Historians
can
be
called
"the
scientists
of
hindsight."
Hindsight
can
be
focused
on
a
single
event
or
a
chain
of
events.
Much
of
Keys
history
is
chained
to
the
great
quantity
of
ships
passing,
or
trying
to
pass,
their
shores
since
they
were
discovered.
Why
are
thousands
of
ships
lying
sunken
on
and
off
our
reefs?
The
primary
answer
is
the
flow
of
the
Gulf
Stream,
bad
weather
and
poor
judgment.
The
Gulf
Stream
exerted
a
tremendous
influence
on
the
colonization
of
North
America.
Most
all
colonization
from
Virginia
to
the
south
chose
the
southern
route
across
the
Atlantic
even
though
it
was
2,000-3,000
miles
farther.
Few
return
voyages
to
Europe
failed
to
utilize
at
least
part
of
the
Gulf
Stream.
Cortez
was
perhaps
the
first
to
send
large
numbers
of
ships
from
Mexico
northward
through
the
Florida
Straits,
then
eastward
following
the
clockwise
motion
of
the
Gulf
Stream
to
return
to
Spain.
A
visit
with
any
of
the
shipwreck
museums
will
reveal
the
results
of
the
unsuccessful
voyages.
A
notation
in
the
Herrera's
summary
of
the
log
of
Ponce
de
Leon's
voyage
log,
on
April
22,
1513,
noted,
"A
current
such
that,
although
they
had
great
wind,
they
could
not
proceed
forward,
but
backward
and
it
seems
that
they
were
proceeding
well;
at
the
end
it
was
known
that
the
current
was
more
powerful
than
the
wind."
This
is
probably
the
first
written
evidence
of
the
Gulf
Stream
and
Ponce
de
Leon
is
considered
its
discoverer.
It
was
not
until
six
years
later
that
one
Anton
de
Alaminos
set
sail
for
Spain
from
Vera
Cruz,
Mexico
following
the
Florida
coastline
northward
before
turning
eastward
to
Europe.
This
same
Anton
de
Alaminos
was
the
chief
pilot
aboard
Ponce
de
Leon's
ship
on
his
earlier
trip
and
had
also
sailed
with
Columbus
on
his
last
voyage.
Some
historians
credit
Alaminos
with
the
discovery
of
the
Gulf
Stream,
since
he
was
the
first
to
take
advantage
of
it.
The
use
of
the
Gulf
Stream
resulted
in
many
treasure-laden
ships
traveling
northward
along
the
Keys,
many
of
which
wrecked
upon
its
reefs.
The
indigenous
Indians
were
the
first
to
take
advantage
of
these
unfortunate
shipwrecks.
Soon
an
industry
followed
known
as
"wrecking,"
or
salvaging
goods
from
wrecked
ships.
The
Bahamians
perfected
the
wrecking
industry.
When
Florida
became
a
U.S.
territory,
Key
West
and
Indian
Key
became
the
Keys'
primary
headquarters
for
this
industry.
A
captain
Ben
Baker,
known
as
"King
of
the
Wreckers,"
settled
on
Key
Largo
in
1866
and
grew
pineapples
between
shipwrecks.
Years
followed
Ponce
de
Leon's
discovery
and
not
much
was
written
about
this
ocean
river.
Perhaps
they
were
keeping
it
as
secret
as
possible.
Charts
in
the
1800s
labeled
the
general
area
as
the
'Gulf
of
Florida',
'Straits
of
Florida'
and
'Canal
de
Bahama.'
I
have
a
1842
Sidney
Morris
and
Samuel
Breese
map
using
the
label
Gulf
Stream.
See
the
maps
page
or
click
here
then
"Back."
Alexander
Dallas
Bache
of
the
U.S.
Coast
Survey
began
detailed
observations
of
the
phenomenon
in
1845.
Matthew
Maury
in
1855
wrote,
"There
is
a
river
in
the
ocean.
In
the
severest
droughts
it
never
fails,
and
in
the
mightiest
floods
it
never
overflows.
Its
banks
and
its
bottoms
are
of
cold
water,
while
its
currents
are
warm.
The
Gulf
of
Mexico
is
its
fountain
and
its
mouth
is
in
the
Arctic
Seas.
It
is
the
Gulf
Stream.
There
is
in
the
world
no
other
such
majestic
flow
of
waters.
Its
current
is
more
rapid
than
the
Mississippi
or
the
Amazon."
The
Gulf
Stream
generally
flows
northward
between
the
Keys
and
Cuba
up
the
northeast
coast
toward
Cape
Hatteras
and
then
turns
eastward
across
the
north
Atlantic.
The
temperature
of
the
stream
differs
from
its
surrounding
water.
In
fact,
the
temperature
at
the
surface
may
be
around
80
degrees
while
400
fathoms
down
it
may
be
45
degrees.
Years
before
the
above
quotations,
Benjamin
Franklin
while
in
England
in
1769
was
told
of
complaints
that
westward
mail
from
Europe
to
America
took
weeks
longer
than
the
east-bound
ships
from
America.
Franklin
was
the
U.S.
Deputy
Postmaster
General,
so
he
was
interested
in
the
alleged
complaint.
A
Nantucket
whaler
by
the
name
of
Timothy
Folger
said
that
the
English
ships
had
to
buck
the
Gulf
Stream.
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There
are
early
maps,
really
charts,
depicting
the
Gulf
Stream,
but
Benjamin
Franklin
and
Timothy
Folger
printed
the
first
map
of
the
Gulf
Stream
in
1769-1770.
Copies
remained
lost
for
nearly
200
years
until
found
in
France.
The
map
shown
at
the
left
was
made
by
James
Pousard
but
I
have
never
accurately
dated
it.
One
clue
is
that
it
shows
Florida
as
East
and
West
Florida,
something
that
the
British
did
in
1773.
The
Franklin
map
shows
only
"Florida"
therefore
his
one
was
later.
The
path
of
the
stream
is
more
or
less
the
same.
Additional
info
can
be
found
in
"SCIENCE"
8
February
1980,
volume
207,
pp.
643-645.
Franklin,
being
the
scientist
that
he
was,
took
water
temperature
measurements
on
three
more
North
Atlantic
crossings,
and
scientifically
recorded
the
readings.
From
his
readings,
he
could
determine
whether
a
vessel
was
in
or
out
of
the
stream,
and
even
approximately
how
close
or
distant
a
ship
was
from
America.
Franklin
postulated
that,
"This
Stream
is
probably
generated
by
the
accumulation
of
water
on
the
eastern
coast
of
America
between
the
tropics,
by
the
trade
winds
that
constantly
blow
there
.
.
."
He
also
recorded
that
the
western
bank
of
the
stream
is
significantly
cooler
(shallower
water)
than
the
eastern
bank.
He
reasoned
that
the
velocity
of
the
stream
gradually
slowed
as
it
flowed
north,
but
could
maintain
its
relative
warmth
to
the
colder
North
Atlantic.
In
typical
Franklin
style,
his
observations
were
quite
extensive
and
resulted
in
a
relatively
accurate
engraved
chart
accompanied
with
scientific
observations
of
the
stream.
He
published
a
chart
in
1770
to
assist
the
mail
ships
in
avoiding
it
on
their
westward
journeys.
Franklin
is
generally
given
credit
for
correctly
explaining
the
stream's
cause.
Franklin
even
suggested
the
name
"Gulf
Stream,"
even
though
it
is
a
huge,
circular
motion
in
the
Atlantic
Ocean
and
has
little
to
do
with
the
Gulf
of
Mexico.
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Later,
corrections
to
Franklin's
postulates
were
made
for
ocean
bottom
changes,
declinations
of
the
moon
and
surface
wind
effects.
Most
agree,
though,
when
all
the
temporary
changes
are
accounted
for,
the
Gulf
Stream
is
accurately
predictable
and
over
a
great
period
of
time
is
immutable.
Today,
northbound
ships
choose
the
maximum
velocity
stream
current
while
southbound
ships
hug
the
outer
edges
to
conserve
fuel.
One
problem
is
that
the
stream
does
not
have
definitive
banks
and
meanders
back
and
forth
as
well
as
in
width
as
it
proceeds
north.
The
maximum
current
off
the
coast
of
Florida
ranges
from
two
to
four
knots,
although
speeds
of
eight
knots
have
been
reported.
Its
width
varies,
but
generally
is
40
to
50
miles
in
width.
The
Gulf
Stream
was
probably
the
vehicle
that
carried
the
strange
woods
and
fruits
found
on
the
shores
of
Europe
long
before
Columbus
sailed.
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