The Cuban Ferry City of Havana at the dock on Stock Island
Today in History:
1857:William R. Hackley reported in his diary, "The calm weather has lasted so long that the fresh water from the Everglades has drifted down to the Keys. The fishermen say that in the Northwest Channel the water was fresh enough to drink and that they did drink full drafts of it. The fish continue to die in great numbers and of all kind."
1940: The Marine detachment took formal charge of guarding the Naval Station. Private First Class William Loftin received the keys to the station from civilian watchman, W.H. Collins. In 1932 when the station closed Loftin had turned the keys over to Collins.
1951:Gerald Saunders was elected Chairman of the Monroe County Board of Commissioners.
1954:Lawrence P. Artman, owner and publisher of The Key West Citizen, died at the Monroe General Hospital, five weeks after suffering a stroke at his desk. He had owned the paper since 1912.
1958: A winter storm battered Key West sinking boats and caused damage across the city. The weather bureau reported steady winds of 40 m.p.h. with gusts to 62. A total of 1.86 inches of rain fell.
1959: Advance spearheads of Fidel Castro's revolutionary forces enter Havana. The auto-passenger ferry City of Havana left Key West on a special round trip to Havana to evacuate American citizens who wished to return to this country.