Hangers on, rats on the sinking ship of a Florida boom town, scavengers, black, white, yellow, a degraded crew. Opposed to them stand a small group, of which a northern promoter who still has faith and hopes, and a young doctor are the central figures. Superstition, crooked politics, vicious journalism combine to defeat them. Not a pleasant story, but a rather revealing sidelight on a unique aspect of modern America. Not a book for a wide market.