In 1695 the sixty-gun H.M.S. Winchester, return- 

 ing from a raid on Cap Haitien with two other ships, was 

 wrecked in a storm off Key Largo. Some years after, as we 

 already know, the H.M.S. Looe and the snow wliich ac- 

 companied her foundered on what is now Looe key, and 

 the brig Ledbury sank in a hurricane near EUiott key. 

 Ledbury reef is northeast of the key. In 1770 the Carysfort 

 was wrecked on what is now Carysfort reef; and in 1822 

 the U.S.S. Alhgator, having pursued eight pirate vessels 

 and taken five of them, struck and sank on the reef now 

 marked by Alligator Reef light. 



As late as 1850 there were only three aids to naviga- 

 tion in the Florida keys. Lighthouses were placed on Cape 

 Florida in 1827, and at Key West in 1823. A hght boat, 

 which could not be depended on to be on its exact station, 

 marked Carysfort reef until 1852, when it was replaced by 

 a 110-foot lighthouse. 



Even with these three markers, ships continued to 

 pile up on the reefs throughout the nineteenth century, 

 aided and abetted, it was said, by wreckers from the tliriv- 

 ing island community of Key West, where Federal courts 

 had been established to administer the law of wreck and 

 salvage. These courts reached the peak of their activity 

 during the ten years from 1850 to 1860, when it is re- 

 corded that 499 vessels were salvaged. 



By the time we had finished studying these accounts 

 and poring over copies of old English, Spanish, French 

 and Dutch maps which Pete had obtained for us from 

 the files of the Library of Congress, we were steaming 

 with impatience to continue our explorations. But still 

 the wind continued to blow. 



We now realized that we were every bit as handi- 

 capped with Eryholme as we would have been with Blue 

 Heron, but for different reasons. Eryholme was not de- 



The Florida Keys 53 



