1830 – Dr. James Watson of New York listed the causes of the 11 deaths that occurred during his stay at Key West from Sept. 6 to Oct. 22, 1829: Mortification of the Arm (1), Diseased Liver and Spleen (1), Obstruction of the Bladder (1), Childbed (1), Worms (3), Casualty (1), Dropsy (1), Intemperance (1), Self-perpetrated Injudicious Treatment (1).
1916 – The submarine USS K-5 arrived safely at Key West. The K-5 had left New York on January 27 with three other submarines and a tender but was feared lost when it became detached from the group off South Carolina.
1920 – Work commenced on a new, three-story brick building at 314 Simonton St., Key West. The building was being constructed by the Trevor and Morris company to house their automobile and garage business.
1924 – The train from Miami to Key West was carrying 187 passengers, with 151 for Key West and 36 who were continuing by boat for Havana.
1935 – Maxwell Perkins, editor for Scribner’s magazine, Earl Roman, Rod and Reel editor for the Miami Herald and Ernest Hemingway were fishing in Hemingway’s boat when all three men caught sailfish.
1946 – Key West road crews were levelling United Street east of White, along with many other marl streets in the area. These unpaved streets had had deep potholes in them for years.
1954 – Joe Sirugo announced that he was working with the City of Key West to lease idle waterfront land at the north end of Simonton Street on which he planned to construct a dock for an auto-ferry with service to Havana.
1963 – Assistant Secretary of the Navy James Wakelis Jr. was the speaker for the dedication of renovated Mallory Square. The restoration of the Mallory Square was sponsored by the Old Island Restoration Foundation.
1970 – Congressman Dante Fascell was the speaker at the dedication of the new Islamorada Post Office.
1981 – Henry C. Singleton announced he had sold his company to ConAgra. The sale included Singleton Enterprises, Singleton Shrimp and Singleton Ice, all of Key West.
Information compiled by Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, and Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Mayor C.B. Harvey signs the papers leasing the land at the corner of Simonton and Front Streets to Joe Sirugo for use by the Cuban Ferry in February 1954. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.