20 Years ago

[h2oMag]

1998 Mel Fisher, the world's greatest treasure hunter, died at age 76. He searched for 15 years, overcoming government regulation, lawsuits, weather and the loss of his son to find the mother lode of the Spanish treasure ship Atocha in 1985

At the 1986 worlds in Key West there was a racer party @ Mel Fishers place. There were show cases full of gold under guard but the silver bars were left out in the open stacked up all around the floor. Back then silver was 5.00 an once, how times change.

[Bobcat]

1974 The TV movie "Caribe" starring Stacy Krach was being filmed in Key West.

[Bobcat]

1865 During the Civil War, 199 ships that were trying to run the Union blockade of the Southern States were captured by the U.S. Navy and adjudicated in federal court in Key West.

[Ratickle]

You have any more info on it? They were from the north to supply the south or????

[Bobcat]

Probably a healthy dose of French and English vessels, trying to undermine the US.

[Ratickle]

Stuff like that is so interesting. I've got to dig into it more.

[Bobcat]

The Hemingway House at 907 Whitehead St. was first opened for visitors. The official opening ceremonies were held Feb. 8.

Key West Police and the Navy Shore Patrol were investigating an arsenal of loaded weapons found in a Navy man's rented locker at Leed's Locker Club at 601 Duval St.

[old377guy]

Stuff like that is so interesting. I've got to dig into it more.

And by such manner the Rose Archives grow

[Ratickle]

Yep, it looks like the 199 ships were a total from 1862 to 1865. But, I'm still digging.

In February 1862, the Gulf Squadron was divided into the West Gulf Blockading Squadron, under the command of Flag Officer David G. Farragut, and the East Gulf Blockading Squadron under the command of Flag Officer William McKean, who succeeded Mervine, possibly in part because Navy Sec. Gideon Welles thought the former Gulf Squadron commander not aggressive enough. The East Gulf Squadron initially had the sector of coast from Cape Florida (just north of the Florida Keys) around to St. Andrews Bay, east of Pensacola, FL. Protestations from the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron that their sector was too extensive resulted in the extension of the East Gulf Squadron’s sector of operations north up the Florida East Coast to Mosquito Inlet (present day Ponce De Leon Inlet), north of Cape Canaveral.

The East Gulf Blockading Squadron was based out of Key West, Florida, which always remained in Union hands; it never had to be re-taken by Union forces. Back in those days, the only way to get to Key West was by sea. The overseas railroad across the Florida Keys, built by Mr. Flagler, and the later overseas highway that was the old “US 1” were decades away. Key West had a US Navy base and was guarded by Ft. Taylor on the mainland and Ft. Jefferson, offshore on the Dry Tortugas. The East Gulf Squadron had low priority for the US Navy throughout the War, mainly because there were no major ports such as Wilmington, Charleston, Mobile or New Orleans, and thus little potential for major action. It was “the backwater” for USN personnel assigned to ships in the squadron. Yellow fever and malaria were constant plagues on the men who served there. Cdr. Percival Drayton, on his way from the South Atlantic Squadron over to the West Gulf Squadron to serve as Farragut’s Flag Captain, commented on his time in Key West (to a friend in the northern US):

“This is rather a dreary residence I should suppose, a sand bank varied with cocoa nut and a few other trees of the tropics, but the soil so light and sandy, as to be almost unfit for gardening purposes, and for all such products as the ordinary table vegetables your city affords their only supply, . . .”

Despite the unspectacular nature of the duty, I have to think that the efforts of the sailors of the East Gulf Blockading Squadron contributed to the success of the blockade, as much as those of any other of the squadrons. Dr. George Buker chronicled the efforts of the East Gulf Squadron in his book “Blockaders, Refugees, & Contrabands. Civil War on Florida’s Gulf Coast, 1861-1865” and Robert Macomber created a compelling story of the activities of the fictional naval officer Peter Wake of the East Gulf Squadron in three novels: “At the Edge of Honor”, “Point of Honor” and “Honorable Mention.” I highly recommend all to you.

http://civilwarnavy150.blogspot.com/...lockading.html

[Bobcat]

50 years ago



Two men charged with the hold-up of Beneficial Finance Company in December were bound over for trial in Criminal Court. The men were captured at gunpoint at a roadblock on the Seven Mile Bridge.

A surprise raid of the Ringside Billard Parlor on Truman Avenue resulted in the arrest of the operator for possession of gambling equipment

[Ratickle]

20 Years Ago

* Ice skater Nancy Kerrigan is attacked by Tonya Harding's bodyguard
* Trial of Lorena Bobbitt who cut off her husband's penis, begins

[old377guy]

20 Years Ago

* Ice skater Nancy Kerrigan is attacked by Tonya Harding's bodyguard
* Trial of Lorena Bobbitt who cut off her husband's penis, begins

And when the smoke clears everyone moves to Portland to blend in and live happily ever after

[Bobcat]

on this day in 1964....

• Mr. and Mrs. Aquillino Lopez celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary. They were married in their native Spain in 1909 but had lived in Key West ever since and operated Delmonico's Restaurant at 218 Duval St.



This was in the movie "Beneath the 12 Mile Reef" Which starred Peter Graves and a 16 year old Robert Wagner. It later became the infamous "RumRunners" then "Bigguns" now it is something else, maybe "Coyote Ugly's"

[Bobcat]

On this day in 1950

The jury found Mrs. Betty Ferendex not guilty in the death of her husband, who she stabbed in the heart because she was trying to attack his girlfriend and stabbed him by accident.

[Ratickle]

On this day in 1950

The jury found Mrs. Betty Ferendex not guilty in the death of her husband, who she stabbed in the heart because she was trying to attack his girlfriend and stabbed him by accident.

Ummmmm, I'm as confused as you, maybe more.

Did the jury consist of anything except women shafted by their husbands?

[Bobcat]

A few days later the paper mentioned that the trial had cost the city $2K. He must have been disliked by the town.

[Bobcat]

From Today's Paper

Mrs. Betty Fernndez, who was acquitted in the murder of her husband, was being terrorized by anonymous phone calls.

[Ratickle]

From the grave????

[Bobcat]

Two Key West fire trucks responding to a fire at 1419 Petronia collided at the intersection of Truman Avenue and Grinnell Street. One of the trucks also hit a car that had pulled over. One fireman was slightly injured. Another truck from Station Three responded and doused the fire.

[Bobcat]

50 YEARS AGO:

Key West Police raided the Hi Hat Pool Room at 413 Petronia St. and arrested the owner and eight customers for gambling.