May 9th, 2013 by Piper Smith
Did you know that Key West wreckers used to watch the treacherous reefs all day and all night to spot for potential wrecks? The goods salvaged from these wrecks would be salvaged from the damaged ships and were later sold at auctions in Key West. Because wrecking was such a huge part of the early Key West economy, “wrecking courts” were established to determine what percentage of profit the wreckers would ultimately receive. This amount depended on the amount of time the salvaging took and how dangerous the operation was!
Picture caption: Wrecking: A Dangerous Business.
