The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-02-17

On September 2, 1885, a storm
Of great intensity occurred on thu
Florida Keys causing the loss o.
the railroad into Key West.
Citizens of Key West are rest
less is their slumber as they have
vague dreams of the discontinue
ton of the railroad. Some of thu
people, with the loss of the rail
road imminent have been able t.
think of nothing but that loss.
Now, of course, the ideal solu
ton would be to have; the railroad
restored and to have. also, "'tht
Overseas highway. This solution
seems impossible for two reasons
First, from all indications the
: Florida East Coast would prefer
to discontinue its service into Key
West, and second, in view of the
fact that the public works admin.
istration has had to drop so many
projects, it isn't likely our bridge
application for a construction OF
bridges over two water gaps to
complete the road to the mainland
will be considered.
Some of the disastrous conse-
quences that will occur and have
already occurred by the discon-
tinuation of the railroad are: First
it will in a very large measure af-
feet the maritime Importance OF
the port. Second, it will cause the
large customs house and the i'm
migration service to be materially
reduced as all foreign connections
would be severed.
1t will mean the final elimina-
ton of the automobile ferry serv-
ice to Cuba, as well as the direct
railway steamship passenger
service. This would result in the
loss of about 100000 in month
~ payrolls to this community.
The effect of this abandonment
both directly and indirectly on
the entire city of Key West would
be ruinous. 1t would leave us in
a very grave situation without
any means of communication ex-
cept by water and the proposed
highway. This would leave us
one hundred and fifty miles from
Miami, the closest point for pas.
senger, mail and freight traffic
to and from Key West.
Not only in these few ways
would the abandonment of the
railroad hurt Key West, but in
many others.
For instance, the Thompson
Fish company. Approximately
two hundred thousand dollars are
invested in the fish business
which is worth half-million dol.
lars each year to Key West. The
abandonment of the railroad
means the complete loss of this
business because you cannot op'
crate a fish business without a
railroad. Boats cannot be used to
carry fish because often when the
boat is not in port there is great
quantity of fish and when there
is a small quantity of fish the
boat is in; and due to the fact
that fish are perishable and have
to be moved quickly when they
are on hand, boats would be use.
less for these shipments.
A few years ago Norbera
Thompson, owner of Thompson's
Ice and Fish Company, spent one
hundred and fifty thousand dol
lars on pineapple canning
plant. This plant during pineap-
pie season employed three and
four hundred persons. All raw
materials came from Cuba by the
Florida East Coast ferries. II
the railroad is discontinued the
pineapple factory will be closed
down for good.
The damages resulting from the
loss Of the railroad will affect
the entire business of the com
munity, and no freight to Key
West can come in except about
once a week.
1t would be calamity to lose
the railroad. This may not be in
line with the thoughts of the bust
ness people but is in the thoughts
of MANY