206 
ACROSS THE GULF BY RAIL TO KEY WEST 
Grassy Key were reached. Thence there would be two and one- 
half miles of trestling to Conch Key and the same extent to Long 
Key. After traversing Long Key for four miles the train would 
run over a trestle three and one-half miles long— the water vaiw- 
ing from 10 to 12 feet deep — to Lower Matecumhe, a fertile island 
four miles in length. The next island is Upper Matecumhe, to 
reach which would require a trestle two miles long and a draw- 
bridge over one of the three channels separating these two keys. 
The water between Lower and Upi>er Matecumhe, except in these 
channels, is ver}-^ shallow, the banks at low tide being above the 
surface of the water. The channels are exceedingly narrow, but 
the depth of water in them ranges from 12 feet to 15 feet. Upper 
Matecumhe, Umbrella Key, Plantation Key, and Key Largo are 
sei>arated by very narrow channels, not over 100 yards in width. 
The last named island, the largest and most fertile of the entire 
chain, is 30 miles long, and connected on the north side with the 
mainland. 
By a fortunate provision of nature there is situated about 30 
miles from Key West a large island known as Big Pine Key, 
which is covered with a fine growth of pine suitable for railroad 
ties. All the islands over which the road would run are of coral 
formation. The piles used in the trestling and bridging would 
be of iron, which is easily driven into the soft coral rock. The 
lighthouses along the Florida reef are so constructed, and, stand- 
ing on the edge of the gulf, exposed to the wind and sea, they 
have withstood the storms and cyclones of forty years. Over 
this road there would be no settling or washing of ties nor any 
sinking of tre.stles. Outside of the line of road and running 
parallel with it lies the Florida reef, forming a continuous break- 
water from Fowey Rocks to Key W'est, and protecting the road 
from high seas even in the severest hurricanes. The channels 
between the reef and the keys are not over 12 feet deep, and the 
water in which the trestling would be built would be no rougher 
than that of any of our large rivers. 
The keys are all below the frost line. The mo.st delicate fruits 
and vegetables that were luxuriantly growing upon them during 
the two freezes of last winter were not affected in the slightest 
degree, and tomatoes, pineap{)les, eggplant, and tropical fruits 
were supplied from these islands after the fruit and vegetables in 
all other sections of the state had been destroyed. Owing to lack 
of transportation facilities, however, onl}’ a few of the keys are 
under cultivation ; so the growth of the more delicate vegetables, 
