Mr. Flagler’s St. Augustine

22. Final Days, 1912–1913

476 22 ∑ Final Days, 1912–1913 Well, Fred, I guess I’ll have no use for Heaven unless there are railways to be constructed there! —Henry Flagler to Frederick Martin, Things I Remember, 1913 HenryFlaglermarkedhiseighty-secondbirthdayveryquietlyintheHotelPonce de Leon. No party or dinner highlighted the day. A few close friends dropped by to wish him well, and a pile of letters and telegrams poured in to express good wishes. The next day he and his party went off to Daytona to spend a few hours. At this point only Dr. Kenan kept him company, and Mary Lily traveled with just Mrs.Mitchell.AsFlag­ler’sempirehadgrownlarger,thecompassofhisworldhad grown smaller. However, a week later they joined the throng at the opening dinner of the Hotel Ponce de Leon to experience the excitement of another season’s arrival. Then they were off for Palm Beach.1 January 22 had long been set as the date for the first train to enter Key West, and the president of the United States had agreed to be present for the occasion. Flag­ ler was no great admirer of the new chief executive, once writing, “I wish I could say something encouraging about President Taft, but his attitude towards the business interests of the country is not what most business men had hoped for.” The breakup of Standard Oil would occur under Taft, not Roosevelt. Nevertheless , the president’s presence in Key West would add the stamp of historical significance to the occasion. Then, just days before the opening ceremonies, Taft backed out, citing concerns with Congress. A lowly assistant secretary of war would represent the president. On the other hand, a large group of congressmen would make the trip to Key West.2 The wheels of Flag­ ler’s train to Key West started rolling in St. Augustine on January 21 when FEC president Parrott, in private car no. 91, left Union Station Final Days, 1912–1913 · 477 with private car no. 92 attached. The second car carried Mary Lily’s old friend Henry Walters, president of the Atlantic Coast Line. Both presidents brought their ranking lieutenants with them. In Palm Beach the train rendezvoused with Flag­ ler and attached his private car no. 90. Back at Union Station, a little while after the railroad men’s train departed, the train carrying Florida governor Albert Gilchrist passed through. Then the train of the congressional delegation pulled into the station. Mayor DeWitt Webb, along with past mayors including Dr. Anderson ,welcomedthecongressmentoSt.Augustineand quickly badethemfarewell on their journey south.3 After stopping over for the night in Miami, the caravan of what would eventually reach seven trains set off for Key West. Flag­ ler’s train arrived at 10:43 in the morning. Bleachers had been built to hold some of the crowd. A brass band played, while steam whistles of all sorts blasted from all parts of the town. The cigar factories had closed for the day; many in the crowd spoke excitedly in Spanish . Lines of state militia and army coastal artillery soldiers formed ranks to hold back the mob. Mayor J.N.Fogerty kept a firm grip on Flag­ ler’s arm to steady him as they waded through an ankle deep carpet of flowers. Mary Lily followed behind, still dressed in mourning black and carrying a huge bouquet of flowers The mayor of Key West guides Henry Flagler through a path of flowers, while Mary Lily Flagler follows behind. From the collection of the St. Augustine Historical Society Research Library. 478 · Mr. Flagler’s St. Augustine thatalmostswallowedherup.SchoolchildrenwavingAmericanflagssang.“Ican hear the children,” Flag­ler said, “but I cannot see them.”4 At the welcoming ceremony Parrott made one of the several speeches and presented Flag­ler with a mahogany case containing a solid gold replica of a telegram congratulating him upon the completion of the railroad. It came as a gift from the employees of the FEC Railway. For the rest of the day the city of Key West showed off its best assets to the visiting dignitaries. Later in the afternoon the first regularly scheduled “New York to Havana Special” arrived and delivered its passengers to the docks, where they boarded a ship for Cuba. That evening, before a crowd of three hundred, Flag­ ler was induced to make a few remarks. His short speech would turn out to be his valedictory. He began: Perhaps in justice to myself I ought to...