Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IX.djvu/837

 KEYS OF FLORIDA KEY WEST 817 Catholic church in Manchester, England. His works consist chiefly of battle pieces and his- torical subjects. KEYS OF FLORIDA. See FLORIDA KEYS. KEY WEST (Sp. Cayo ffueso, Bone Key). I. An island forming part of Monroe co., Florida, one of the Florida Keys, 60 m. S. W. of Cape Sable, the S. point of the state; pop. in 1850, 2,367; in 1860, 2,832 ; in 1870, 5,016, of whom 989 were colored and 2,283 foreigners ; in 1874, about 7,000. It is 7 m. long by from 1 to 2 m. wide, and is 11 ft. above the sea. On the S. W. point there is a lighthouse with a fixed light 72 ft. above the water, guiding vessels to the city, and another on the N. W. passage, showing a fixed light, 40 ft. above the water. The island is of coral formation, and has a shallow soil, consisting of disintegrated coral with a slight admixture of decayed vegetable matter. There are no springs, and the inhabitants are depen- dent on rain or distillation for water. Adjacent to the city is a salt pond, where the greater part of the salt used on the island is manufac- tured, and considerable quantities are shipped to neighboring keys and the mainland. The natural growth is a dense but stunted chapar- ral, in which various species of cactus are a prominent feature. Tropical fruits are culti- vated to some extent, the chief varieties being cocoanuts, bananas, pineapples, guavas, sapo- dillas, and a few oranges. The air is pure and the climate healthy. The thermometer seldom rises above 90, and never falls to freezing point, rarely standing as low as 50. The island has suffered repeatedly from violent hurricanes. Excepting the Cubans, a large proportion of the population of Key West consists of natives or descendants of natives of the Bahama islands. Key West. They are a hardy and adventurous race, remark- able for their skill in diving. The language commonly spoken is Spanish or a patois of that tongue. II. A city, port of entry, and United States naval station, occupying about three eighths of the island, capital of Monroe co., Florida, and the southernmost town of the United States, 430 m. S. by E. of Tallahassee, and 110 m. N. by E. of Havana ; lat. 24 32' N., Ion. 81 48' W. ; pop. about 5,000. The streets are broad, and for the most part are laid out at right angles with each other. The residences are shaded with tropical trees, and embowered in perennial flowers and shrubbery, giving the city a very picturesque appearance. The build- ings, however, are mostly small, and are con- structed of wood, except the Western Union telegraph office, those belonging to the United States government, and one other, which are of brick. The public buildings are the custom house, naval storehouse, marine hospital, county court house, county jail, a masonic hall, an opera house, and a hotel capable of accommo- dating from 50 to 75 guests. Another hotel, to accommodate 200, is about to be erected. The United States court house, the post office, and the city hall occupy leased buildings. Near the naval storehouse is a monument of dark gray granite, erected in 1866 to the memory of the sailors and soldiers who died in the ser- vice on this station during the civil war. Key West has a fine harbor, accessible through sev- eral channels by vessels drawing 22 ft. of wa- ter. Being the key to the best entrance to the gulf of Mexico, it is strongly fortified. The principal work of defence is Fort Taylor, built on an artificial island within the main entrance to the harbor. It has 120 guns mounted and