The Key West Citizen Newspaper, December 6, 1946, Page 5

BRIDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1946 THE KEY WEST CITIZEN PAGE FIVE Frank Lovering Reminisces On L. P. Schutt and Key West’s Casa Marina (EDITOR'S NOTE: The following article on the La Casa Marina, recently sold by the Florida East Coast Railway Interests to. private interests, and its first r, the late L. P. Schutt, was written exclu- for The Citizen by Frank W. Lovering, former and Key West enthusiast now of the Chamber of Commerce, Caribou, Me., Box 618.) |. yard SALE of the magnificent Hotel La Casa Marina to interests has aroused anew my recollections of the late L. P. Schutt and of many things he told me aboit it in his friendly, intimate way in conversations in and outside the Ihave a permanent memorial of him, too, a motion picture film in which he is waving to me as he walks toward the main entrance to the grounds from his®. office which was at the right of | sum qummmmniniinNniDunNNnNi, the hotel door. Learned Many Facts FORMER KEY WESTER From the time I first met Trin | “Odvlitiiiiiiiitiiniaitisenncenngeonineeninannniay? and his good wife in the winter of 1921 almost until the day he: passed away at his long-time! summer home and birthplace in| Haines Falls, N. Y., June 30th,' 1933, we either frequently had| talked together, or corresponded. | ‘Through those unforgetable years 1 learned many facts little known or long since forgotten by Key) Westers, about the Casa Marina, its conception and its construc-} tien. Its architectural details al- weys captured,my fancy for my} own father was all his life a} builder. i | I first saw the expansive pile of masonry when the palms! whieh now beautify it had been but recently set out. And as they grew and in later years be- gan to show yellow fronds I heard | from Mr. Schutt’s own lips the} seeret he had learned at Long Key Fishing Camp—how to pre-! vent the yellowing. Long Key er ennes pis apr } trains were composed of flat cars Seiell <a8 the Pieridae. Bast Coast U00D’ Which: steok bound cypress ‘ jtanks were built. Later ordi- on Extension be Key West. ‘nary steel tank cars were used. Long Key at one time an iron | “The floors of the hotel cisterns, bole = pect a, Bag Sha the foundation or retaining walls, frends hina canted Poevthe foot jtops and partitions are built of oh p pe Neca jcement heavily reinforced with peed aeareie chika and whag | steel. In the building itself there GE soporte folk connpicted the | * NOweVer, np Feintoreing exeept village on stilts they had built, | and window openings. Mr. Schutt noticed the - palm The lintels are given strength leaves changing back to their nat-) ,y rods buried in 18 inches of tral green. | concrete — a cement stone and Spikes For Ailing Palms and mixture. The rock for, use At Casa Marina when the coco-. in pouring the lintels was brought wuts began to lose their glossy! in cars from waste piles along tint Mr. Schutt simply drove an’ the Miami canal; the sand from itan spike into the ailing trunk Lake Wales. @nd, presto, oxidization wrought! ~All house floors ave of rein- @ tyansformation and the fronds | forced concrete. All main walls sen deumed their” own eolOF | Sind partitions of Casa™ Mariné q | were poured between hard pine Plans for construction of the forms or moulds, with native Panama Canal impelled Mr.| rock. The delicate shells of the Flagler to put the Overseas Ex-! coral insects show on the exposed ténsion down from the mainland} surfaces everywhere. The ma- te Key West city. He foresaw | terial was secured by dredging in not alone an expanding traffic; the harbor at the Extension term- FRANK W. LOVERING with Cuba, but with the waters, of the globe which would be inal on Trumbo. The quality was so good that no sand was required opened when traffic on the big in the mix. ditch began | Walls of Coral Rock Tt was the financier’s objective) The hotel walls are “battered te ferry pullman cars and passen- | in’—they recede in thickness gers between Key West and Ha-/j from 22 inches at the foundation vane. The program proved un-| line to 12 inches at the roof or successful so the P. & O. steam-/ “plate”. {Wherever wood con- ship line was developed. charming water setting of the Island City made it appear as) gether. though passengers on train or, While the hotel is three stories boat would want to stay in the high the upper floors of the east area for a time rather than fo! wing are cleverly designed at a directly aboard ship for Havana, } different level from the sleeping or take a train for the north. | floors and corridors of the main Casa Marina “Born” | building, as well as the floors of So Casa Marina came into the the west wing above the dining planning under the ownership of. hall. The casual observer does the Florida East Coast Hotel not notice the variations in floor Company, a subsidiary corpora-, level. They are compensated for tion of the Flagler Florida em-| by short staircases and skidways pire. Casa Marina is of poured’ for trunks and chests. eoncrete. It is divided into the, Object of the architects was to main building with two wings, allow for the beautifully designed and the kitchen facility. | ceilings in the ballroom, lobby The main structure is 152 feet; and dining hall. long and fronts on the open! Charming Spanish Design ocean. It is 73 feet wide includ-! The Casa Marina’s interior of- ing the broad piazzas. The wings | fers everything that is charming extend toward the beach—which| in a modernized Spanish design. hhad to be built—at obtuse angles. | Guests enter across a broad piaz- The kitchen part is attached to; za of cement from a driveway the west wing. The dining room which sweeps around under a and its loggias are on that end.) porte-cochere past the front door. The dining wing is 152 feet long It was Mr. Schutt’s custom when and 73 feet wide inclusive of the ; the fishing season was at its best dining porches. The kitchen area! to display prize catches of the is 60 by 70 feet. The east wing) hotel guests upon a table in a ig 192 feet in length. recess of the portico. Foundation walls of the hotel; The hotel office is at the right are 22 inches thick. In the area, with the manager’s private office between the foundations are cis-! beyond. Entrance to the private terns for rain water of total ca-' office is from either the lobby, pacity of 750,000 gallons. When no’ the clerk’s space or the porch. fresh water was available in Key, The news stand and gift counter except from the skies, eaves- | are across the corridor leading to troughs on the hotel filled the dining room and elevator, look- cisterns. If rain failed, water ing over the lawn and cleanly was brought down the Keys by clipped Australian pine hedge to rail in special tank car trains; the open Atlantic. from Homestead, and piped across Great Ballroom the island from the vicinity of The great hallroom with polish- the Trumbo docks to meet Casa ed hardwood floor is ceiled in Marina’s requirements. That no panelled black cypress. The walls potable water lies beneath Key are tinted in cream. A writing West island was proven in 1895 room opens from one side of the when a well was driven by Har-, foyer. Between the writing room vard scientists 2000 feet down in and the main entrance an im- Jackson Square near the Court mense open fireplace is a magnet House for guests when the North is Construction of Cisterns swathed in blizzards which breed The Extension water, cooling winds locally known as liest earlies The’ struction is applied to the con-| crete, bolts tie the materials to- | [7722 “Peephole Vision’ \Caused By Burn From Atom Bomb AP Newsteatures nena anese who ntly look- ed at too close range into Hiro- shima's mighty atomic bomb flash has “ ‘s le vision,” an oculists’ meeting at Okayama Medical college has been told. Dr. Ayao Koyama of Hiroshima Communications hospital told the doctors that the patient, a 23- year-old woman, still had vision! limited “as if only able to see through a narrow peephole.” “She tries to read newspa- pers,” he said, “but is unable to | see the type. She sees only the | surrounding space of the paper. She attempts to see a picture on the wall. but only sees the | frame, not the picture. “Her case is very similar to what a normal person experiences when he looks directly at the sun and is blinded temporarily. “The patient must have faced the mighty flash when the atom bomb exploded, suffering burns of the retina and cornea of her eyes. “Light cases are expected to re- | cover, but severe cases, it is fear- | ed, will not recover.” Y Lake duke de ded, Northers at times during the win- | ter season. Beyond the offices, telephone! exchange and telegraph desk a/ wide corridor leads to the dining | hall at the left and the baggage | room at the right. The dining room is 100 feet long and 68 wide. | Guests enter the dining loggias | at either side through French doors half concealed by immense fish-tail palms. The loggias are! enclosed with glass. The dining | room ceiling is panelled with black cypress stained silver gray. A cocktail lounge adjoins. Kitchen Floor Raised A short flight of stairs gives en- trance to. the kitchen, the floor of which is raised to gain height for the basement pumproom.: There the machinery is operated which forees water from the cis-| terns to tanks in the top of the hotel under the Spanish-tiled! pitched roof. Pressure is thus se- | cured to supply the requirements | of the hostelry and its 175 rooms. | The cistern water is used for all} hotel purposes except flushing of | the toilets. Water from driven wells: services’ that requirement |! and-is pumped to another battery | of attic. tanks. Soft coal gener- ates steam in the boilers that han- | dle the pump equipment. The kitchen is 58 by 68 feet in-| side measurements with two an- nexes used respectively as bake shop and a butcher shop. Next to the boiler room a part of the basement is used for refrigera- tion, foodstuff storage and the re- ception of commodities. There is a dining room for the hotel help and a small kitchen serving it. The kitchens are equipped in a thoroughly up-to-date manner and can take care of a capacity house and its staff. All Comforts For Guests Not one item that would en- hance the comfort of the guests was omitted from Casa Marina. , Lobby and dining room furniture was made especially for the Flor- | ida East Coast Hotel Company, | following the period design. Bath- room facilities were of the best obtainable when the hostelry was erected. Thirty-seven rooms above eS) kitchen wings are devoted to the} hotel officers and employ There are several exclusive suites | over the main dining room.| There in another day eminent! men and women from all over the world have made _ tempor homes to revel in Cayo Hueso incomparable climate, her sun- rises and sunsets, her fishing and | her hospitality. “The Great” Guested There Presidents, presidents - elect, ; governors, senators, congressmen, | cabinet members and their fami-! lies have enjoyed the comforts af- | | forded by Casa Marina through | the years before the second world war. | From the porches and windows | of the hotel charming vistas de- {light the eye. The exquisite! | lawns of Bermuda gra its roots are bought by the yard at hard- | ware stores—which spread in all { directions from the building, en- thrall every visitor. The hotel grounds are approxi- | mately rectangular with a front- | age of 1200 feet on the open At- lantic—over there is Spain!—a length of 870 feet on Seminole street, which somewhat parallels the ocean, and 370 feet on Reyn- olds street, which ends at the ocean. Tropical Splendor Coconut palms stand at indol- ent angles on the lawns. A min- iature golf course invites the vis- itor beside the east wing, and an obstacle course in front of the main building from whose water , telry’s operating staff. FUNNY CONCLUSION MOULTRIE, Ga. —(AP)— Al- bert Linden has been collecting jokes for 20 years but has never run across a single “new one.” But, he adds, “they seem to be as funny as ever.” TOO MUCH SKUNK PITTSBURGH, Pa. — When a skunk invaded the Stevenson’s | home, Will, 11, shot it with a bow and arrow. That got rid of the skunk, but not the scent. The | Stevenson’s couldn’t move out of ‘the house because their young | son, Sherwood, 8, had the chicken pox. So they just had to fumi- gate the entire house. entrance a broad concrete walk leads to the beach. Date palms and rare cactus plants intrigue the eyes. Gay-hued umbrellas and comfortable chairs invite to leisure while the North is buried in snow. Robins, sometimes in flocks, know the charm of Casa Marina’s foliage and the verdure of her lawns. They may sing for water, and they find it when the great irrigation system that cov- ers the grounds is served with water pumped from the storage tanks. Walks lead everywhere and in season are bordered with low hedgerows of pink and white pe- tunias—how sweetly they scent the soft air in the fascinating hours of a summer’s evening in mid-winter at Key West! Maybe with a full moon lighting the scene with its tropical glow. The Australian pine that, grows along the edges of the hotel grounds, and especially that be- side the ocean, loves the taste of the salt spray! Above the waterside entrance a great seal is worked in stucco— a key pointing west under a streaming sun, Schutt’s “Dream” Hotel” Casa Marina was constructed under the efficient direction of Mr. Schutt, who was its first and only manager up to the time the world was sunk in depression following the first world war. Then the hotel was temporarily closed. Mr. Schutt had been Mr. Flagle right arm in the hand- ling of his hotel property on the island of Nassau; he had directed the commi thousands of workers along the grade of the Extension for seven years. And so Flagler sent him to build his ideal at Key West. Beside the hotel greenhouses stands the building which quar- ters the hotel’s help. It is three stories high, 40 by 100 feet on the ground, and -was -erected. some years before Mr. Schutt died, quite largely through the inter- est of Mrs. Schutt in the hos- The first story contains recreation room, laundry and warehouse. The up+ per floors afford homelike accom- Many odd and amusing things oeeur during political campaigns. | FACTS and FIGURES By FULLER WARREN LOSES 2°CAHS IN 1 DAY LOS ANGELES. — As if losing one. automobile in one day wav not enough, Russell Gill had the unpleasant experience of having —— his second, and last automobile years. He was still feeding free-}taken in the same day. One of ly at the public trough when ajthe cars disappeared from a Many tricks and artifices. are ; charge of leaden death, propelled originated by petty local politi-|from a pistol in the hands of a parking place in front of a thea~ ter and the other was taken from his home. | car and walked at a funeral pace | to the front door and called the 1 : probicre. for the ' owner of the deceased sow. Then, cians in their efforts to become | crazed assassin, cut short his ca- office holders and enjoy the per- quisites appertaining thereunto. One of the most adroit and in- came to the attention of this jad- ed writer occurred about 20 years ago.~ A shrewd sheriff of a small | West Florida county was a can- didate for re-election. His oppon- | ent was very strong. The. sher-| iff’s election hinged upon the! vote of a small precinct in the southern section of the county, so close was the race. The vote | of this particular precinct was! largely controlled by an old man, who was infinitely ignorant but! possessed of very stubborn polit- ‘ical convictions. H This old man was bitterly op- posed to the sheriff. He had re-} pulsed the sheriff’s every friend- | ly advance. Election day was! near at hand. The vote of this! particular precinct would determ- | ine the outcome of the election. | The sheriff was in dire straits. | While conditions were thus, ' the sheriff happened to pass the patriarch’s farm on a political er- | rand. His car was several hun- dred yards beyond the farm house | ing motionless in the middle of | the road, with a large litter of | pigs close by. A daring plan,’ conceived in desperation and born | of necessity, entered the sheriff's / head. He gave his powerful car} all the gas, whereupon it shot i forward with great speed. It struck the the senile old swine midway between the bow and the | stern. She crumpled and crack- | ed like an egg shell under the | impact of a sledge hammer. There remained not enough, in one piece, of the old pork producer to make a sandwich for a circus midget. ! The sheriff drove slowly back. | to the house of the hostile old} farmer. He stepped out of his with simulated grief that would have done credit to a paid mourn- er, he told the tragic tale of the gruesome accident. In the course of the recital he spoke sorrow- fully of the tender maternal qual- ities of the recent sow, her pro- ductivity, her prospects, her pigs, her past, and her future—but for the accident. He concluded by offering to pay any price for the slain swine. The old, farmer named a pretty stiff price, wher upon the sheriff handed hi | twice the amount. ees | It is needless to say he carriéd genious of such artifices that ever | - PAUL’S CASH GROCERY D> when he espied an old sow stand- > reer. Employment Some 2,500,000 workers have} been added to payrolls in manu- ‘facturing and trade since V-J Day, according to the Bureau ot Labor Statistics. The largest em- ployment increase during the period was in the automobile in- dustry, where employment rose, by 309,000. Hl : i 3G Warning “Dear Miss,” wrote a parti- cular mother: to the teacher, “don’t whip Tommy. He isn’t used to it. We never hit him at home except in self-defense.” “Operated By An Ex-Service Man” > 611 FRANCIS STREET PHONE 493 SUNDAY DINNER THAT’S THE THING!!! Visit This Friendly Market ... Here You Will Find Plenty of Good Things to Make Any Meal A Success MEAT - Staple and Fancy GROCERIES Fresh FRUITS and VEGETABLES WE DELIVER ORDERS — CALL 493 inn bn ho in an onlin anni nian wv > ww" > > A22A6444444444444446445 vuvwwe YOU'LL ALWAYS DC BETTER WHEN YOU SHOP at ARCHER’S SEMI -SELF SERVICE STORE MAKE OUT YOUR LIST and BRING IT TO US! Best Quality var TABL Always MEAT - BACON - CREAMERY BUTTER COLD CUTS - DAIRY PRODUCTS - SUGAR Ph Orders D li ; one Accepted € livery eSTAPLE and FANCY GROCERIES eFRESH FRUITS and VEGETABLES Everyhing for Prompt Service Archer’s Grocery “The Store That Serves You Best” , 814 Fleming Street Phones 67 and 47 | modations for an augmented hotel | force. At the ear is a garage for that precinct and was re-elected.- By such strange stratagems and the hotel’s cars and trucks, odd artifices, the sheriff kept him- “Old Rock” Still Wonderful | self in office for nearly sixteen Whether now a tourist’s objec- tive is Casa Marina, or some oth- er hotel downtown, or a private home, every visitor to the Island City may well be reminded by its |, citizens who have lived there through the years—or by “adopt- | ed citizens” such as the writer—| that the beauties Lucie Vannevar first sensed in 1891, are with “The Old Rock” today, and ever will be. A steamship tripper whose companions bespoke a blight upon the town, Miss Vannevar’s recol- lections were set down imperish- ably for all who will read: . We know what others’ first impressions of the city may be; but as one who loves the quaint old place and all belong- “MINUTES TO “MIAME THREE CONVENIENT i FLIGHTS DAILY i ing to it, we beg our readers not iq to believe what others tell them, |/ ' but to visit it for themselves; to |! H dip into the sea; to let the eyes i rove over all its wonderous beau-| ty; to mingle with the Islanders and enjoy their hospitality .. .|f and then we fear not the result, but know that they with us would be content to watch forever “The crisping ripples on beach, i And slender, curving lines of| creamy spray. | Content to live as we would be} content live beneath © NATIONAL /\ AIRLINES ROUTE OF THE BUCCANEERS 510 SOUTHARD STREET TELEPHONE 1040 OR YOUR TRAVEL AGENT the To that sunny, | 1 Overseas Transportation Fast, Dependable Freight and Express Service Also Serving ALL POINTS on Florida Keys FREE PICK-UP and DELIVERY SERVICE WAREHOUSE: Corner Eaton and Francis Streets Company, Ine. MIAMI and KEY WES? Between Miami and Key West Express Schedule: % (No Stops En Route) LEAVES KEY WEST DAILY (EX- CEPT SUNDAYS) at 6:00 P. M. Ar rives at Miami at 12:00 o'clock Mid- night, LEAVES MIAMI DAILY (EXCEPT SUNDAYS) at 12:00 o'clock Mid- night and arrives at Key West at 6:00 o'clock A. M. Local Schedule: (Stops At All Intermediate Points) LEAVES KEY WEST DAILY (EX- CEPT SUNDAYS) at 8:00 o'clock A. M. and arrives at Miami at 4:00 o’- clock P.M. LEAVES MIAMI DAILY (EXCEPT SUNDAYS) at 9:00 o'clock A.M. and arrives at Key West at 5:00 o'clock P.M. FULL CARGO INSURANCE Office: 813 Caroline Street Phones: 92 and 68 Southern sky, Until the end should come, and | we should lie Heaped over with a mound of grass— i Two handfuls of white dust, shut | in an urn of brass,” | . . . | | Determined To See Key West | When the writer first left the Port Tampa boat at the Trumbo | dock, he asked a fellow traveller | to what hotel he was going. The | man replied like a flash: “Hotel? | Here? Hell, this is the last place God made! I'm going to get that | SEE THEM * ) train for Miami and get it now!” 5 This writer determined then, | THIS SEASON n/p * - “to stand aside and see this great | sight.” He has thrilled at it at! intervals through almost 26 | years, 1