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Captain Jonathan Walker, Part 2

© John L. Hoh, Jr.

Last month we began our look at Captain Jonathan Walker as he attempted to help seven slaves attain freedom in the Bahamas. We saw that more slaves than were originally estimated sought refuge. This required more food and water than originally planned. Beaching for replacing these items would occur on a more frequent basis and slow the As the group started south along the western coast of Florida, another variable would come into play. The Captain was ill from the start and had made homemade emetics during the trip. Now the constant Florida summer sun and a dehydrated Walker would be of grave concern. At one point Walker believed he would not see the next day's sunrise.

One needs to pause to reflect on the ramifications here. The one experienced seaman is deathly ill and likely unable to make sound judgments. Seven passengers likely had never spent any extended time at sea. At most, some may have crossed over the Atlantic Ocean in chains and held in the hold of a ship. Fresh air and sunlight were rare for the "cargo" on slave ships. This group is basically incapacitated. It is no wonder that the rate of progress drops dramatically as Captain Walker gets sicker.

On the Fourth of July in 1844 the small band beached at one of St. Martin's Keys at Hermossa Bay (ten miles offshore from today's Citrus City). Supplies were of critical concern. Walker found food, but not fresh water. The challenge in finding fresh, potable water was tremendous. As many sailors sailed the Florida coast, any source of fresh water would also be a chance for detection and capture. Summer in Florida, even along the coast, was usually devoid of rain, a potential source of drinkable water.

Sunday, July 7 was the fifteenth day of the flight to freedom and the group left the Gulf of Mexico to sail around Florida's southern tip. Walker reckoned they had averaged 50 miles per day-obviously the average much higher at the start of the trip.

Monday, July 8 the group passed the lighthouse at Carysfort Reef, off the east coast of Key Largo. Entering the Atlantic waters must have heartened the small crew. Another promising fact was, as Walker knew from his many travels along the Florida coast, fresh water awaited at Cape Florida. They were only a day away from this Cape. From Cape Florida and Key Biscayne the Bahamas were a half-day's sail away. With freedom less than two days away, the group had to be joyous.

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