The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-04-18

SuuSs 11S - very en1auSldS-
! tic about The Keys and is in
/, terested in seeing them de-
veloped):
Question-What was your inn
preston of the Overseas High
, way?
Answer-One of the greatest
engineering feats l have seen in
. $4,000 miles of travel in the u. S.
: The cleanliness oft is noteworthy.
The road leaving Big Pine Key
should be widened, for, many
! tourists stop on the roadside and
obstruct free flow of two-way
traffic. The markings of each
Key are very indistinct. Each
Key, upon approach, either di-
rection, should be marked by a
standard sign, put up by the
state. The sign should be SUBJ
stantial in Size-steel-so that
tourists cannot steal them.
Q-Is this your first visit to the
Keys?
Ayes, but certainly not my
last, not by long shot-for the
u. S. has no idea what a garden
of Eden this paradise really is.
Why Americans spend money to
go to Bimini, Nassau, Bermuda
and such like places to be soaked
by every lightrider possible, in
stead of patronizing their own
country and places which can
provide all the attractions of
those foreign places and more, is
legend to me.
: Q-Having visited Key West,
talked to many merchants, do
you feel there is a future for the
Keys?
Ayes, providing the city es-
tablisheS a separate fund for
publicity and promotion, hire the
best man the fund will allow,
and sell Key West to the rest of
the nation-such as Steve Hanni-
gan does Miami and Sun Valley,
Idaho At the risk of being
jumped upon by the civlc-mind-
ed toWnspeople. A coat of paint
all about town would do no harm.
And cleanup campaign-get-
ting every householder to do his
share, as a matter of civic pride,
would be useful. At present the
beauty of the city's approach
outdoes the city itself. The city
has, to my mind, to build up it
self to match its boulevard. 1t
must encourage tourists to stay
overnight by offering induce
,rf1ehtS of all kinds.
Q-You have no doubt heard
of our wonderful fishing facilities
and the claim being that it is sec
ond to none in America. What
is your opinion?
A-Since / have spent most of
my first visit to the Keys, on the
water fishing from morn to sun
down, suffering the aches and
pains of northern greenhorn,
Sunburn-what more can / say?
Q-But you have not said any
thing about catches?
ADO you think, Charlie, that
l would stay on the water every
day if the fish weren't biting the
way | have never experienced in
my life before? Yes, as far as
catches go l have run the gamut
of barracudas, grouperS, grunts,
yellowtails, lain snappers, bone
fish, porgies, gags and all the rest
+. of what you have down here.
Q-Having eaten our crawfish
tFlaa D0bster), do you compare
them with northern Holsters?
A-Don't let this get into a
northern paper, but the northern
people don't know what a lob
ster really is until they've eaten
one doWH here. That's no soft
soap, either because I spent eve
nings. after fishing, catching the
dawn things.
Q-Being an ardent yachtsman
do you feel that these waters
should attract those who appre-
ciate our tropical weather and
prevailing winds?
A-Sure, providing the gents
know how TO navigate. I would
hate 10 tangle with your coral
rocks with the bottom of my
boat. But the prevailing winds,
the warmth of the Gulf Stream
and the blue and greens are
something you don't find any
where else in America. For a sail
on them is just another paradise.
Gin your travels through