Editing Stephen Crane (section)

===Cora Taylor and the ''Commodore'' shipwreck===
{{quote box|bgcolor=#c6dbf7|width= 30%|quote=None of them knew the color of the sky. Their eyes glanced level and were fastened upon the waves that swept toward them. These waves were of the hue of slate, save for the tops, which were of foaming white, and all of the men knew the colors of the sea.|source= — Stephen Crane, "The Open Boat"<ref>Crane, ''The Open Boat and Other Stories'', p. 57</ref>}}
Given $700 in Spanish gold by the Bacheller-Johnson syndicate to work as a war correspondent in [[Cuba]] as the Spanish–American War was pending, the 25-year-old Crane left New York on November 27, 1896, on a train bound for [[Jacksonville, Florida]].<ref>Davis, p. 168</ref> Upon arrival in Jacksonville, he registered at the [[St. James Building|St. James Hotel]] under the alias of Samuel Carleton to maintain anonymity while seeking passage to Cuba.<ref>Wertheim (1994), p. 222</ref> He toured the city and visited the local [[brothel]]s. Within days he met 31-year-old [[Cora Crane|Cora Taylor]], proprietor of the downtown bawdy house Hotel de Dream. Born into a respectable Boston family,<ref>Benfey, p. 187</ref> Taylor (whose legal name was Cora Ethel Stewart) had already had two brief marriages; her first husband, Vinton Murphy, divorced her on grounds of adultery. In 1889, she had married British Captain [[Donald William Stewart]]. She left him in 1892 for another man, but was still legally married.<ref>Davis, p. 176</ref> By the time Crane arrived, Taylor had been in Jacksonville for two years. She lived a [[Bohemianism|bohemian lifestyle]], owned a hotel of assignation, and was a respected local figure. The two spent much time together while Crane awaited his departure. He was finally cleared to leave for the Cuban port of Cienfuegos on New Year's Eve aboard the [[SS Commodore|SS ''Commodore'']].<ref>Davis, p. 178</ref>

[[File:Commodore photo.jpg|thumb|left|The SS ''Commodore'' at dock]]
The ship sailed from Jacksonville with 27 or 28&nbsp;men and supplies and ammunition for the Cuban rebels.<ref>Wertheim (1994), p. 232</ref> On the [[St. Johns River]] and less than {{convert|2|mi|km}} from Jacksonville, ''Commodore'' struck a [[shoal|sandbar]] in a dense fog and damaged its hull.  Although towed off the sandbar the following day, it was beached again in [[Mayport (Jacksonville)|Mayport]] and again damaged.<ref>Wertheim (1994), p. 233</ref> A leak began in the boiler room that evening and, as a result of malfunctioning water pumps, the ship came to a standstill about {{convert|16|mi|km}} from Mosquito Inlet. As the ship took on more water, Crane described the engine room as resembling "a scene at this time taken from the middle kitchen of [[hades]]."<ref>Wertheim (1994), p. 234</ref> The ''Commodore''{{'}}s lifeboats were lowered early on January 2, 1897, and the ship ultimately sank at 7&nbsp;a.m. Crane was one of the last to leave in a {{convert|10|ft|m|adj=on}} [[dinghy]]. In an ordeal that he recounted in the short story "[[The Open Boat]]", Crane and three other men (including the captain) foundered off the coast of Florida for a day and a half before trying to land the dinghy at [[Daytona Beach]]. The small boat overturned in the surf, forcing the exhausted men to swim to shore; one died.<ref>Wertheim (1994), p. 236</ref> Having lost the gold given to him for his journey, Crane wired Cora Taylor for help. She traveled to Daytona and returned to Jacksonville with Crane the next day, only four days after he had left on the ''Commodore''.<ref>Davis, p. 186</ref>

The disaster was reported on the front pages of newspapers across the country. Rumors that the ship had been sabotaged were widely circulated but never substantiated.<ref>Davis, p. 187</ref> Portrayed favorably and heroically by the press, Crane emerged from the ordeal with his reputation enhanced, if not restored. Meanwhile, Crane's affair with Taylor blossomed.

Archaeological investigations were conducted in 2002–2004 to examine and document the exposed remains of a wreck near [[Ponce Inlet, Florida]], conjectured to be that of the [[SS Commodore|SS ''Commodore'']].<ref>{{cite web|title=SS Commodore Shipwreck Project|url=http://nautilusproductions.com/archaeology|website=Nautilus Productions}}</ref> The collected data, and other accumulated evidence, finally substantiated the identification of the ''Commodore''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.staugustinelighthouse.org/LAMP/Research/SS_Commodore |title=SS Commodore |website=Staugustinelighthouse.org |access-date=September 24, 2016}}</ref>