, it will give
new approach to Cuba by motor.
/ The government of Cuba IA greatly
Interested in the Overseas Highway
as a link In their Cuban Central
| Highway which will cost about So.
| 900. 900.
| The ferry trip from Key West TO
| Havana ia little more than six
| hours going and little less when
returning.