Evening star., 1935-01-27
Continued i'rom Second Page.

only. AT Key west are lots or accOmmo-
dationS and fishing boats, but the angler
must ride far for his big game, as the
nearby waters are fiShed hard. The fair
sex are we'll represented in these places
and many of them have caught very
large fish. Boats for any purpose are
always available and the native guides
are good bOatmen, as well as fishermen.
The Northern visitor to these waters will
enjoy the excellent food, crawfish, lines,
stone crab, shrimp, and wonderful sea
food, a luxury "at home" will be found in
abundance. Many fine Spanish and
Cuban dishes are served by the natives,
who are excellent cooks.
THE Keys may be reached by the over
seas highway and the Florida East
Coast Railroad-both are most interest
ing routes, having a wealth Of scenic
beauty. The motoriSt in his car and
the passenger on the train both travel
over innumerable bridges and trestles
under which lie the wonderful blue
waters of the Keys. From the automo-
bile or train may be seen great schools
of fish, birds of all descriptions and a
continuous panorama of changing cloud
and water effects. The Overseas High
way is completed from Miami to Key
West, with the exception of four-hour
ferry ride. The F. E. G. Railway is en-
tirely finished and represents gigantic
engineering feat. A third of the trip is
over bridges spanning the waters of the
Gulf and Atlantic, and on the longest
bridges the passengers have the Sensa-
ton of going to sea in Pullman car,
which is, of course, quite novel.
History and romance are as much a
part of the Keys as the sunshine. In
olden days pirates made haven of the
bays and inside passages. Spongers
piled their trade and fought battles over
possession of the sponge beds. The
names of some of these islands are we'll
given-Islamorada Matecumbe, Key Va
cas-, Bahia Honda, Torch Ramrod,
Cudjoe, Pirates Cove, Boca Chica, etc.,
Key West being located on the last island
in the chain. One hundred fifteen miles
from the mainland of Florida, 1t is the
Southernmost city of the United States.
Principal industries are cigar manufac-
turing truck gardening, sponging, shark
leather, fishing and naval base. Cooled
by the trade winds, these islands have
an ideal climate, with an average yearly
temperature of II degrees. Persons suf-
fering from physical ailments visit the
Keys annually for the beneficial sunshine
and healthful rest to be found there, the
temperate climate being helpful to re-
Spiratory ailments.
Leaving the palm covered islands be-
hind, the angler on days trip to the
Great Barrier Reef will find much of
interest. Going out through the wind
ing channels between the Keys, the fish
ing boat will disturb great rays, which.
when approached by the boat, will wing
their way over the bottom like great
birds. Pelicans and man-o'-war birds
will be seen feeding on the flats. Here
and there will be patches of milky water,
under which lie great schools of mullet
feeding on the chalky bottom. Now and
then school of baleo will dart to the
surface and speed along the top, dis
turbed by the boat or trying to escape
a fish beneath them. Large and beau
tifully colored jellyfish are seen at times,
and occasionally the lucky angler will
see great sting-ray jump out of water
to height of 10 feet or more and fall
with a sound like thunder, doing so to
throw off the sucker fish that attach
themselves to his gills.
AS the boat plows seaward the water
changes rapidly from green to blue and
when the reef is reached the boatman
will slow down, so that you may drink
in the beauty below. Rolling slowly in