The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1941-05-20
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Wl VANDERBILT. JR.
Swiftly Moving DAYS

for l4-hour spin through the
Southeast. In Charlotte, N. c., a
| committee of city leaders waited in
a driving rain storm. Girl Scouts
lined up as reception committee.
Lunched at the citys beautiful coun-
try club and spoke at dinner ban
quet in the evening. They went
/ frantic at the mention of continuing
aid to Britain, China and the other
/ democracies. Many members stood
on their chairs, threw napkins into
the air, roared their approval.
Rained all evening and then
changed to sleet. En- route to depot
past midnight taxi ran out of gas.
I nearly missed northbound Wash
ington Express.
Seven r. K. o. cameramen were
at Fort Benning, Ga, nearby, TAX
ing movies of army parachutists in
action, for a picture to be called
Parachute Squadron" in which
Harry Carey and Buddy Ebsen will
act. More than $4,000 feet of film
had already been shot. Parachute
troops are splendid physical speci-
mems. All are volunteers who had
at least one years training with in
fantry outfits. In preparing for par
achute training, they were taken
aloft and given two commands to
jump. If they don't jump at the
second command, they are not al
lowed to go on with this sort of
work. Parachute work is highly dan
gerous but there has been only one
fatality at Benning since it started.
! A parachutist must make seven sue
cessful landings before he is given
his corps insignia.
Charlotte, N. c., is not only the
textile center of the South, but is
also the furniture center as well.
Learned an interesting item:
Charlestown, w. Va, spends more
money per family on furniture. ra-
/ dio and household appliances than
! any other city in the country. Last
year $193 per family was spent thus.
| Roanoke, Va, came second with
! 1854; Miami, Fla, third with $ll8;
! San Francisco sixth with $109: New
/ York city twelfth with SIT; Los An
/ geles twenty-second with $50. But
as states go, California rates first
! with $72 for the average family, and
Mississippi lowest with $l8. Second
/ highest state is-guess which? Utah,
with S66!
/ Reached Washington at the height
of a storm, said to be the worst our
eastern seaboard has suffered for
AZ years Wires down; water ev-
erywhere; heavy fogs; plasos
grounded; transportation hours late.
Into the u S. senate press gallery
just in time to catch the vote on an
important bill. The Johnny Rouse-
velts cocktailed with Maj. J. G.
O'Brien of the army general stat
and me that afternoon at the May
flower. William S. Knudsen was
prancing about the floor doing the
Conga like de3bie; Mrs. Chip Rob-
erts sulked in a corner as John
Tumulty, Woodrow Wilson'S war
time secretary, slipped the non-alco-
holic drink which Chip Roberts. her
Atlanta born husband makes; the
John J. Ides Che used to be u. S.
civilian aviation observer at our en-
bassy in Paris danced together
Ralph Polio, popular manager of
the Hotel Mayflower had died that
night in his sleep from an intestinal
hemorrhage.
Breakfasted late next morning
with Bill Bullitt, former U. S. am
bassador to France. He is still a
very active force behind the scenes
Congressman Summers of Texas,
chairman of the house judicial af-
fairs committee. joined US. A peek
into the future with these two gentle
men was most illuminating.
Washington is a madhouse. Bottle
necks in congress. and bottles in ho-
tel Hobbies. Scarcely a vacant room
in town. No wonder the well-run
Statlers are going to build a 1900
room hosiery for which they have
already broken ground here.
Driving downtown from the Shore
ham learned that my taxi driver
was none other than James A. FitZ-
gerald, one-iime Hollywood director
for Lillian Eastman and othersI
Had spent II of the better years Of
his life with Metro and Pathe: is
government registered picture OPP
orator. works in a local post Office
by day and drives a taxi by night.
Twenty hours after reaching Wash
ington vas OF again for q sleeper
Jump to Knoxville. Tenn. Overnight
ed al the Andrew johnson hotel.
whose johnson hau is said 20 be
enc. OF the most famous. family din
ing resins IN theSnsth- There are
no menus the service Is family
style, just what you would expect in
the house of q. good host Mattresses
oaer a tempting variety q dishes
and are not allowed 70 take tips.
SEEING THINGS: Drove on
through beautiful winding roads.
past dogSood crested thiegetS 10
Nashville. more than 30 miles
sway. In the rnsling billy e0untry
soalrd soRenS of little groups q men
anAer wide umbrellas alongside Tire