Mr. Flagler’s St. Augustine

18. Into Caribbean Waters, 1897–1899

351 18 ∑ Into Caribbean Waters, 1897–1899 I have come to the conclusion that the best way to help others is to help them help themselves. —Henry Flagler, in Lefevre, “Flagler and Florida,” 1910 On October 23, 1897, Flag­ ler, his secretary Jasper Salter, and James McGuire stoodintheshipyardsoftheWilliamCrampShipand EngineCompany inPhiladelphia to enjoy festivities surrounding the launching of the SS Miami, a steamer commissioned by Flag­ ler specially for carrying passengers from the port of Miami to Nassau in the Bahamas. Flags flew from every available vantage, with Flag­ ler’s personal burgee of blue and white diamonds floating from both the bow and stern staffs. The steel-hulled Miami had been constructed with a flat bottom and drew only ten feet of water so that it could pass through the channel Flag­ler was then dredging in shallow Biscayne Bay to reach docks near the mouth of the Miami River and the Hotel Royal Palm. The Miami’s powerful twin engines could propel the vessel through the seas at fifteen knots, allowing it to make an overnight run between Miami and Nassau in just over ten hours. It accommodated 120 passengers in elegantly decorated white and gold staterooms, each equipped with electric lights and—important for cruising in the tropics—an electric fan.1 The Miami sailed for Florida in January, and at the same time Flag­ler, accompanied by the Ashleys and their friend Alice Pomroy, took a parallel course south by train for St. Augustine. Miss Pomroy lived near the Ashleys in Lakeport, New York, and became Eliza Ashley’s wintertime traveling companion. The Flag­ ler party stayed briefly at Kirkside. Then they were off for Miami. Flag­ler signed his name on the first line of the house register when the Royal Palm opened. Meanwhile, the SS Miami paid a visit to Jacksonville, where citizens went on board to inspect Flag­ ler’s latest marvel. As the Miami passed St. Augustine, 352 · Mr. Flagler’s St. Augustine people stood on rooftops and on the beach at Anastasia to cheer and signal their good wishes. At Palm Beach calm seas allowed the Miami to tie up at the steel pier to pick up hotel managers Fred Sterry and C.B.Knott. In Miami Flag­ ler took a small steamer out to the entrance of Biscayne Bay to await the arrival of his ship. During his wait he inspected the dredges, which were having a difficult time cutting a channel through the limestone bottom. Everyone enjoyed lunch and kept an eye on passing storm clouds. However, as if on signal, just as the Miami came into sight a rainbow spanned the sky. Flag­ler boarded the Miami to see if he might ride her into the harbor, but the captain evaluated the situation and decided to anchor just outside the bay rather than chance grounding in the unfinished channel.2 On January 17 Flag­ ler and a boatload of passengers took a steamer from the docks near the Royal Palm out to board the Miami, and she made the passage to Nassau without incident, although headwinds all the way slowed the voyage to thirteen hours. A large crowd turned out at the dock in Nassau to celebrate this landmark event in Bahamian history. Flag­ ler did not disappoint them. He announced that he had made an agreement with the government to provide “fast and frequent”steamshipcommunicationwiththemainland(forwhich hewould be paid an annual subsidy of almost $17,000). He also revealed that he had purchased the landmark Royal Victoria Hotel, which stood on a hillside overlooking the bay. This storied inn had been the scene of cat-and-mouse games among ConfederateblockaderunnersandUnionagentsduringtheCivilWar,butnowit was slated to be demolished and replaced with a modern Flag­ler system hotel. As it turned out, at the request of local businessmen Flag­ ler would in fact keep the Royal Victoria open and build a new hotel, the Colonial, on a site near the waterfront . After three days in Nassau the Miami returned to Florida, and this time it steamed through the new channel and almost up to the docks before anchoring. The turning basin alongside the docks had not yet been excavated. Altogether it had been a most satisfactory excursion.3 Flag­ ler would spend most of the season in Palm Beach with the Ashleys and Alice Pomroy. Occasional visitors such as the Andersons and other friends dropped down for extended visits. Flag­ler went boating with actor Joe Jefferson on Lake Worth and...