Hurricane Charley deposited its
devastating calling card in Punta Gorda last
week. His unwelcome arrival left a mass of human
suffering, deaths, and eleven billion dollars of
property destruction in its brief visit. One
story which particularly tugged at my mermaid's
heart, was that of a ninety year old woman, who
clutching her little black dog, took shelter in
her bathroom, and holding the door and a prayer,
managed to survive. She emerged dazed only to
find her home in shambles and rubble.
But the power of the human spirit to survive
and rebuild, and not to submit to self-pity is
as amazing as the power of the destructive force
of nature. The battle of nature against man is
as old as Florida's history. Shipwrecks due to
hurricanes have dated back to the days of the
Spanish galleons in the 1700s. The San Jose, was
struck by a storm in 1733 and sank with seven
million pesos in gold. The ballast pile is still
in thirty-five feet of water covered by sand,
off Marathon Key in the Florida Keys.
Then there was the Herrera, another galleon
in the Spanish Fleet which sank in 1733, which
came to be known by treasure hunters as "the
figurine wreck" because of the many animal
figurines it carried on board. These figurines
are valuable because they are nearly 300 years
old. Also, the San Pedro, was part of that fleet
which sank in 1733 off Lower Matecumbe Key; a
diver's delight because of the gold coins,
emeralds and jewelry said to be on the ship.
The Angustias, went to its watery grave in
1733 also, near Long Key, where gold was
deposited, but protected by an infestation of
eels and sharks, and probably removed by now by
Spanish and recent divers. 1733 was obviously a
very costly year for insurance companies because
another one of their galleons, El Populo, was
spotted near Caesar's Creek, by divers who found
its cannon along with some personal items. El
Infante, was another casualty of this vicious
hurricane. Divers located its cannon and some
treasures.
Some other names of wrecked schooners and
brigantines that were lost, according to the
Admiralty Final Record Book, that particularly
caught my attention, and names that I will use
in future novels, were: Sylphide, Sara Ann,
Tonawanda, Feronia, Elizabeth Bruce, Elenora,
Eliza Mallory, Adelayda, Isabella Reed, Angela,
Alicia, Pilita, Nordyyn, and Athalia. These
brave ladies weave romantic and dramatic threads
through my imagination, and met the same dismal
fate as our residents of Charlotte County, on
Friday the 13th of August 2004.
If our scientists could find a means to
harness this negative and destructive force of
energy of these horrendous hurricanes with 145
mile an hour winds, or more, into electrical
energy and somehow store it, then transmit it
when needed; or sell this energy to help pay the
cost of reconstruction, then we would not have
to fear them, but could use this amazing force
for man's good; and Florida residents would not
have to pay such exorbitant insurance fees and
losses.
Snorkelers have fun around these shipwrecks
too. I often see them swimming around my coral
and sea shells, as I wave hello to them when I
swim by hoping they will not throw beer cans and
soda cans into my home. I shudder when the
fishermen throw their monophilament fishing
lines and nets, foam, and plastic cups overboard
because it takes 100 years for that trash to
break down and entangles my friends, the
dolphins, and other fish like me. Ocean
polluting leads to global warming which affects
us all. And like it or not, we are all so
interdependent. Here's wishing you oxygen
bubbles.
Swimfully Yours,
Alinka
Zyrmont
