The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1953-05-21
Cigar Making,
Sponge Diving,
Port Activities
Placed Her First
~ SUSAN MeAvoY
PART III or a SERIES

PART III or 4 SERIES
Key Vests first City Directory.
published in 1881 and kept these
many years In the office 81 County
Judge Raymond Il. Lord, reveals
cityss importance SIS years ago.
AT that time Key West was the
leading commercial and manufac-
turing city Of the State. Her popu-
lation was 17,442. ii 1881 only 500
persons lived here. In 1876, Il. 7ss.
Bensei predicted that the island
City would reach s., 900 i've years
after 1887. Actually the IsO6-OT CITY
Directory, also ID Judge Lords 81.
flee gave the population that year.
70 years later IS only rs 900.
n 1887, however, Key West
Was still taps Ii Florida IS fsr
Is commercial and .in5usiry.
6enseI called Il the ''cemmer.
elaI emporium Of ne State 81
Florida. 2
In 1885 custom house receipts Ii
Key West amounted to S60s, SIT Is.
IN that same year 234 vessels
from foreign ports with i tonnage
Of 90,845.s7 foreign vessels, and
262 coastwise vessels entered al
the Port Of Key West.
Key Vests first marine railway
was built in March, 1858 BY Bovine
and Curry.
SALT MANUFACTURES
Salt was thought Of as the most
probable means Of making KEY
West known as center ia her
early days. The resident owners
Of the salt pond areas IN the island
could not find capital to develop the
business. II was only when Rich.
ard Fitzpatrick Of South Carolina,
in 1880, resident on the Island,
leased the Whitehead interest ii
the Salt Pond. But re abandoned
the works IN 1855. The next attempt
was made BY the La Fayefte Sail
Company, organized through the
exeFtions Of Mr.. Simonton iii 1856.
Still success did not come.
Charles Howe obtained the con.
trolling interest after the hurri,
cane Of 1876. III 1850 the crop
amounted to IS 900 bushels. Larg,
est crop raked in any one yeal
was rs 900 bushels, when ", c.
Dennis managed and owned hali
the business.
During the Civil War the manu-.
facture Of salt on the island was
suspended. After the war an En-,
gineer Corps. IT. w. r. Lfvermcrs
purchased the works but after
huge expenditures 0f money IOsI
out. In 1871 the works went int
the hands 81 G., and &. Howe,
Foreign salt was free of duty,
making II difficult % compete,
Bcpsei says il understatemenl
The mAnUlactvro 81 sali falls
SaF skorf n lhe anliclpailon 81
he early safsiegs IN the Island e
CIGAR MANUFACTURE
The first cigar factory was es
tablixhed IN Key West ID 1891
Some So workers were hired. Pic
neer manufacturer was w II
Wall. ii 1851 and 1888. Estava anl
Williams operated i factory q
which IS men were employed AMI
shipments were made 10 New
York was exceedingly irregular
and uncertain st that date, beini
dependent, chiefly. upon vessel
going n0rth with cotton from 81
Marks Or other gulf ports. ami
often the long time eIapsina Be
tween opportunities worked s0rl
Gus Ia the business
III 1876 there were - faclorie,
giving employment 10 about z 10
persons. ID 1851 there were neari,
$50 factories with al output d
81. 600 COO cigars. The total payfnl
for cigars workers Ms about 50
0oo. Key West paid nineteen.twen
fieths az TIE internal revenue eel
lIeesed ii NE State d Florida
which was largely due q the I'm