The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-07-13

While hurricanes are not the
worst enemy of navigation. yet
they offer a hazard. From time
immcmorial these storms have
swept out of the Caribbean Sea.
usually forming in the vicinity Of
Turks Island and in their TOO
miles journey to these shores will
spent their force somewhere be-
tween Cuba and Cape Canaveral.
The successor to the old Cape
Florida Lighthouse was FOWey
Rock Light, a few miles south of
the old one. It takes its name
from the English ship, FoWcy,
which was wrecked a century ago
on the reef to which the present
light in anchored. Nor is the end
yet Two years ago error in navi-
cation sent a Norwegian steamer,
laden with cement, on the rocks
not far from Key Largo, and more
recently a ship laden with Cuban
tile was similarly grounded.
The first recorded storm of any
intensity to visit the tip Of Florida
was the one Of Sept. Is, Is and II.
1885. when the lightship Florida,
stationed at Carysfort Reef, was
badly damaged and a dozen ships
were piled up along the coast
Early visitors of the region say
the shore was almost a COntinu-
Gus mass Of wreckage When the
ship channel was dredged for Mi
ami HarbOr a number of old
Spanish cannon were brought up.
Key Vests worst storms were
those of Oct. II, 1916, and the re
peater" on the same date in 1909
The law of averages places this
possibility at 1896 to one, During
the latter storm a u, S. record for
low barometer reading is said to
have been made when the regis
try was 2840
The force Of the wind in these
disturbances is evidenced from
the fact that during a storm in
1865 a bark moored in Havana
Harbor broke her anchor chain
and was blown across the 90-mile
Florida Straits and bcachcd near
Fort Taylor. Key West
During the Spanish regime ship
salvage was c2rricd to St Angus
tine or Havana for official dis
posal and considerable was also
taken to Nassau, a number of the
professional Wreckers being from
that British possession, as it IS the
rule of the sea. as elsewhere,
that finders are not keepers. In
1865 the congress legislatcd
against such practices and eStab-
lished a customs house and ad-
miralty court at Key West for the
conduct of this business AS carly
as 1925 the value of salvagcd car
goes amounted to about 100000
and ten years later had risen to a
much higher figure At the latter
period there were 20 vessels, with
a total tonnage of l03,795, crgag-
ed in the Wrccking business. OF
these IA were owned at Key West
and vicinity, four at Indian Key
and two at Key Vaca.
Most of the original wrcckcrs
were Bahamas, or "cOnchs' as
they are now called The title Of
king of the Wrcckcrs seems to be
long to old Ben Baker whose
Sprightly boat The Rapid, -
was generally first at the scene
and therefore constituted her
master the person in charge
Judge Browne of Key West, de
scribcs him as being tall spare.
shrll-voiced, hook noscd and
hawk-eyed His mantle fell on
the shoulders Of fat Jolly Svl-
vanus Plndcr Another of the
pioneer salvagcrS there was Capt
Geigcr
In Key West they can show you
the Gciger tree. named for this
old son Of the sea who is SAID to
have brought it from some one of
the West Indies and It's flowers
are Of singular and striking beau.
ty They did not know its Scicn-
tiflc name so they named it af-
ter the Captain.
Tboy, have bpC,7 6asr~lbpd as