I read in the Citizen today that this is the anniversary of March 2nd, 1981 explosion on the Old Seven Mile Bridge that killed the tender in his booth. The top of the new bridge (built a year later) has a memorial plaque for anyone driving slow enough to spot it. For those who don't drive slow enough I took this picture:
The old bridge had a lift section to allow boats through and the story goes an aqueduct truck with a back hoe on the bed passed under the booth and wrecked the propane tank which supplied the bridge tender with gas. The explosion blew a hole in the old Seven Mile Bridge which was filled only temporarily until the new bridge was built a year later.
The old bridge, built by Flagler's engineers still serves the trolley that runs to Pigeon Key from Marathon, and the southern piece is now a fishing pier. I rode the old bridge in 1981 but as I was on two wheels it was not all scary as it was for many drivers, and trucks were required to fold their mirrors so they could pass each other on the narrow roadway built over the original rail tracks in 1938. 
So the next time your drive the famous bridge you might want to spare a passing thought for the late Peter Fancher who died a grotesquely unfortunate death 30 years ago today.
The old bridge had a lift section to allow boats through and the story goes an aqueduct truck with a back hoe on the bed passed under the booth and wrecked the propane tank which supplied the bridge tender with gas. The explosion blew a hole in the old Seven Mile Bridge which was filled only temporarily until the new bridge was built a year later.
The old bridge, built by Flagler's engineers still serves the trolley that runs to Pigeon Key from Marathon, and the southern piece is now a fishing pier. I rode the old bridge in 1981 but as I was on two wheels it was not all scary as it was for many drivers, and trucks were required to fold their mirrors so they could pass each other on the narrow roadway built over the original rail tracks in 1938. So the next time your drive the famous bridge you might want to spare a passing thought for the late Peter Fancher who died a grotesquely unfortunate death 30 years ago today.For my complete essay on the Seven Mile Bridge from three years ago:
http://conchscooter.blogspot.com/2008/05/ninth-wonder.html
20 comments:
Oh yes, I remember it well. It was quite horrifying. I lived up the keys on Big Pine Key at the time.
I am confused. Wasn't part of the old bridge blown up for a scene in the movie "True Lies" with Arnold S.? I always thought the missing section of the old bridge in your picture was the section blown up for the movie. Please let me know. I always learn something new about my favorite place, the Keys, in your daily blog. Love it!
They shot the film on the bridge and made it look as though the original open span was "blown up" using a large model but the break shown in the picture with the barriers to guide boats through was in fact the original opening span.
The film makers took advantage of reality...lying bastards!
Roberta my former boss told me about life without the bridge and she didn't much like it at all- which made me think a ferry instead of the bridge could be just the thing for a tad more isolation...
Thanks for the info.!! Keep taking those wonderful pics of the place I love. Will be back down in July. Was just there in Jan.
The movable section over Moser Channel was a "swingspan" that rotated. It didn't lift.
Your description of the accident is generally accurate, although there was no hole.
DOT was worried the fire had damaged the metal structure but once engineers decided it was safe (with some repair), the bridge reopened to traffic within a couple days; a remarkably short time, considering.
The fire did destroy the rotational mechanism so the swingspan never opened again, until it was removed to reopen Moser Channel to sailboats and other tall vessels.
Glad to come across this info. Pete Fancher was my uncle. I remember how this shook my family. He was a very kind soul.
"A very kind soul".
Is there a finer way of being remembered? You honor his memory well.
No, that missing ' piece" was the old span that turned to let boats thru. True lies movie was special fx. Bridge never blewup.
I was working for meisner marine on new bridge day that happened. It was awful. We could see it from our bardge. I heard he was retiring that day. Sad. We built that bridge.
My dad took me up in the control house to meet him just days before the explosion happened. I remember he was very kind and patient as I asked questions and looked around in all at this cool job that he had. I remember being shocked to hear the news of the explosion. I remember hugging my dad a little tighter after that happened. Your uncle was a kind man.
I was the first on the scene that morning. I was dispatched to a fire on the seven mile bridge when I arrived the swing span control house built up in the frame work of the span was fully engulfed, I knew that there was an operator in there I was hoping that they had jumped out and into the water and I checked both sides of the bridge to no avail. A florida keys aquaduct truck pulling a backhoe which was not secured properly causing it to bounce up and the boom hit the 1000 gal propane tank he had no chance. When I talked to his next of kin they did tell me he was a great man, and was due to retire that week it was a sad day May God bless his family.
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Fascinating but sad story. Thank you for sharing it.
Anonymous first responder has story right. I was nearby on water that day. Of course we did not know what happened but could see the arm of FKAA truck was not properly secured. Media really glossed over that then and now.
A couple of my friends and I were down in Key West visiting ones family at that time, a quick vacation before entering the military. We passed the truck with the backhoe on it leaving for Boca Raton that day. I was in the back of a rag-top VW, sitting sideways just enjoying the drive when the driver said to look behind us. The fireball was crazy. We were maybe a half mile away from it. Probably a couple hundred feet in the air. Never forget that day.
I was there also at the fire. Heard my beeper go off from Marathon VFD & headed that way. All I could see was a lot of very black smoke & thinking this is a really bad accident. That bridge always had bad accidents but this was the worse. When I got there I saw what had happened. It was way worse than a bad accident. Being in the MVFD, they did a great job in securing the site & no other bad injuries because of the fire happened. Thanks also to BPVFD & other dept's that responded to help us.
I was there also at the fire. Heard my beeper go off from Marathon VFD & headed that way. All I could see was a lot of very black smoke & thinking this is a really bad accident. That bridge always had bad accidents but this was the worse. When I got there I saw what had happened. It was way worse than a bad accident. Being in the MVFD, they did a great job in securing the site & no other bad injuries because of the fire happened. Thanks also to BPVFD & other dept's that responded to help us.
I was there also at the fire. Heard my beeper go off from Marathon VFD & headed that way. All I could see was a lot of very black smoke & thinking this is a really bad accident. That bridge always had bad accidents but this was the worse. When I got there I saw what had happened. It was way worse than a bad accident. Being in the MVFD, they did a great job in securing the site & no other bad injuries because of the fire happened. Thanks also to BPVFD & other dept's that responded to help us.
I saw it blow up. Was northbound and about to get on old 7 mile when I saw the explosion happen. Got sit on the south side of the bridge for 2 days in an unairconditioned semi before we could cross.
My Father was a sheriff with Monroe county at the time, I think he was first officer on scene. I recall him telling me about a truck that was carrying equipment above height that struck a propane tank. He felt helpless when he arrived.
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