Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume I

140 ENGINEERING WONDERS OF THE WORLD. on one side but the wide expanse of the At- lantic, and on the other the waters of the Bay of Florida. Those who journeyed on this train were charmed with the ride. For long stretches the track is shaded by waving forests of cocoanut palms, which, set off by the dazz- ling white of the coral, make an enchanting scene. On the following day regular passenger trains were run to Knight’s Key, and the Occidental Steamship Com- pany put on a di- rect boat service from this terminus to Havana, 115 miles away. By this move a half day was clipped at one stroke from the travelling time be- tween New York or Chicago and Havana. At the time of writing more than VIEW FROM THE TRACK. Portions of the Railway run through forests of cocoanut palms. Lonely Dwellers on the Keys. 90 per cent, of the construction work of the re- maining stretch had been accomplished, and the summer of 1909 should witness the fulfilment of Mr. Flagler’s dream—an all-rail route from New York to Havana. On account of many of the keys below Knight’s Key being virtually swamps, and the road across them having to be built up laboriously from the level of the sea, work was naturally slow. Also, some of the chan- nels which have been bridged were of consider- able size, and subject to the full force of the Atlantic, so that for them very massive em- bankments were needed. Every now and again the builders surprised lonely dwellers who have lived for years on the islands in Robinson Crusoe fashion. One, a picturesque Spaniard, declared that he had dwelt alone on a small key for thirty years, subsisting on fish, birds, and fruit. Tiny clearings were brought to light which the aguardiente, smugglers from Cuba have made their rendezvous for generations. Every Cuban revolution for a century past has sent vessels to flit among these keys and pick up hidden stores of arms and swarthy leaders waiting to return from exile. While the rail- way builders were busy laying their iron road across the channels and over the keys, an army of labourers, directed by com- petent engineers, were set to work to transform Key West into an up- to-date commercial port. This work is still going on. The present plan in- cludes the erection of one large dry dock and ten wharves, each 800 feet long and 100 feet wide, with basins 200 feet wide lying between. The great piers will afford berths for forty Transforming J Key West, boats four hundred feet long. The depth of water is from twenty to forty feet. This work will be completed during the present summer, when for its harbour facilities as a commercial port Key West will almost immediately rank with New York, New Orleans, and Galveston. Although a single-track railway, the exten- sion has cost over £3,000,000 to build, or over £20,000 per mile. It is ex- pected, however, to be in every sense of the word a financial success. It brings New York within close touch of Cuba, and also much nearer the Panama Canal, the West Indies, and the £20,000 per Mile.