The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1937-02-06

! the labor organizations, appears an
article on Key West which is in
ltriguing and interesting, and is a
complete summary of the city as
seen through the eyes of the writ
Ter, who writes under the non de
plume, The King Fish. The col
umh, headed ''TaTtLe Tales, is
herewith reproduced because of
its absorbing interest and detailed
descriptions Of things which chain
the eyes and ears of the visitor:
Things Never Knew About
Key West Until / Went There.
'sKey West. is the southernmost
lefty in the United States. 1t is a
small island, a mile and half wide
Eby four miles long surrounded
Iby reefs which break the waves
Hong before they come to shore.
Winter and summer interminglei
1.-THE temperature variant being but
twelve and one-half degrees, with
a yearly average of n. =. Key
i West is 'semi-tropical and has never
known a frost.
Zone of the charms of Key
i West lies in its architecture !.
"a minutes walk from Duyal street
land you find yourself in an INSIDE
/ walked lane or alley with its small
NATIVE shacks or balconied houses,
overgrown with tropical fru Is and
foliage an old-World atmos-
4 phere prevades there 8. Spanish
lis heard as conversation drift
from porch to porch until one for
gets that he is in the United
| States the Bahaman negro
using his head as carrying tray
as of old, adds to the illusion that
you are in :. foreign land =. you
will find in Key West houses built
more than century ago =.
/ houses built by settlers from all
parts of the world, and by ships
carpenters who used pegs instead
! of nails +. if my memory serves
Ime correctly a noted architect
and author once said, 1T may sur
prise you to find houses renin-
I iscent Of Nantucket, of Virginia
ref New Orleans ard Of ties West
Indies. And yet, not like any OF
them, for they are all as distinc-
tive of Key West as are the turtle
steaks and the sea-grapes and the
sugar apples that you will find
| there
] '|Key West is surrounded by
the waters of the Gulf of Mexico
and the Atlantic Ocean the
palm-thatched cabanas and um-
brellas along Rest Beach add to
the charm of this magnificent
stretch of water and to the COM
fort of the bathers. Other swim
ming holes are found in different
parts of the island. The royal
poicianna. as bright as the burn
ting brush of biblical legend
blooms several months OF the year
also the East Indi"n palms, sapo-
dillas, banyans, Spanish lines
lpomegranates, and papayas, the
night booming. csreus, an enor-
nous cactus with gaunt perpend;c-
ular rams and lovely white bios
SONS, coconut and date palms lad
en- with fruits, blood red hibiscus
weird mottled crotons, avocado
pears, purple, magenta and rose
bougainvil.ea, and a pandanus
grove as strange as vegetation is
a dream.
+, "Key West has been referred te
lhe a fisherman's paradise and il
deserves it's reference more
than six hundred varieties of edi
BILE fish habitate in its waters. The
/ sport fisherman finds tarpon, am
| berjaek, dolphin, kingfish ant
! many others to test his or her lucl
and ability :. while on my visit
/ / had the thrill of watching a l.,
| 200-pound turtle being doekeC
from a yacht j.. the specimen was
Isent to Miami for mounting, thence
to the Museum of Natural His
tory.
81 almost forgot my cares anC
business appointments as the sky
was miraculously clear, and JUS
i down the street is the most beau
! tiful sea in the world, of a pure
turquoise color that deepens t
emerald at the horizon. Ever since
| Commodore Porter used Key Yves
| as base for his operation agains
the pirates of the Gulf and Car.b
bean in 1922, its excellent harbol
has had its place in history
during the Spanish-American wal
| it was the strategic base of opera
| tons; the first Spanish prize, th'
Buena Ventura, was taken there
| During the World War and il
! 1884 the military base hummeC
| with activity b. now in times OF
peace the submarine basin at the
naval station, with three major
| channels from tho south and anf