Woodbury, who at the time was overseeing the construction of Garden KeyР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›s Fort Jefferson, was also put in charge of building Dry Tortugas Lighthouse. The new 150-foot tower would possess a first-order Fresnel lens and stand on Loggerhead Key, three miles west of Garden Key and at the western extreme of the islands.

To curtail the number of ships being lost, Congress appropriated $35,000 on Augfor the establishment of a second, more powerful lighthouse in the Dry Tortugas. Photograph courtesy State Archives of Florida It was Judge MarvinР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›s duty to determine an appropriate reward for the wreckers based on the immediate risk to the stranded ship, crew, and passengers, the value of the cargo, the amount of skill required of the wreckers, and the length of the operation.Р В РІР‚СњР В РІР‚РЋort Jefferson with Loggerhead Key in background An admiralty court was established at Key West, where William Marvin served as judge from 1839 to 1863. To obtain a license, the captains had to be men Р В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р РЋРЎв„ўinnocent of any fraudР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р РЋРЎС™ and their ships Р В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р РЋРЎв„ўseaworthy, and properly and sufficiently fittedР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р РЋРЎС™ to assist vessels in distress. The wreckers, a term used both for the vessels and the men engaged in the salvage operations, were tightly regulated by the government. Even after the establishment of a lighthouse on Garden Key in 1826, wreckers were still making a good living by assisting ships that had run aground on the surrounding nearly eighty-square-mile grouping of reefs, shoals, and islands known as the Dry Tortugas.

Florida powe and light logger head