The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-05-25
LETTERS TO
THE EDITOR
A TRIP SOUTH, WEST, EAST
AND NORTH

Editor, The TimeS-News:
The east coast Of what is now
the state of Florida was, until
comparatively a recent date, as
we'll as the entire penlnsular part
Of the state, nothing but a howl
ing swampy wilderness. The Flag
Ter system on the east and the
Plant system Of railways on the
west may truly be said to have
snatched this region from oblivion
and brought the same to a knoWl-
edge of civilization.
What is known as the Florida
East Coast. or Flagler railway sys-
tenn, is now double tracked from
Jacksonville to Miami and along
the coast of the Atlantic ocean
have sprung up the modern towns
and cities of Jacksonville, st,
Augustine, Daytona Beach, New
Smyrna, Titusville, DeLand, In
dian River City, Fort Pierce, Fort
Lauderdale West Palm Beach,
Miami ard numerous other small
er places.
Hendersonville must not think
she has the only skeleton "Fleet-
wood hotel" along the line. Both
Palm Beach and Miami have such
noted skeleton structures standing
lin their midst. One of them has
been recently given the name OF
Roosevelt and condemned to be
taken down. OF course they are
all the product of the wonderful
land booms now gone by, with the
hope for them never to return
again.
Speaking of the noble Mr.. Hen
| ry Flagler, who is now gone, this
writer happened to be in Saint
Augustine some few years ago at
the time of his funeral there. In
the church, largely erected by him,
were sung by the choir, at his re-
quest. the beautiful lines of Ten
nyson's Crossing The Bar" con-
Guiding with the hopeful words:
81 hope to meet my Pilot face
to face,
When l have crossed the bar"
Such request coming from such a
wealthy dying man surely created
the belief that he was a man OF
faith, with a future hope.
The wonderful part of his great
accomplishment was his building
railroad more than a hundred
miles, as it were, out into the
ocean. Surely he was brave man
full of faith.
Southwestward from Miami
along the Atlantic ocean to Flor
ida Keys in the world famous fish
ing region, where the Gulf and
Atlantic ocean begin to mingle to-
gether amid the Ten-thOusand is
lands, called the fisherman's
dreams, along thef famous over
seas railway, or along the new
overseas automobile highway, for
over one hundred miles, in the real
tropics, on to the island city in
the sea.
Perhaps many readers of your
Hendersonville paper do not know
that Key West is city of $4,000
inhabitants, and is the county
site of Monroe county, Florida,
the most southerly point of the
United States, the Hon. Judge j.
Vining Harris owning and living
in the southernmost home in the
United States.
The visitor to Key West is in
Vited to see the enormous train
ferries each, capable of carrying
28 fully loaded freight cars across
| to Cuba. He will want to visit the
turtle pens where turtles weighing
over 200 pounds are waiting to
be slaughtered and cooked. to visit
the fish market where thousands
lof different kinds are swimming
around awaiting purchaser, to
see the aquarium, the beautiful
Key West navy yard, the enor-
nous defense guns at Fort Tay-
lor, visit the beautiful lighthouse
and grounds, see the beautiful
blue-colored waters from this sec
ton, the natural rock house, see
the new million-doHar boulevard,
the U. S. naval station, visit the
maine" in the cemetery where
the heroes of that famous vessel