The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1941-07-02
70 the West-a1d Back!

k4I EhNDkn0tLls ia
To the Westnld Back!
FIGHT nights in Pullman berths,
- $500 miiesl Left Shreveport be-
fore midnight. Three hours and 20
minutes later rolled under the porte
cochere Of the Arlington hotel in
Hot Springs. Ark.--202 miles in 200
minutes, through three states, one
city and eight towns. The last 40
miles bit difficult because Of hair.
pin curves zooning up into the
Ozarks.
Some 5000 uniformed high school
, musicians accompanied by nearly
1000 parents, chaperones and in
structors were also in Hot Springs
for the eleventh session of Arkansas
bands and orehestras contest. Con-
testing units included "a school
bands and 81 orchestras. All day
long the bands paraded through the
streets playing not only marching
tunes, but excellent hillbilly music
also.
Took the Ozarks Express on an
overnight spin-and spin it was, as
it whipped in and out of those cir
cuitous little hills. Nearly spun me
out Of my berth, but managed to
get several hours of Interrupted shut
eve. Changed sieepily next morn
ing in st. Louis to the American,
the fPennsy's fiiers for New York.
Everywhere across the Middle West
F~-blossoms, buds birds and beauty.
Into New York in time for some
important conferences with persons
high in the realm of national at
fairs. Would not be surprised to
see tax on mines, postage stamps,
slot machines, even Photographs.
records and movie film.
Boarded the Iroquois Limited, for
the eleventh time this season. Spun
across New York, Pennsylvania,
Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, to Illinois.
Changed trains and whizzed across
Iowa to Columbus. Neb. Rain had
turned the country upside down.
Counted IL gasoline trucks, Al pas
senger cars in bitches along the dirt
highways, and was glad to climb
aboard the Pacific Limited for a
slow trip to the West. After all the
fast, zippy shiny streamliners, it's
nice to know there are still some
vehicles on steel which travel as
we used TO. Passed another mile
stone crossing the Continental Di-
vide. Rain squalls dashed the coun-
tryside, and Wyoming looked dull
and foreboding. Patches of snow
/ still remain on the higher reaches
of the Rockies. Train almost emp
| ~: a few soldiers being transferred
! TO posts.
Picked up a Skyliner in Cheyenne
for a swift l0-hour jaunt through the
clouds back to Manhattan. Have
bridged this continent So times by
air, however, most of these trips
were made way back in the early
days when flying was a haphazard
affair. Great strides have been
made since then and today sky
riding is not very different from
sitting up in the coach of fast
train, except that, the motion is
more sea-like than the trains. ]
have never quite passed the stage of
nausea when the flying horse strikes
an air pocket and dives down-down-
down and then up-up-up. with no.
ton like that of fast elevator.
Reaching New York, tore down to
the dock on the lower side of the
Hudson river and there boarded one
Of the new, fast white vessels of the
United Fruit Lines. This line OPP
crates what is probably the best
service to Latin America, our Good
Neighbor." The boats are more
yacht-like than Strictly commercial.
and one has a feeling Of being mas
ter of ones own craft as one strolls
leisurely along their trim decks. I'M
like most ocean liners. one does not
have to be continuously properly
dressed for this or that occasion,
which is another great comfort.
Days of lolling in the bright SUM-
light. of lying listlessly in ones cab
in, of gazing at a bright tropical
moon. Flying fish skim the surface
of the seas, some Of them actually
landing on deck. Tropical showers
come and go with tremendous fe-
roeity--and then are quickly over
without leaving trace. Tiny atolls
with palm or two atop them,
stick out of the aquamarine sea.
AS we near land, canoes filed with
a motley crowd of brightly clad Ba-
haman Negroes approach the boat,
and shout in their curious accent,
more cockney than southern. The
boat seems to be world to itself,
I and except for the rapt attention
with which the passengers listen to
the news broadcasts, and the sud-
den and heated arguments on poll
icy and politics which break forth
occasionally, one could almost for
| get the crowding worries of our hec-
tic world.
- st&t
| HEARING THINGS: Letter from
Jean Donnelly in Hollywood tells Of
the swell work of the Women Filters
of America. This organization plans
to train women along the same lines