|
7e'KiNeeuaMd G6a
KEYWE-
FLORIJ.
7 Fe!
The First National Bank
Key West, Florida
United
States
Depositary
Resources over One Million Dollars
Condensed Statement of the Condition of
The First National Bank of Key West
as called for by the Comptroller of Currency at the cose of
business June oth, 1914
Resources
Loans and Discounts ...-------. .-------_ $4 1,219.05
Overdrafts -------.............--------------..... 1,638.24
U. S. Bonds ...........---- ......... 161,072.00
Bondsand Securities .-- ------....-... .. 118,650.00
king House Furniture and Fixtures-..... 33,862.13
Other Real Estate owned---------------- 1,396.00
Redemption Fund ---------------------- 5,000.00
Cash Reserve.------..-.---.-------.--.---. 12.24
1979,350.26
Liabilities
Capital Stock ------- .. $---1000.00
Surplus and Undivided Profits--------..---- 28025.76
Circulation ...--------------------- 100,000.00
Dividends Unpaid--------------------- 5,000.00
Deposits- --_ ---------------------. 7462,324.
3979.350.26
Officers:
George W. Allen, President
G. Bowne Patterson, Vice-President
Richard i. Kemp, Cashier
J. F. Uhrback, Asst. Cashier
George W. Allen
John Lowe, Jr.
Directors:
Richard H. Kemp
G. Bowne Patterson
John W. Allen
Wm. R. Porter
Wm. R. Warren
Key West, Florida
-a gem of an island, set out in
the bluest sea that ever rolled
beneath a sky-a climate that
is unsurpassed on this conti-
nent-a location that any
city might well covet
as its qwn-a people
with high ideals,
ambition and
energy
Compiled and Published bp
J. A. WILLIS
under the auspies of the
Key West Board of Trade
All photographic views
made by A. J. Esteves
The Island City National Bank
Key West, Florida
Capital
$100,000.00
Surplus
$32,500.00
Make this bank your
i headquarters when
visiting Key West
George S. Waite, President
E. M. Martin, Vice-President
James L. Johnson, Cashier
James W. Gibb, Asst. Cashier
A handsome hotel of Co-
loni4l architecture.
Modern in every respect.
Wide pissu, front and
back, entire length of the
house, on all three loors
European only
Rates, 1.60 to $3 50 per day
Special rates by the week
The Jefferson
The dining room is operated
by a Spanish Restaurateur
of unacelled skil. :: :-:
Sea Foods of all kinds and especially Green Turtle and Florida
Lobster, prepared in epicurean style at extremely reasonable rates
0UFC ORC^. Wr
The Reason for This
Little Book
THIS little book is compiled and sent you for just one reason
T-to introduce to you the city of Key West, Florida, and to
tell you, in picture and story, something of its past, its pres-
ent, and its possibilities for future growth and development.
Key West is the southernmost city of the United States, be-
ing situated, as it is, on the last of the Florida Keys; it is approxi-
mately a hundred miles from the Florida mainland, ninety miles
from Havana, and only 1,075 miles from the Atlantic entrance to
the Panama Canal.
Key West is the logical gateway to the Panama Canal, Cuba,
Porto Rico, and all Central and South American ports; this city
is nearer the Panama Canal, by several hundred miles, than any
other American city, and the great Key West Extension of the
Florida East Coast Railway places Key West in direct communi-
cation with the eastern and central sections of the United States.
Key West is fast becoming the receiving port for the big fruit
and vegetable shipments of Central and South America, Cuba,
and Porto Rico, and within a very few months the large ferries
that are being constructed to carry solid freight trains from Key
West to Havana and return will be in operation, making the ship-
ment of Cuban fruit, sugar and tobacco, through this port, much
more easily accomplished.
From a strategic standpoint, Key West is the most impor-
tant of the South Atlantic or Gulf Coast ports; our harbor is deep
enough to afford easy access to the largest ship afloat, and large
enough to shelter all the navies of the world at one time. It is
planned to make this port a secondary naval base, not because of
any political pull this city may have, but because its locations so
ideal as to make it the logical point for such an expenditure.
As will be shown on another page, the Key West climate is
the ideal climate-it is never too hot, never too cold. There is
always a cool breeze in summer, and in winter the days and nights
are like the first delightful days of autumn. Key West is below
the frost line, and tropical plants and flowers bloom the year
Sound.
The principal industry in Key West is the cigar business.
You who have had the exquisite pleasure of smoking a Key West
cigar know that nowhere else in the whole world are such cigars
made as are made here in Key West. The Key West cigar is
<7 i, zr -'ic ture ana SborYv
Famous the world over. Made of the purest Havana leaf, in a
climate similar in every respect to that of Havana, and by Cuban
and American workmen who know better than anybody else in
the world how to make cigars, the Key West cigar is the leader
wherever good cigars are sold.
Key West is the home of scores of fishing fleets, and fishing
is perhaps the second largest of Key West's industries. Nowhere
else in American waters is there such a variety of fish to be found
as in the waters about Key West. The Federal government has
just appropriated one hundred thousand dollars.with which to
build an aquarium in Key West, here to collect and breed the
famous species of fish to be found in these waters. In addition
to the fishing fleets to be seen leaving the city almost any morning,
the sponging industry employs scores of small ships and hundreds
of men. The sponge beds about Key West are among the best
in the world, and sponge gathered here is considered to be especi-
ally desirable. Then, too, experiments have proven that sponge
can be artificially grown to good advantage in the waters about
Key West.
There are so many things that we might say about Key West,
so many features that should appeal to the man'who is looking
about for a suitable place in which to locate and begin business,
that we cannot attempt to outline them all in this preface. But
as you turn the pages of this little book you will see them, they
will suggest themselves to you, and after you have finished it you
will understand why Key West is a good place for a man with a
little capital and a willingness to apply himself, why Key West is
a city of opportunities-and we believe that you will be able to
see why you, yourself, could not make a mistake by coming to
Key West.
a old ri. ic ture and S'ory
itT
I. Vies al the corner
ol I)uval and Fiw.;
ing, showing Kress'
New Store, L. Wolf-
son's Store, J.L.
Stowers' Musie
House, and Wolfson'a
Shoe Store.
2. View of Duval at
corner of Cuaroline,
showing one of
Duval Street's
business districts
8. Residence block on Caroline Street. 4. A Division Street block of residences.
5. Automobile Pike, running seven miles to head of the Island.
(r6IN 64 anIA 6 7 Jyr0
T
Looking Backward
By Jefferson B. Browne
"And, round about our home, the glory
That blushed and bloomed,
Is but the dim-remembered story
Of the old-time entombed."
T HE present, lacking perspective, is but a manifestation of
the ego. The future is a fairy tale wherein Hope and Dreams
woo and wed, and give birth to Disappointment. The past
is history, shedding its light to guide, to cheer, to sadden us.
Let those who will boast of the present or dream of the future,
while I roll back the stone from the sepulchre of "the old-time
entombed", and resurrect the "dim-remembered story" of the past.
I see a fierce battle between the Mainland and the Key In-
dians, the latter driven from key to key, making their last stand at
Key West, and there being annihilated. Their whitened bones
with which the island was strewn gave it the name of Cayo Hueso,
meaning Bone Key, and pronounced Ki-yo Way-so, which was
readily changed into Key West.
I see in 1815, Juan Pablo Salas, for his services in the Royal
Artillery Corps, receive from the Spanish Governor of Florida a
grant of the entire island of Key West.
I see in 1831 the city council, putting aside the trivialities
with which such bodies are wont to concern themselves, and in-
viting the citizens to meet with them to devise means to have a
minister of God domiciled here, and no man asked or cared what
would be his creed, if he but preached the simple doctrines of the
crucified Nazarene.
I see city councils, composed of Key West's leading business
men, serving without compensation, and donating to the Sunday
School library the proceeds of the fines imposed upon themselves
for non-attendance.
These are a few, a very few, of the many interesting incidents
which make the history of Key West. But what of its men?
In another work I have given in detail, descriptions of them and
their accomplishments, and in this article can only thus sum up
their characteristics. They were strong in religious principles and
practices-highly educated-extremely cultured-full of civic and
personal pride-endowed with brotherly love-of indomitable
courage, moral and physical-of marked business ability, and
their aspirations for material development were directed by
intelligence and virtuously carried out to successful achievement.
11 zz. Picture ad Sor c
0 F.
\i;i
6. Porter Dock Company's Wharf. 7. A View From Trumbo
F '. V"ew From,
SIthe Harbor.
2. View From
2'iew From
the Barbor.
3. Boals at thbe
Fih Market.
4. Coal Chute.
5. Mallory S.S.
Co.'s Office
and Wareroom
i < A z ic re sandml n, i
Looking Forward
By Geo. W. Allen
IN 1912 Henry M. Flagler, then eighty-two years old, said:
"It is now twenty-six years since I commenced my invest-
ments in Florida, and I have never faltered for a moment in
my belief regarding its great future, a belief which has been dem-
onstrated by experience to have been well founded."
And Mr. Flagler, with the same cool judgment, the same
calm faith that backed the opinion given above, said at the ban-
quet given in his honor, upon the occasion of the opening of the
"Oversea Railroad" to Key West, on January 22nd, 1912, that,
in his opinion, "Key West will have a population of over fifty
thousand people within ten years from this date."
Key West's three main industries are, cigar manufacturing,
sponging, and fishing, and forming an opinion of what the future
of each of these three industries will be from the experience of
the past and the present outlook, things look bright for the in-
dustrial future of Key West.
With the opening of the Panama Canal a few weeks ago,
Key West has begun to feel an increase in shipping to and from
this port, and we have every reason to expect that it will not be
very long until our commodious harbor will be filled with vessels
coming from and going to South American, Central American,
Mexican and Cuban ports.
Within a few weeks at most, work will be begun on the new
federal building, in which the postoffice and custom house will
be located; within the same length of time work will have begun
on the new biological station that is to be erected here; and these,
with the beautiful ten-company army post to be built at Fort
Taylor, at which a colonel will be in command, will add much to
Key West. An enlarged naval station, taking in the present
postoffice and custom house building, together with an extensive
sea wall, will contribute quite a good deal to the looks of our
already beautiful naval station.
Key West has always depended on the rainfall to supply the
water for drinking and domestic purposes, the rain water being
caught in cisterns. It will, very probably, not be long, however,
until a water system will be installed, the water being piped from
the mainland, in pipes that will run parallel to and alongside
the East Coast Extension.
foMr a7w k&4R ForY Wa&rT
Fold in. -Pic ture and Sfor
4i
-q
1. Parade Grounds at the Barracks.
2. Entrance to the Naval Station.
3. Key West Light House Tower.
4. Ship in Dry Dock.
5. Ship in Dry Dock.
^4^7an/v anJ c,6lTgR. JCy,]^7
02%t 1 aPicture aandr
The Key West Cigar Business
By John Wardlow
CIGAR manufacturing in Key West, as a staple business, is
not by any means as recent an institution as even the great
majority of Key West's native inhabitants believe. A very
short statement of the history of cigar making in Key West will
appropriately preface claims to be made in this article.
The following historical facts are taken from "A Sketch of
the History of Key West, Florida," by Mr. Walter C. Maloney,
whose intimate personal knowledge of the period is positive, he
being a very prominent citizen of the time.
"We find as early as 1831 an advertisement in the 'Key West
Gazette' by W. H. Wall, of the establishment of a cigar factory by
himself. This factory employed about fifty operatives and ex-
ported cigars.
"Estevez & Williams, in 1837 and 1838, also operated a
factory in which sixteen men were employed, and made shipments
to New York. Communication between New York and this
island, it will be borne in mind, was exceedingly irregular and un-
certain at that date, being dependent chiefly upon vessels going
north with cotton from St. Marks or other gulf ports, and often
the long time elapsing between opportunities worked serious in-
jury to the business.
"Odet Phillippe and Shubael Brown also engaged in this
business about the same time. The Arnau brothers,
Francisco and James, as far back as 1834, down to the time of
the death of both, were constantly employed in the manufacture
of cigars, and in 1838 were joined by Albert, another brother.
They did not aspire, however, beyond domestic trade.
"Messrs. Francisco Sintas, Manuel Farino and E. O. Gwynn,
also at different times, and for short periods, were engaged in the
business."
Speaking of the time in which he wrote (1876) Mr. Maloney
said: "The dimensions which it has acquired, however, are truly
gratifying. At present the number of factories is twenty-nine,
giving employment to about twenty-one hundred persons in our
city. The average daily product of these factories is estimated
at 171,000, or 62,415,000 annually. The amount dis-
bursed by these factories for labor alone in our city may be stated
within[bounds to be one million dollars annually."
During the Civil War in the United States, Key West was
never out of the control of the Federal Government, and the army
1. Roy Lope.
Factory.
2. Cortes
Factory.
3. L. H. Gato
Cigar Co.
4. Havanau
Factory.
6`74 140 il 'ZPic turm an yftro F
and navy spread the reputation of Key West cigars in the North.
Then followed two important reasons for improvement and growth.
The Ten Years War in Cuba, about 1870, drove a number of
clever cigar-makers and manufacturers out of Cuba to Key West.
A few years later steamship lines began to run on schedule time-
true, at long intervals, but taking out regular shipments. Still,
in 1885, the writer can remember that orders were executed and
shipped to the North more promptly from Havana than from Key
West. This has been remedied to such an extent that Key West
has as direct and quick methods of shipments as any other southern
cigar center.
Since the time Mr. Maloney wrote his history of Key West
(1876), cigar manufacturing has gone steadily on as the main in-
dustry of the city: it has had its ups and downs, but has never
dropped below the volume he mentions. In the eleven years that
the writer has been in Key West, several years' production have
been 50 per cent. more than Mr. Maloney mentions, and the
wages paid were double, or two million dollars annually. This
increase of wages, out of proportion to the cigars produced, is
caused by the fact that the class of goods produced has steadily
been growing higher in recent years. Today one factory in Key
West will produce more cigars selling at twenty-five cents to fifty
cents each, per year, than all the twenty-nine in Mr. Maloney's
time.
Other cigar manufacturing cities have been bidding and
fighting for years to take the "Clear Havana" factories away fr6m
Key West; they offer big inducements in land, buildings and money
to get them, because the cost of cigars made in a "Spanish system"
Clear Havana factory means so large a percentage in wages.
This will easily explain that eighty-three years continuous life
of cigar manufacturing in Key West, and forty years of that
time on a large scale, is not accident, but due to real advantages
existing here.
Successful high grade clear Havana cigar manufacturing de-
pends on several conditions, viz., skillful workmen in all branches;
an equable climate; a clear atmosphere, free from dust, smoke
and bad odors; good water. The necessary conveniences are: to
be in a line of travel of cigar makers, and Key West has this ad-
vantage to a greater extent than any other city; nearness to the
raw material market-a Key West manufacturer can reach
Havana in eight hours any day and have his tobacco in his factory
in Key West forty-eight hours later; banking facilities; good ship-
ping lines in all directions. All these necessities and advantages
Key West has, as well as plenty of good factory sites and a dispo-
sition to aid and induce good factories to locate here.
'I I! itr!ii,
5. Martiner.Hava
Company.
6. Geo. W. Nichols
ci de Gol.O
8. Mi Faorita Ciga Co.
T 1$ 1L 1Picture alndlor.
Key West has a larger percentage of native-born and perma-
nent resident workmen than any other cigar-making centre.
Many of them own their own homes; they marry, work hard, and
are as loyal to the factories they are employed in as they are to
their homes. This is of great advantage to a factory: steady
men that know the sizes and that can be counted on. Cigar
making is born and bred in the city, nearly every native can make
a smoker, and several of the finest cigar makers the' writer ever
saw are natives, some being descendents of those pioneers of the
thirties. How near these statements are true can be appreciated
by the fact that two-thirds of the attorneys of Key West learned
some branch of cigar making and worked at the trade while read-
ing law.
Equable climate. In this Key West excels; only Havana,
Cuba, equals it for cigar manufacturing and tobacco handling.
The writer has two registering thermometers. The one at home
registered extremes of 75 to 92 degrees Far. between May 11th
and the date this article is written, August 27th. The one in the
factory shows extremes of 65 to 93 degrees between January 1st
and this date (August 27th), and the extremes of temperature
only lasted one or two days. Winter averages about 75 degrees
and summer about 85 degrees. Climatic conditions here keep
tobacco soft, avoids breakage, permits natural sweating and cur-
ing all the year, and the tobacco yields better. Great humidity
and fogs are never known, so that with any kind of care wrappers
do not stain. In eleven years experience in Key West the writer
has not seen more than ten days in which it was impossible to
work through any cause.
Clear atmosphere in Key West produces good water. Sev-
enty miles from any mainland, every breeze blows to usover
water. There are no factories nearer than the mainland that
use power, therefore no smoke or bad odors in the cigar factories,
no soot on the roofs to pollute the cistern water which is our only
supply. Every cigar man knows that smoke is the greatest
enemy of tobacco. In some cigar cities you will hear that cistern
water "burns" tobacco. That is because their roofs are foul and
the water from them stains the tobacco. In Key West even all
cooking is done by gas, gasoline, electricity and a little charcoal.
Houses do not need heating. The water is pure and soft, tobacco
takes it well; it carries no mineral, sulphur or decayed vegetation.
The breezes that blow almost constantly across Key West
are exactly the same as in Havana-the "trades", soft, mild, very
slightly salty, are positively beneficial to tobacco in process. In
every way Key West is the equal of Havana, and the ideal spot
in the United States for the manufacture of cigars.
IrI
9. M. Peres Company.
10. S. & F. Fleitu'
Factory.
11. Mood & Co.
(In proce of con-
12. Key W t Cigar
Factory.
13. KeWest Ciga
Box Fctory.
l~ld ix2 1Picture and o~r
The Sponge Fishing Industry
By Chas. R. Pierce
THE sponge fishing industry of the United States presents
the interesting antithesis of an industry restricted to a
single state, and a product perhaps more generally employed
and having a wider range of usefulness than any other article yield-
ed by the American fisheries. There is scarcely a civilized habita-
tion in the world in which the sponge is not in almost daily use.
Although for many years the status of sponges, whether
animal or vegetable, was in dispute, the time has long since passed
when the right of the sponges to be placed in the animal kingdom
was established. The sponge in the natural state is a very dif-
ferent looking object from what we see in commerce. The entire
surface is covered with a thin slimy skin, usually of a very dark
color. This is the live matter.
The sponge of commerce is in reality only the home or skele-
ton of a sponge. The composition of this skeleton varies in the
different kinds of sponges. The merchantable sponges of the
state of Florida fall under five heads: the Sheepsnose, or wool
sponge; the Green; the Velvet; the Grass; and the Glove sponge.
For many years, before the Florida sponges attracted attention,
it is said that the entire sponge industry of the United States was
derived from the Mediterranean and later on some few were ship-
ped to this country from the Bahamas.
From best information, it is said that about the year 1852
some few sponges were gathered in the waters above Key West
and shipped to New York, a venture which resulted in the estab-
lishment of a market for the Florida product. From that time on
Key West became the home of the industry in this country, and
numbers of sailing vessels were fitted out as spongers. The in-
dustry grew until the yearly catches in the waters about Key
West amounted to something like seven and eight hundred thou-
sand dollars. Possibly a hundred and fifty vessels were employed
in this business, and not less than twelve or fifteen hundred men.
This state of affairs continued until about the year 1904,
when several Greek companies introduced the method of gather-
ing sponges by the use of the diving apparatus and established
headquarters at Tarpon, Florida. In this way the value of the
yearly catches at Key West was reduced considerably, but the
industry is still a big asset and the catches amount to a quarter
of a million dollars yearly and more.
0 ~ 6X~1 yd~~Pb~~~
\s I II 19 I III
I I -
li h i I i
1. The Turtle Dock, showing a
Big Catch.
2. Banyan Tree.
3. Sponge Caught in Key West
Waters.
t
4. Monument to the Maine
Dead Who Were Buried at
Key West.
5 and 6. Views of Weather
Bureau Station.
73 i 1l xn a-. dSIp
1. Mayor J. N. Fogarty's
Residence.
2. M. W. Curry's Residence.
3. Mrs. Robert Curry's Resi-
dence.
4. Judge L. W. Bethel's Resi-
dence.
5. W. D. Cash's Residence.
Key West-A Home Town
By John A. Macdonald
MOST Key West people own their homes. We have in the
neighborhood of six thousand homes in the city, and not
less than a thousand of these cost from five thousand dol-
lars to twenty-five thousand dollars to build. More than three
thousand of our homes cost from three thousand dollars to five
thousand dollars. We have no millionaires' homes.
Key West is a great village, and there are hundreds of rooms
in private homes and small hotels that may be had at a very
reasonable rate, summer and winter. ,We have a hospitable
people, and visitors to Key West are always made to feel that
they are welcome, as they are.
Key West has no fashionable hotels; it has no automobile
highway to the mainland, and consequently no swarms of auto-
cars congest the streets. Key West is an island, and is some-
what different from other American cities. It started differently,
the people are different, the climate is different; it is West Indian,
tropical. Built on a solid rock, covered with soil, there are no
earthquakes, no rivers, no floods, never a fog, but frequent
showers and plenty of fresh water.
Key West is the best city in the United States for people
who have a reliable income, who want no more, and who can live
within their means. A home may be bought in this city for less
than it can be bought in any other American city of twenty-five
thousand people, and once you have your home in Key West,
you are ready to enjoy life and the best climate in the world.
We never have frost in Key West, and there are but few chim-
neys on the island-none are needed.
The solidly built city of Key West covers about a square
mile of land. Twenty miles of streets, five of which are paved,
embrace the highest part of the island. All, or practically all,
of the built-up section of Key West is from seven to fifteen feet
above high tides. The remainder of the island belongs to stdck
companies, and this part of the island has few settlers so far.
Lots can be bought from these land companies at very reason-
able prices.
Key West is a home town, and those who come here looking
for the ideal home town will not be disappointed when they have
located.
?OIad im Picture and tor
a.
6. r J 1. Porter's Residence
7. W. R Porier ResidenLe
3. J. V'lninD Harri.' Residence.
9. John Lo,-e. Jr.'.. Residence
10. E. H. Galo, Jr.'s, Residence.
, lold 14rMfanAi\ O
izir'Pic ture and 3Th'y
1. Capt. J. L. Watrous'
Residence.
2. R. W. Harrison's
Residence.
.3. J. W. Atkins'
Residence.
4. A Cool Spot Near
South Beach.
A Row of Attractive
Concrete Cottages.
Qold iz\. Picture dSrorv
The Key West Climate
(Data from the U. S. Weather
Bureau at Key West)
KEY WEST lays claim to having the most equable climate
in America, and this claim is based upon the reports of
the United States Weather Bureau-a claim that is based
upon indisputable facts. Key West is the only city in the United
States that is belo w the frost line. The lowest temperature ever
recorded in Key West was 410, which occurred January 12th,
1886, and the highest recorded in twenty-five years was 93*,
occurring only twice-on August 11th and September 2nd, 1903.
While the cold wave of January 12th, 1886, brought freezing con-
ditions as far south as Cape Sable, there was no frost in Key West.
The prevailing wind direction is easterly, inasmuch as Key
West is in the belt of the easterly trades. As a rule the breezes
are fresh, and calms are very rare. From October to April oc-
casional storms from the northeast are experienced. These are
called northerss", and are really the effects of the cold, dry air
moving down from the northwest. The low temperatures which
these carry are usually greatly modified by the warm Gulf waters
over which they sweep. In the amount of sunshine Key West
receives about seventy per cent of what she would receive, were
the sky constantly cloudless.
Key West has a fairly well defined wet and dry season, the
wet season extending from May to November inclusive, and the
dry season from December to April inclusive.
The average normal temperature, as shown by the records
of the Weather Bureau, is, for each month of the year, as follows:
January 68.8; February 70.8; March 72.8; April 75.5; May 79.0;
June 82.2; July 83.7; August 83.8; September 82.5; October 78.7;
November 74.3; December 70.1. Average 76.9.
The average normal rainfall, as shown by the records of the
Weather Bureau, is, for each month of the year, as follows: Janu-
ary 1.98; February 1.64; March 1.48; April 1.30; May 3.36; June
4.25; July 3.59; August 4.69; September 6.79; October 5.38; No-
vember 2.36; December 1.84. Annual 38.66.
TanalM w 5i! Jur WrTfT
J5old iN (Pictzre z'cand, Sora y
* a.
J
1. Custom House and Postofice
2. Monroe County Court House
3. City Hal.
4. The National Guards' Armory
5. United States Weather Bureau.
y '75/f ZA.Picture ana, SKfrv.
The Florida Keys
By T. E. Reedy
A FAMILIAR complaint, when discussing the future of Key
West, has always been that the city had no back country.
Were this an absolute fact, it would be a most serious com-
plaint and worthy of the consideration of investors in local real
estate. That this is not true is the firm contention of the writer
and I shall show that real opportunity does exist in farming lands
on the keys.
Key West, perhaps, needs nothing more than it does the de-
velopment of the natural resources of the Florida keys. Added
to the money now spent by the laboring classes of the city, the
farmer's trips to town on Saturday morning to purchase the neces-
sities for himself and family would just about place this com-
munity on the right side of the ledger. A much larger sum of
money is paid out here in payrolls every week than is the case
in the manufacturing towns of a like size, north of the Mason
and Dixon line.
The Florida keys have been farmed, but in the most primi-
tive sort of a manner, and as a result failure was the reward of
the efforts of those engaged in tilling this soil. Quite a few of
the former key farmers tried to make a living from farming in
Dade county, this state, with the same result, and today many
farmers in Dade are succeeding where the key farmer failed-
evidence that the fault was with the man and not the soil. The
most advanced method of raising vegetables and fruits on the
different keys has been to put the seed or the tree in the ground
and then take a comfortable position in the back door and watch
it grow. Naturally, but one result is obtainable under such con-
ditions. But some day a real, live, up-to-date farmer of the
scientific type is going to come along and tackle farming a piece
of the rich hammock land of the Florida keys-and then the rush.
A careful selection of the piece of soil, a correct summing up
of the situation that confronts the venturer, and intelligent effort
applied, will get larger results on the Florida keys than are pro-
curable from farming lands in any other section of this state,
and the obstacles that at first look impossible are the very easiest
things imaginable to eradicate.
-5
1. Key Wet Electric Company's
Plant.
2. Key West Electric Company's
Car Barn.
8. Key Wet Ga Company's
PlInt.
4. Consumers' Ice'& Cold Stonee'
Company's Plant.
8. ColumbisSteam Laundry.
rfr Pictureand SfV a
A'ld in ic re 6'd anoz
nL
At I. Key West
.. .Terminals.
2. Train Leav-
,am for the
3. The Wonder-
ful Archea.
4. Train Cross-
ing the Water.
5. One of the
Many Steel
Bridgee.
]h o z Pic ture anuSzr
The Florida East Coast Railway and
What It Means to Key West
By W. Hunt Harris
THE master mind that conceived the idea of constructing a
railroad from the mainland of Florida, across the Florida
keys, to the island and city of Key West, and that was bold
enough to carry his plan into effect has crossed the Great Channel
from which no ship has ever returned, there to meet his reward
and be met with the words: "Well done, thou good and faith-
ful servant."
Henry M. Flagler, Florida's pgeatest builder and developer,
began this work in his seventy-sixth year and lived to see the
dream of many years an accomplished fact. This work, with its
massive concrete arches and pillars of reinforced concrete coming
up out of the ocean from solid bedrock, will be a living testimonial
and monument, for ages to come, to the patriotism, courage, and
ability of a great American.
In the fall of 1904 1 saw in one of Mr. Flagler's private offices,
on a long, wide board, built up in clay, in full detail, a miniature
model of the Florida East Coast Extension to ]ey West. It then
dawned upon me that when this man had said, 'I intend to build
a railroad to Key West," he meant to do it.
The history of the world fails to show a greater work con-
ceived, undertaken and carried to completion by a private citizen.
From the mainland to Key West, a distance of approximately
one hundred and seven miles, is a string of small islands known
as the Florida Keys ("keys" being a corruption from the Span-
ish "cayo" meaning island), with channels between varying in
depth from a few inches at low tide to twenty feet. Through
these channels the waters of the Gulf of Mexico run into the
Atlantic Ocean and back again with each varying tide. The
strongest flow is from the Gulf to the Atlantic, owing to the sweep
of the Gulf Stream on its northward journey.
Where the water between these keys was shallow the con-
struction was easy and required only the throwing up by steam
shovels of the marl and limestone rock adjacent to theline of pro-
posed embankment. In those places where the water was deep
and the flow of the current strong, the problem was met by solid
concrete piers of huge size and solid concrete arches. A sample
of this class of construction is seen in "Long Key Viaduct" which
is 2.7 miles long. This class of work was abandoned as the road
anal,6XRv&?
progressed, because it was found to be too expensive, the cost
being approximately five hundred thousand dollars per mile, and
then began the concrete pier rising up out of the sea from solid
bed rock, on top of which were placed steel girders eighty feet in
length and eight feet in height. On top of these girders the ties
and rails are placed.
At Key West all of the land needed for terminals was made
by pumping material by hydraulic dredges, as no land was avail-
able on the island. Magnificent concrete lined piers have been
constructed, capable of docking forty steamships at one time.
Great ocean-goig' ferries have been contracted for and the
first one will be delivered by January 1st, 1915. It is proposed
to take on board solid trains of loaded cars at Key West and ferry
them across the Gulf Stream to Havana, a distance of ninety
miles. Cars loaded with sugar and other products of Cuba will
be brought from Havana without breaking the seal and from Key
West transported to the markets of the United States.
"At Key West the roads of water flowing in first meet the
bands of steel running out; here traffic southbound first takes
ship, and traffic northbound first takes train, and if this meeting
means so much to so great a country as ours, how overwhelming
must be its meaning to one small island and the one particular
city where it occurs?
"It means to Key West a rapid growth in population, a
tremendous expansion in business, a vast development of indus-
trial enterprise, a great influx of new men, new money, new in-
terests.
"It means the enlargement of present business concerns and
the establishment of new ones, the building of manufacturing
plants, the organization of jobbing houses, the installation of
agencies for agricultural implement makers and manufacturers of
machinery.
"It means the ushering in of a new era of business, of indus-
try, of progress.
'en of energy and enterprise who wish to take advantage
of the best that Key West has to offer, to enjoy to the full the
benefits of the coming era of prosperity, will do well to look into
the situation now."
4-
1. Hotel Jefferson.
2. Over-Sea Hotel.
, 3. Panama Hotel.
4. Island City House
'1f1 zzj 21Picture and S7trv
Key West-"The Gateway to the
Panama Canal"
By S. P. Vecker
KEY WEST is the "Gateway to the Panama Canal" because
it is hundreds of miles nearer the Panama Canal and South
America than any other American port. Key West is
one thousand seventy-five miles from Colon; two hundred and
forty-five miles nearer than Tampa; four hundred and forty-five
miles nearer than Pensacola; four hundred and seventy-five miles
nearer than Mobile; four hundred and ninety-five miles nearer
than New Orleans and six hundred miles nearer than Galveston.
Nor does Key West call herself the "Gateway to the Panama
Canal" because of mere distance. Accessibility forms another
phase of it. Key West has the finest natural harbor of any
American port on the Gulf of Mexico. A ship can leave the
open roadstead off Key West and in half an hour be discharging
and taking on cargo at the docks. There is no time lost in thread-
ing narrow and uncertain channels, no towing charges to be paid
and no lightering to be done.
Key West as the southernmost city of the United States, is
only ninety miles from Havana. The Peninsular and Occiden-
tal Steamship Company runs a daily passenger boat between Key
West and Havana, and, in addition, they run a freighter twice a
week. The Mallory Steamship Company maintains regular lines
between Key West and New York, Galveston, Mobile and Tampa.
The extension of the Florida East Coast Railroad to Key
West has made this city one of great importance as a port of com-
merce. Concrete docks, capable of furnishing berthing space for
forty four-hundred-foot ships, have been built by the railroad in
anticipation of the large and expanding trade which must, in the
near future, pass through this port. Daily tons of freight are im-
ported and exported from Cuba. The Flagler System is preparing
to handle this ever increasing business with steel ferryboats, each
of whose carrying capacity will be thirty-six loaded freight cars.
Key West invites business interests, who are studying the
opportunities now available for trade extension in South America,
to investigate the advantages offered for establishing their busi-
ness at Key West. The digging of the Panama Canal will be a
boon to all United States ports, but to Key West it will be both
a boon and a boost, for the position of this city makes it the "Gate-
way to the Panama Canal."
J anal 6 ureandire*
1. lbst
Natima lankt
.1 Ks1 W.at.
Trnple.
2.' N Club.
3. Odd Pal6'
HalL
Key West From a Strategic
Point of View
By Commodore W. H. Beehler, U. S. N.
Being an extract from "The American Gibraltar," written by Commodore Beehler,
and re-published by special permission of Commodore Beehler
THE writer is convinced of the absolute necessity of making
a great military and naval base at Key West, Florida. This
should be the American Gibraltar, and as England has se-
cured domination over Europe by means of her strategic base at
Gibraltar, so must we adopt this geographical position for the
command of the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and all the
approaches to the Panama Canal, at the most southern point of
the United States. The completion of the railroad extension to
Key West, as the southern terminal of overland communication,
makes all the resources of the country available here, and it is
the most commanding site on this continent. The resemblance
of Key West to the rock of Gibraltar is a decided contrast, as
different as the old world is from the new. The magnificent har-
bor of Key West, twenty-five miles long, with a channel from
one and a half to two miles wide, with not less than thirty-two
feet of water and large areas over forty feet deep, is practically
the largest deep water harbor in the country, but there are no
high hills or immense rock to give the impression of invulner-
ableness. But, instead, this harbor is sheltered on the north by
low keys and shoals, which form a complete protection on that
side, whereas seven miles south of this line of keys there is a par-
allel line of reefs and shoals, some of which are scarcely awash
at low tide, and none is more than eight feet above high water,
so that the anchorage appears to be more like an open roadstead
than a harbor, capable of berthing all the navies of the world.
There are some obstructions in parts of the harbor which could
be removed, at comparatively little expense, that more than
treble the area of that best part known as the West Channel.
The obstructions to be removed consist of soft coral heads,
around which mud has collected and form shoal spots here and
there on all sides of the channels. The appellative of "America's
Gibraltar", being given to Key West, is justified by its analogous
position, coupled with its greater strategic advantages than Gib-
raltar, Spain. The dominating influence of Gibraltar for British
supremacy in Europe finds its counterpart in the position at Key
West, the one commanding the Mediterranean Sea and the ap-
proaches to the Suez Canal, and the other the Gulf of Mexico
and the approaches to the Panama Canal.
I First
National Bank
of Key West.
2. Island City
National Bank.
1. Masonic
Temple.
2. Elks' Club.
3. Odd Fellows'
Hall.
TIr 'OASi tam/ aaa SS
The Schools of Key West
By M. P. Geiger
T HE schools of Key West compare favorably with the best
in tihe state. The officers realize that the American idea is
for the public schools to be the schools of all the people,
and they are rapidly causing the public schools of Key West to
come into their own, and to fulfill their proper and legitimate
mission. The program being carried out by the officers is simple.
It is two-fold: first, to make the public schools unquestionably
the best in the city, and second, to make them adequate to accom-
modate all the children of the city. These two lines of endeavor
go hand m hand.
The following are the names of the public schools of the city:
the Harris High School; the Division Street Grammar School
(Russell Hall), a twenty-room concrete building now being erect-
ed; San Carlos School; and Douglas School, for negroes.
In addition to the public schools of the city, there are num-
bers of small private schools; there are the Catholic church schools
and Convent of Mary Immaculate, and the Methodist Church
School-Ruth Hargrove Institute.
The Convent of Mary Immaculate claims the distinction of
being the oldest educational institution on the island of Key West,
and from the days of its humble beginning it has ever been the
aim of the Sisters of the Holy Name to impart to their pupils a
thorough training in every department of education, hence the
convent has won, through its earnest and assiduous efforts, an
extended reputation, and it has become an educational force in
the greater Key West of today, with an influence that is far
reaching.
The Ruth Hargrove Institute, a co-educational day and
boarding school, was established in 1898. Since that time it
has grown rapidly and is now the largest private school for white.
students in South Florida. Four schools are maintained: the
Preparatory School, the School of Music, the Business School,
and the Cuban Primary School, for Cubans only. The insti-
tute ranks as a "Junior College" and its graduates are admitted
without examination and with advanced standing in practically
all northern and southern universities.. Its aim is to give the
young men and women of the community and adjacent countries
the best possible mental, physical and moral training. The
school is unqualifiedly Christian, but is not sectarian.
5a ni -iV ure anSt
i"
1. Convent of Mary
Immaculate.
2. Harrms lHgh School
3. Ruth Hargrove
Institute.
4. Division Street
(Russell Hall) School.
, *.
z
bd iz^ ^Picture and Stry
The Churches of Key West and
Their Influence
By Dr. C. E. W. Dobbs
GOOD churches are important factors in the moral and social
uplift of the community. No city attempts to boost itself
without specially mentioning its churches. They are
recognized as essential to the welfare of society. Whatever the
personal relation or bias of many towards the churches, few of
the population would deliberately choose as a permanent home
for their families a community in which the light of the churches
did not shine.
Key West, considering its population, has comparatively few
churches. It would be difficult to find a city of twenty-five thou-
sand people with only ten churches for its white population of
twenty thousand. Yet from the very beginning of the city it
was recognized by all that there could be no permanent prosperity
without the presence of the church, and among the earliest efforts
of the founders was the organization of the church. That first
church was the present St. Paul Episcopal church; Methodist and
Baptist organizations followed quickly.
The churches of the city are wisely located, reaching con-
veniently the entire population, no one of them being far removed
from any who wish to attend and who have special preference
for this or that denomination. These churches have been uni-
formly officered and their pulpits filled by men comparing favor-
ably with those in other cities. All who desire to do so can find
here pleasant church homes, where they will be cordially wel-
comed, and in whose fellowship they can have useful fields in
which they can forward the cause of righteousness.
The pictures herein presented show that these churches re-
joice in excellent houses of worship. With the early completion
of the handsome St. Paul building, and the finishing touches on
the Fleming Street Methodist house, Key West will be able to
boast of as well-appearing houses of worship as any city of its
size. Let all encourage and help to build up these moral light-
houses in the community. The churches are for all, and all
should aid in sustaining them. The pastors earnestly invite and
urge the attendance of the people upon the services, not only for
the glory of the God we worship, but also because we know that
in that worship souls attain their highest welfare.
)A Pi c tzzrc and fr
*r II
1. First Methbdist (Stone) Church. 2. St. y Star of the Sea. 3. Holy Iao ts' Church
7. Rleaing Street Methodist Church. 8. B'ai B'rith Synaogue.
1fo1 izn 7c ture and Syorz
- *l
4. Congregational Church.
5. Eaton Street Baptist Church.
. First Church of Christ. Scientist.
9. St. Paul's Church (being erected).
- 'y
iiy $APic ture and Stori' |
The Key West Board of Trade and
Its Part in the. Development
of Key West
By Fred H. Mathews, Secretary Board of Trade
THE Key West Board of Trade is composed of several hun-
dred progressive men, drawn from all lines of business and
the professions, and the organization's one great slogan is
"Boost." Not the side-show variety of boosting, nor the get-
rich-quick real estate kind, but that sane, conservative boosting
based on incontrovertible facts.
It is not the purpose of this article to boast of past accom-
plishments. But a few things will be mentioned to indicate the
part that the Board of Trade has played and is playing in the
development of the most southern city in the United States.
Key West and the Board of Trade won a great strategic victory
when President Taft visited the Panama Canal. The President
was desirous of reaching the canal and returning by the shortest
possible route, and he stated that inasmuch as Key West was
the nearest American port to the canal, as well as the nearest
railroad terminal, he would save time by taking this route. Thus
was Key West officially stamped as "the nearest American port
to the Panama Canal."
Another project pushed to a successful conclusion recently
by the board, together with the aid of individuals, was the selec-
tion of a site at Key West for the establishment of a biological
station by the national government. The establishment of this
station means more than the erection of a few buildings; it means
that hundreds of biological students from all parts of the country
will make Key West their home for several months out of each
year.
The Board of Trade, through its publicity committee, is now
planning a strong advertising campaign, which really starts with
the publication of this book, under the board's auspices, and it
will be more comprehensive than anything hitherto attempted on
behalf of Key West. In addition to the advertising matter that
will be distributed through the passenger departments of scores
of transportation companies, a branch office of the board, in the
nature of an information bureau and display room, will be open-
ed in a city that is the gateway to Florida.
od in 1ic z ure and STor
4 v%
1 Louise Ma.
loney Hospital.
2. MarineHos
pital.
3. Mercedes
Hospital.
irSb $Pc ture and Starna
Key West's Fishing Grounds
By W. R. Porter
ILORIDA, with the greatest coast line of any of the states, is
famed, and justly so, for the variety and extent of its fishing
grounds, and nowhere on its shore line can be found a more
abundant supply of game and edible fish than in the waters in
the immediate vicinity of Key West. In fact, there is no place
on the shore line of the United States proper where a greater
variety of fish and marine life exists than in the waters within
a radius of twenty-five miles of this city. The angler in quest
of sport can here find the games of all salt water' fish-among
them the tarpon, better known as the "Silver King," the amber-
jack, barracuda, cavalla, devil fish, sword fish and shark. Any
of the above give the sportsman the worth of his money, and
particularly so when one lands a tarpon weighing from one hun-
dred to one hundred and fifty pounds. He then has a story that
will do to tell over and over again for months to come. Key
West's waters have the fish and the year has no terminal, for
different seasons give different varieties of fish, and the waters
are always open to the launch or boatman.
Fishing here, from an industrial and commercial standpoint,
offers numerous advantages on account of the nearness of the fish-
ing grounds to this city and the quick rail transportation which it
now enjoys. Spanish mackerel and kingfish swarm in countless
thousands during the winter months. This business has grown
to large proportions, but not to what it should be, nor to what
it is expected to become.
There are so many varieties of fish here (said to be more than
three hundred) that only the scientist who is familiar with them
can classify them. Most of the specimens of the West Indian
varieties for the New York and Boston aquariums are obtained
here. The United States Bureau of Fisheries has recognized Key
West's superiority over all other Gulf Coast points by selecting
this city as the site of its biological station which was authorized
by congress several years ago. It was because a greater variety
of fish and marine life are to be obtained here than any other
point offering and competing for this station.
Sr Zap`ic ture andYto. V
The Turtle Industry and Its
Development
By Norberg Thompson
THE turtle industry of Key West may be said to have been
started with the coming of Mr. A. Granday to-Key West,
some twenty-five or thirty years ago. Mr. Granday was
induced to come to this city by Mr. Jules Webber, of New York,
and it was for the purpose of finding out what could be done with
the turtle that Mr. Granday came -here. He experimented a
number of years before he succeeded in perfecting the turtle soup
that has become so popular. After this, he began to manu-
facture it, and for ten years he operated the factory that he had
built. Mr. Granday sold his new industry to Mr. Louis Mouton,
who conducted the business until his death, some five years ago.
Mrs. Mouton, after her husband's death, sold the business to Mr.
Norberg Thompson, who is now operating it under the name by
which it was first known-The A. Granday Canning Company.
At the time the industry was first started, Mr. Granday
secured his turtles from the waters about Key West, but they
have become so scarce in these waters that the turtles used in the
manufacture of the soup are now caught in the Caribbean Sea,
along the coast of Mexico, with some from off the coast of Nica-
ragua. A large schooner goes down to the fishing grounds, and
when enough are caught brings them back to the "crawls", just
back of the "turtle dock", where they are kept until such time
as they are needed at the canning plant. The schooner brings
about four hundred.
The turtles weigh from twenty-five to a thousand pounds,
but the best size, and the one most sought after, weighs about
two hundred pounds. It is interesting to watch the turtles in
the "crawls"-pens built in the water, where they are kept.
The turtles in the "crawls" are fed regularly on seaweed. They
eat no meat of any kind, but thrive on the seaweed that is caught
for them. This season has been the best that we have ever had,
and the turtles seem to be more plentiful, so the supply will
probably not diminish for a good many years to come.
This is the only exclusive turtle soup canning factory in the
world, the only other factory that makes a fine grade of green
turtle soup securing its supply of turtle through the Key West
company. Our brand is the "A. Granday Fine Green Turtle
Soup," and is marketed through Mr. Jules Webber, 236 West
Fortieth Street, New York, who handles the entire output.
1. Monroe Theatre.
2. Vitagraph Summer Theatre
3. San Carlo Opera House (and
School).
4. A. Louis-,Pavilion.
I (A 9 j~RKG ~lr
o.u -~trearS~ur
4 Picture and rfran
Key Westers
By Wm. H. Male, Jr.
KEY WESTERS are "a peculiar people," not all of whom
S"are zealous of good works," but peculiar in the sense of
being unique. It would not be a correct sketch of the people
of Key West to use an exaggerated type as a sample of the whole.
For instance, Key West has a Mr. Pecksniff, a Mr. Dombey, and
even a few Quasimodos, whose misdirected zeal often results in
disaster to the cause nearest to their heart.
Key West was settled by people from almost every part of
the world. The original proprietors of the island, who made it
their home, were wealthy and educated people from New York
and New England. These were soon joined by the sons of some
of the best families of the South. Then followed Spaniards and
Frenchmen, who were experienced men of affairs. As soon as
the industrial conditions of the island permitted, people from the
Bahama Islands and Cuba came to Key West in great numbers.
These having intermarried, the present Key Wester is the off-
spring of this diversified ancestry.
In great things Key Westers are law-abiding. Few atrocious
or even serious crimes are committed. They seem to have an
instinctive horror of those deeds which are in themselves wrong
or bad. On the other hand, small or petty offences, made wrong
by the enactment into law of the idea of some prude, do not
offend the conscience of the average Key Wester. Few can see
any moral turpitude in smuggling; all but the very religious
occasionally engage in games of chance, and the floating dere-
lict is regarded as common property. Perhaps the inherited
desire for adventure has its outlet in the small games of chance
or in outwitting the vigilance of Uncle Sam.
The stranger in Key West is at home. The people are hospit-
able beyond their means. The visitor is welcome in the Key
Wester's home, whether it be the mansion of the wealthy or the
rented cottage of the laborer.
In religion and politics the people of Key West love to divide.
All parties can get a hearing and finally strong supporters. All
things considered, the people of Key West, while lacking in much,
will compare favorably with the people of any other place. The
women are modest, accomplished and beautiful; the men gallant,
courageous and intelligent; and all are polite, kind and consider-
ate of the rights of others.
Ms YaM an
T ol iZw -I1o f3urca nd Sor rv
t *L-II~~_IIL~~r_~ 1 IL_ IJ_-- ~ -~-----L-~---L ~ ~-- D-I--L-~-----L-
/d iW fPicture andSforu
Key We s t e r s
By Wm. H. Malone, Jr.
KEY WESTERS are "a peculiar people," not all of whom
"are zealous of good works," but peculiar in the sense of
being unique. It would not be a correct sketch of the people
of Key West to use an exaggerated type as a sample of the whole.
For instance, Key West has a Mr. Pecksniff, a Mr. Dombey, and
even a few Quasimodos, whose misdirected zeal often results in
disaster to the cause nearest to their heart.
Key West was settled by people from almost every part of
the world. The original proprietors of the island, who made it
their home, were wealthy and educated people from New York
and New England. These were soon joined by the sons of some
of the best families of the South. Then followed Spaniards and
Frenchmen, who were experienced men of affairs. As soon as
the industrial conditions of the island permitted, people from the
Bahama Islands and Cuba came to Key West in great numbers.
These having intermarried, the present Key Wester is the off-
spring of this diversified ancestry.
In great things Key Westers are law-abiding. Few atrocious
or even serious crimes are committed. They seem to have an
instinctive horror of those deeds which are in themselves wrong
or bad. On the other hand, small or petty offences, made wrong
by the enactment into law of the idea of some prude, do not
offend the conscience of the average Key Wester. Few can see
any moral turpitude in smuggling; all but the very religious
occasionally engage in games of chance, and the floating dere-
lict is regarded as common property. Perhaps the inherited
desire for adventure has its outlet in the small games of chance
or in outwitting the vigilance of Uncle Sam.
The stranger in Key West is at home. The people are hospit-
able beyond their means. The visitor is welcome in the Key
Wester's home, whether it be the mansion of the wealthy or the
rented cottage of the laborer.
In religion and politics the people of Key West love to divide.
All parties can get a hearing and finally strong supporters. All
things considered, the people of Key West, while lacking in much,
will compare favorably with the people of any other place. The
women are modest, accomplished and beautiful; the men gallant,
courageous and intelligent; and all are polite, kind and consider-
ate of the rights of others.
4 Wivanal5
7 <071d uci c Cf ure and Sfo'rKY1
= 0 U, IMCCOMrrii
ii
5. The Grand Theatre. 6. The Airdome. 7. At La Brisa on the Beach. 8. Auto Polo at the Barracks.
Srx 'Picture and Stor
What Key West Needs
By Mayor J. N. Fogarty
T HE city of Key West has a very clear and well-defined idea
of what its needs are, and the city government, together
with the business interests of the city, will lend every
possible aid and interest to help those who come here to supply
our needs, or who may be seeking information in regard to con-
ditions in Key West, with a view to investing.
Key West needs a water supply. To the company or in-
dividual that would install a fresh water supply in Key West,
the most liberal franchise would be given, and in addition, every
possible co-operation would be extended.
Key West needs a state bank. The charter of such an in-
stitution being much more liberal than are the national bank
charters, the institution would be able to handle mortgages on
real estate, and would not only be a boon to the city, but would
be a paying institution from the start.
Key West would be an ideal location for a sugar refinery.
Being close to the sugar fields of Cuba, the cane might very
easily be shipped here, refined and sold at a good profit, since
the saving in duties would be a big item.
Key West is the ideal location for a large or several small
button factories. The shells may be had here in abundance for
the picking up, and with the product costing practically nothing
-and it of a very fine grade-there is no reason why a big profit
could not be made on such an investment.
Key West needs a large fish canning factory. Such a factory
would furnish additional markets for the fish that abound in Key
West waters, and could be operated for less expense and at great-
er advantage than in most any other city in the country.
Key West, of course, wants more cigar factories, and will aid
in the building and equipping of good factories.
Being so close to Mexico and the oil fields of Texas, Key
West is the ideal location for any kind of factory that could
operate with oil as a fuel.. It can be bought cheap, transported
for very little, and for that reason should be taken into serious
consideration by those who are looking about for a place in
which to locate.
a 1 N $C,
r ~ icl, cd~br
I. D. Aronovitz Department Store.
2. Wm. Curry's Sons Co.
3. The Campbell Building.
4. The Recio Building.
5. A. Louis & Son's Department Store
(rfdf and' e
r~ ~ic tre t OIF~I
6. John Lowe, Jr., Sons' Lumber Yard and Store. 7. Reedy Furniture Co. 8. Peacon's Grocery
9. Wolkowsky's Furniture Store. 10. Western Union Telegraph & Cable Office.
A. Louis & Son
Department Store
518-520 Duval Street
T HIS store is the logical place for the
stranger when he or she gets to Key
West. We sell the people of Key West and
they are our firm friends. If you come here,
you are shown goods of known quality--
goods that are nationally advertised.
N our Men's Department you
will find Walk-Over Shoes,
Hart Schaffner & Marx Clothes,
Manhattan Shirts and Stetson
and Knox Hats.
IN our Ladies' Department you
will find Dorothy Dodd Shoes,
"and the most up-to-date of every-
thing that is best for women's and
misses' wear.
W E pride ourselves on carrying only
the best that is made-for men,
women and children-and it will be a real
pleasure to us to have you in our store.
Florida East Coast
Railway Company
Florida East Coast Hotel Company
Flagler System
Five hundred and twenty-two
miles of railway linking to-
gether in one system the world's
most famous winter resorts
JACKSONVILLE, the gateway to
Florida; through St. Augustine, the old-
est city in the United States; Ormond-on-
the-Halifax; Rockledge on the Indian River;
Palm Beach, the queen of the winter resort
world; Miami, on beautiful Bay Biscayne to
Key West, America's Gibraltar and the south-
ernmost point in the United States reached
by rail.
For advertiing matter or ticket information
write
Florida East Coast Railway Company
St. Augustine, Fla.
J. P. Beckwith J. D. Rahner
Vice-President General Pasenger Agent
Y OU need light-weight clothes in Key West, and
we have taken considerable pains to look after
your needs in this line. We have had an eye to the
important, though subtle, changes of fashion in
making our purchases for this winter, and the men
who demand correct clothes will find here, at the
home of
Styleplus $17
Clothes
the various examples of the supremacy of Styleplus
designers. It makes no difference whether you buy
your Styleplus suit in New York or in Key West,
you get the same quality of goods and workman-
ship, and with the extraordinary care which we have
used in selecting our line for this winter's trade, you
get the same exclusive fashions.
We are rather proud of the fact that this store is
the home of the best dressers in Key West and
you will find it to your advantage to come here.
We also carry a complete line of
Gents' Furnishings, Shoes,
Hats, Trunks
and everything, in fact, that is to be found in the
most up-to-date shops for men in the larger cities.
So when you get to Key West, come to
The Naval Store
J. Leiborit Proprietor
--
128 Duvral Street
Key West, Fla.
Centrally located; rooms single oren suite; furnished throughout in bird's-
eye maple; sample rooms; running water in every room; shower baths
Rates, $1.00, $1.50, $2.00
Panama Hotel
C. R. Pierce, Proprietor
Restaurant
The Hotel That Helped to Make the
Cigar City Famous
Corner Eaton and Elizabeth Streets. On car line. Key West, Florida
The Island City House
Chas. R. Pierce, Proprietor
Phone 387
With every convenience of a
modern hotel and the' most
congenVal and home-like place
in the city. :-: :-: :-:
411 William Street Key West. Florida
411 William Street
Key West, Florida
When you think of
Ice Cream
you naturally
think of
A. Lucignani
and strangers will
find his two ice
cream parlors by
following the crowd.
His places are
522 and 702 Duval St.
Key West Florida
The Lace Store
El Louvre,
V. Menendz, Proprietor
CharmingMantillas
Rich and Heavy
as those that drape the dark heads
of the beauties of Old Madrid.
Rel Spanish hand-made Laces,
Mantillas, Handkerchiefs, Hand
Embroidered Dresses, BedSpreads
and Center Pieces, td from
Spain by The lce Store.
Real Hand-Made
Linen Laces
Exquisite quality; exclusive design
Real Val.
Embroideries
alo
Panama Hats
129 Duval St. Key West, Fla.
"The Fast Mail Route"
Between
Key West, Florida, and Havana, Cuba
SShort Sea Trips
Daily except Sunday Service
The Peninsular & Occidental
Steamship Co.
Write for illustrated booklet
P.J. Saunders, Asst. Mgr. T.K. Bensel,A.G.F. & P.A.
Jacksonville, Florida
St. Joseph
Pharmacy
-the up-to-date Nyal Store
that serves to please and
takes pleasure in serving
you. If you cannot come
to us, phone 1P5 and we will
come to you.
Dr. N. C. Pintado
Proprietor
Chas. S. Johnson
Manager
608 Duval St. Key West, Fla.
El Central
Established 1887
Jose Carbonell
Proprietor
Dealer in
Coffees
Branch in Miami Fla.
at 407 Thirteenth Street
Postoffice Box 88
610 Duval St. Key West, Fla.
The Duval American Restaurant
Peter Ugalde & Co., Prop~etors
Located at the corner of Duval and Greene
Streets, in the very heart of the
business district of
Key West
The Only American
Restaurant in the City
and the one at which the great majority of
the tourist travel take their
meals
Stop where you like but come to the Duval for your meals
W. D. Cash
Established 1858
Phone 1962
Commission Merchant
Dealer in
Hay, Grain and
Feed
Has on hand and is constantly re-
ceiving Buggies, Runabouts, Sur-
reys, Phaetons, Spring Drays,
Georgia Wagons, Delivery and
Milk Wagons, Saddlery, Harness,
Collars, Carriage Lamps, etc., etc.
Can renew parts of carriages and
harness,when broken.
Aget for Buffalo Gasoine
Motor Co.
Corner Front and Duval Streets
Recio
Wholesale
Grocer
514 Front St.
Key West, Fla.
The Key West Transfer
Frank Cates, Manager
Co.
Our busses meet every train and boat and carry
passengers to every hotel in the city.
We transfer your baggage to any place in the
city, or from any dock or terminal to any
other dock or terminal and do it in the
quickest possible time.
Carriages and automobiles for short trips or by
the hour at the most reasonable prices.
When you want to ride or have baggage trans-
ferred in Key West, the Key West Transfer
Company is at your service-night or day.
We are under heavy bond to give you the right
kind of service and to see that nothing of
yours is lost.
C.
Modern and New European Plan
Awarded Gold Seal of the State
Dining Room in Connection
Strictly American Cooking
SOver-Sea Hotel
Johnson Brothers
Propritors
Hot and Cold Running Water in Every Room
Rooms with Private Bath
Nearest Hotel to Railroad and Steamboat Station, Ke, West, Florida
Key West Cocoa-Cola Bottling Company
K. O. Thompson, Proprietor
Botlers of
and
High Grade Soda Waters
i
W HEN you get to Key
West, and feel that
your heavy clothes are out
of place, drop in and let me
show you how quickly and
how nicely I can make you
a new, light-weight suit-
one suitable for this, the
best climate in the world.
Pressing and
Cleaning a
Specialty
Fred Moss
Tailor
419 Greene St. Key West, Fla.
FOR up-to-date tailor-
made garments see V.
A. Johnson, "the reputable
tailor's representative," rep-
resenting
The Royal Tailors,
Marks Arnheim, Inc.,
and
The Storrs-Schaffer Co.
Every garment has my per-
sonal guarantee-with that
of the houses I represent-
as to fit, workmanship and
material.
Come in and look over my
new line of Wampe.
V. A. Johnson
000 Duval St. Key West, Fla.
D. Aronovitz Department Store
THIS store is maintained for the men, wom-
en and children of Key West, who like to
get what they call for, and who like to know
when they have made a purchase that it is right.
We not only have the largest department store
building in Key West, but we carry the largest
stock of everything that can be found in first-
class department stores, and we sell our goods
at prices that attract. When you get to Key
West, it makes no difference whether you want
to buy one single thing or not, come to our
store, make yourself at home, and if there is
any way in which we can serve you, or help
make your stay in "the gateway to Panama"
more pleasant, don't hesitate to let us know
how we may do it.
618-20 Duval Street
Key West, Florida
W. F. Bailey
Bicycle and
Automobile
Sundries .'.
I carry a full stock of
Michelin Tires
and an assortment of other
makes-in all sizes.
A finely equipped repair
shop in connection.
A full line of
Bicycles
and automobile and
bicycle accessories,
422 Greene St.
Phone 5192
Key West
Furniture Co.
The Leading Furniture
Store in Key West
In addition to our standard
lines, we make a specialty of
carrying an excellent assort-
ment of high-grade furniture
Excellently arranged
Model Rooms
for showing our furniture
O. S. Long, Prop.
700 Duval Street
Peninsular Casualty Company
Home Office in Jacksonville, Florida
Capital Paid in
$206,700.00
$100,000.00 deposited with
the State Treasurer of
Florida for the protection
of policy holders..
Over one-half the popula-
tion of Key West are now
insured in this strong and
reliable company. .'. .
Key West Branch Office in Kress Bldg. O. S. Long, Supt.
Code Cable Address
Code Cable Addreu
"Western Union" "CUyN, Ey West"
Wm. Curry's
Sons Co.
Wholesale Grocers
and
General Merchants
Ship Chandlery, Hardware,
Building Material,
Coal, Water and Ice.
Marine Railway,
Lighter and Tow Boats
New York Office
39 Vesey Street
611 Front St. Key West, Fa.
Consumers' Ice and
Cold Storage
Company
Crystal Ice and
Pure
Distilled Water
Phone
211
James Street Key West, FU.
Y
T. A. Lumley
Wholesale and Retail
Dealer in
Meats
Both Florida
and Western Beef
-L
Trevor and Morris
Agents for
Ford
Automobiles
A large stock of cars kept on
hand all the time
Repair Shop
Maintained
Office and Store-
room in Maonic Temple Bldg.
BENJAMIN LOPEZ
Telephone
1 3 5
r
4n
;:
C'-j~u"i
~'' 8"r
unbertaker anb funeral
Director
Bodies prepared for burial and shipped to any part
of the world
*
The largest stock of
caskets and funeral
supplies south of
Jacksonvill e
413-415 Bahama St.
Key West, Florida
If it is
Cigars
Mr. Wolf
Box Trade a specialty, and
we solicit your mail orders.
We sell
E. H. Gato Cigr Co.,
Cortez Cigar Co.,
Ruy Lopes Ca.,
Firdinand Hirsch Co.,
Havana-American Co.,
Cigars
and
S.Wolf Son's Cigars
[in all shapes and sizes
426 Greene St. Key West, Fla.
When it is medicines or
druggists' sundries,
or when it is a pre-
scription that
you want
filled,
see
Maximo M. Diaz
Two modenly
equipped stores
Corner Duval and Petronia Sts.
and
Corner Division and Grinnell Sts.
We
cater to the tour-
ists' trade, and make
a specialty of quick orders
Frank Johnson
the leading
Jeweler
in
Key West, Florida
Florida Souvenirs
Marine
Curios
Tourists always welcome
130 Duval Street
Dr. W. O. Kemp
Veterinary
Surgeon
Phone 200
Practice Day or Night
Served in Spanish-
American War in
capacity of Veter-
inary Surgeon.
Residence and
office at corner of Georgia
and Olivia Sts., Key West, Florida
i
The
Key West Cigar
Factory
Manufacturers of the
finest
Key West
Cigars
Jobbers' Trade Solicitd
Postoffice Box 422
Key West
Florida
John Lowe, Jr.Sons
Dealers in
General
Merchandise
Wholesale and Retail
Dealers in
Lumber, Shingles and Lath,
Walter's Galv'd Shingles,
Alpha Portland Cement,
Congo Rubber Roofing,
Keystone Galvanized Nails,
Carey's Cement Roofing.
H. B. Davis 100%
Paints and Oils
Key West Florida
Yuttb Jfargrove Institute
Key West, Florida
Established 1898
A Three-Fold Development Emphasized
Physical-Intellectual- Moral
Four Schools Are Maintained
Preparatory School: Kindergarten, Primary, Intermediate and College-
Preparatory Departments.
School of Music: Piano, Voice, Organ, Violin, Stringed Instruments.
Teachers have best home and foreign training.
School of Busines: Full courses in Bookkeeping, Stenography, Law,
Typewriting. Penmanship, etc., etc.
Cuban Primary Scool: For Cubans only--415 Olivia Street.
Distinctively a Christian School (but non-sectarian).
A Standard School-Day and Boarding-Co-educational.
A Faculty of twenty, all professionally trained, experi-
enced and modern in methods.
/.taft. President A. W. Mohn, Key West, Fla.
The Key West Box Company
Manufacturers of
Cigar Boxes
Dealers in Cigar Makers' Supplies, Labels
Ribbons, Etc., and Cedar Lumber
Office and Factory, William and Caroline Streets, Key West, Florids
A. Granday Canning Company
Norberg Thompson, Proprietor
Choice Green Turtle Soups
Telephone 2121
Postoffice Box 268
225 Elisabeth Street Key West, Florida
Norberg Thompson
Ex p o r t e r
Florida Sponges
Postoiee Box 288 Key West, Florida
Thompson Fish Company
Wholesale Dealers in
Fresh and Salted Fish
Key West Florida
Key West
Florida
____________________________________ 1. _____________________________________
Principe De Golfo
Cigar Co.
Manufacturer of
high grade
Havana Cigars
Strangers wil be
welcomed at our
factory at all
hours. :-: :-:
Postoffce Box 499
613 Greene St. Key West, Fla.
Flor de
Gwynn
High Grade
Havana Cigars
"Acknowledge no superior"
Try our Flor de Gwynn
Smoker at $2.75 per
box of fifty, delivered.
Made especially for the mail
order trade :-: :-: :-:
Made by
Gwynn, Strauss & Co.
Key West, Fla.
Made in Bond under Government supervision
Mtll 7avortta
The finest Key
West Clear Havana
Cigars of
Park & Tilford Standard
This is always the
warrant of their
excellent quality
Mi Favorite Cigar Co., Inc.
529-549 W. 42nd St., New York Key West, Florida
Produced complete b Tan RBcomD COMPANY of 8. Aurwuine and Jacksonrille
RUY LOPEZ
Manufacturers of Havana
C a.
Cigars
Factory:
Key West, Florida
S New York Ofice:
88 Fulton Street
For ten years we have been given the highest rating
for sanitary conditions by the Florida State Board
of Health, in its annual reports, and several times
we have received special mention for cleanliness.
trEST C,0
Bird's-Eye Views of Key West, Florida
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