Shipwrecks of the Florida Keys - March 21st

On this date there were two shipwrecks in the Florida Keys. The first one was today in 1862. The bark Director was wrecked on Carysfort Reef while on its way Jamaica to London. The cargo aboard consisted of sugar, ginger, beeswax, and honey. Though the vessel was lost, the wreckers received $3,128 as their award. The second shipwreck happened in 1909. The four-masted schooner Joseph B. Thomas was stranded on Fowey Rocks and was bilged. The schooner was carrying 2,500 tons of gravel to be used for the Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Railway. The Oversea Railroad was completed 100 years ago and on January 22, 1912 the first train arrived in Key West.