BARBER'S ROAD Public Forum 20A WenlherWMch 3A BAUBLES, RALLY CaBlIng Around 2B DMlhs 4A BANGLES ROLLS . Sports 10B CapllviNaws 5A AND BEADS JULY 4 Reel Tales 15B Ac»nd« 1SA - PAGE 7B — PAGE11A JUNE 30, 18M- VOLUME 16 NUMBER 33 island - SECTIONS, 48 PAGES KtPUH I tH SANIBEL AND CAPTIVA, FLORIDA Fire,destroys Sanibei Marina By Jennifer ThomaVSV^ p i h explosion around 8.10 Friday morning > / tbosx&Bud'tBit, & 38-foot Chris Craft -- - Alocked at Sanlbel Marina, left Estero real- ^ ' dent Charles Brewer with second and third degree * burns. Four Coast Guard personnel buffered minor. Injuries fighting the fire*. *- *' -i * , ' * . Fishing guide Neville Hofaesoh was sitting near .; the Ship's Store with two oilier guides when the - explosion occurred^'It blew Us out of our seats," *' said Kobeson. "I can't believe we weren't hit by £ anything,"' v ' r* '« , ^\ *<-•= ' i I "All i>f the sudden, I saw Charlie standing in the | middle of flames, waving his arms" said Robeson. *> "I screamed at him, but he dfdn't know what was « etott or weit, he just sort of moved towards the | sound. That's when he fell in.ihe water," Bobeaon | Reported.;- „ *_ ; - \ c, ' Robeson unsuccessfully tried to'Hatch Brewer as I! he was falling. Robeson then jumped in the water and swam to shore with Brewer. Urewcr's clothing US. Coast Guard and the Sanibcl Fire Depart- ' ' was burned off in the fire, -If* , • ment work hard to put out the blue which i(aried on Bud'i Bet and ipread to the adjacent ' Murphy'* Law, owned by winter resident Mur boat appropriately named Murphy't Law ' phy wu also destroyed by the explosion. Bud'i Btt la owned by Bud Bridges. " "I was the first on tbescene," reported Sanibcl Investigation Assistant Fire Chtat Charlie Fredericks. The main danger involved laafire likb this is that several of the larger boats hold a couple hundred, continues into gallons of fuel." The Sanibcl Fire Department had three trucks and 18 firefighters on the scene. cause of fire They were assisted by the Iona Fire Depart- By Steve Cason ment, end Cape Coral's fire boat. The U.S. Coast lthough authorities have not yet determined Guard, which was patrolling the waters around what caused the explosion aboard Bud'i Bet the Islands at the time of the explosion was also A at Sanibel Marina last Friday morning, in- -- Instrumental in fighting the fire, contributing two vestigators said this week that it may have been ^ boats to the effort. The Florida Marine Patrol was one of the appliances on board and not the engine - also on hand. The Sanibel Police Department con- that started the blaze as had been previously trolled the crowd of onlookers. • reported. , ' "•'•'.. •'•...;-...-,;/'•'. '•;•-.••• please see page 10A ' -" . • please see page 16A Sanibel, county officials |i|^|| discuss causeway facelift By Matt Perez; lie Sanibel Causeway drawbridge replace- ^ ment must allow a maximum of two traffic harlie Brewer loved fishing. ^ - •••--.-*> >; pneumonia In both lungs In connection with the; ^: lanes, include raised approaches and have'a% *>More Importantly, he liked to share that %" T Orel Two of his sisters and his brother flew down : : r a profile as possible, Mayor Mike Klein said. Glove with others.' ' .•'• "-•-'• '-; •- ;' '. ;,' to bt with him; they didn't want to leave himV!:; The mayor's statement came during a meeting "The guy would go fishing at the drop of a hat,"/ because they didn't expect him to live through the June 23 with Greiner, Inc., a design service firm said Jack Reed, a longtime fishing buddy. ''He en- night," Ellsworth paused.'Td do anything for-'d'-'i hired by Lee County to design alternative renova- joyed taking people out more than anybody I Charlie: It's just, too bad there wasn't more I could tions to the 25-year-old causeway^ Estimated costs know... In fact, I think he gets as much enjoyment do.",N ,-!;'-. ;^ v; -;•' "-.' •.>.••:.••' '-.' v-."-' r i« - ;k; of the study to county taxpayers peak at $375,000. out of taking people fishing as he doef going : '.- Brewer, 48, a resident of San Carlos Park, -Vjj . : : However, Lee County Department of Transporta- himself." \..:- ./:\ " ; :' managed Island Exxon. Originally from Franklin, tion and Engineering fDOT&E) said that until the And that's what Brewer was getting ready to do OH, Brewer has worked at the station since 1978, project is complete, there is no way of knowing when the boat he was en exploded last Friday : said station owner Bob Louwers. "He was a very . ^ the total cost. : . morning. rv>,-^ . = .. '.;.;;. •'-.:'-.- good employee," said Louwers. "We're going to • ~ : ; DOT&E engineering services dircctnr/Jlon ; Burned over 80 percent of his body, Brewer suc- miss Mm.";';.., • '!/ ""' •""• • "• ••••', -- \\.ii' ' Drown said there is no specified dollar amount cumbed to his Injuries Wednesday at the Burn , ^".Brawer was two days into a"week's vacation!;:; when"the accident occurred. Thursday night, after budgeted for the project, and that ail monies will Center at Tampa General Hospital. ..•'! V ' come from the general fund. Keith Ellsworth, who worked with Brewer for 'ii day of offshore fishing — his favorite — Brewer ; went out for a few beers at the Jacaranda. During U.S. Coast Guard permits will determine the the last eight years, told the It land Riepurter that ' height of the bridge. The lowest it can be is 65 his boss, Bob Louwers, had been contacted by.,.".•-". the course of the evening he invited several peo- : lect with 95 feet clearance horizontally, Greiner Sahibel Police Wednesday afternoon .with the '•''',-• ple to go fishing with him the following day, in ' eludingcnterUinep.nogerHowell. ., . ';•-;? , representative Bill Ferring said. The drawbridge news of Brewer's death. "The coroner in Tampa': may remain as a fishing pier, jutting into the bay told them he died about 2:30 p.m.," said Ellsworth, : llowell was the only one to take Brewer itp on ; ; : if plans to remove the spoil island to which it is with sadness in his voice.. -. , ;';.-'.- .--,•'";••..1"'. ~ \'-: '-. connected are realized. C 'He'd developed heart problems and double /. " •, '*',-- : ^,.V- • v".'V,-:i"*: pl?we see page 9A • please see page 8A O the island eye g Orphaned opossums How to : z saved by surrogate ;say *Ding* Smother at CROW three ways r ; u u tating mother to feed Recognizing its in- costs of entrance, . I1< 1 -.P ^T"° i ^t can't hours of operation .; - £ V beat.the real"" ~ them than it is for ternational member- . us." Rehabilitate™ at ship, the "Ding" Darl- and shows visitors fc rl thing. the difference cor- _. o At Care and Reha- . CROW would have to ing Society has ,".': : force-feed some or- printed fliers in Ger- 'morants and ' •'- - "- g bilitation of Wildlife anhingas through line cc (CROW), six orphan- phaned opossums man and French to . ; with syringes, introduce J.N. "Ding".- illustrations perched bed opossums are - '•• •below the famous • g feeding happily with nourishing the tiny, ' Darling National marsupials with a Wildlife Refuge to :> i "Ding" signature.- -J a surrogate mother : • By counting the — that was brought to milk formula design- ,--_ foreign visitors. A..-,y, Spanish version is numbers of fliers : the clinic with cuts ed for puppies. •" ~ ^ r due soon, according. Issued, DDS •"..-'••> on her leg. '•-'->>' •' -'-', ;Oppossum, -•'-'; ^ members may be . ^V-The female A — to a DDS spokesman. didelphi* martupialit DDS member -. -S" ; able to track the high • ; opossum, with two of pgra, was introduced • Elizabeth Ambrose,:: numbers of Gei-man.. ..- her own offsprings', is " to Sanibel when the translated a welcome, •\ visitors lhal have «p- "- . a welcome addition causeway connected brochure that 'peared in recent V;'' ; at CROW because it the island with Punta answers the most fre- years at Darling ) provides struggling Rassa, according to ';' Wildlife Refuge.,;;. •• quently asked ques- y -' orphans with just the Iiland Reporter files,' tions posed to , "Ding** Darling - ."'.-. right mix of . ., volunteers at the '. .Society is directed by nutrients they need i The surrogate ,' • :: Visitor Center into Cindy Chalmers.. ; during feeding for mother opossum at three languages. 7 Memberships cost Pi: healthy growth, ac- CROW can accom- : ' • An easier alter- for a newiletter, _c , cording to senior modate up to 12 baby native than teaching. bookmark, member-; ;. ; rehabilitation^- , opossums at a time,' the 100 DDS - ship card and usocla- specialist Karen Ell- and that number may volunteers French, „_. Uonwitha "' v.-r••"- •••_„'-. lng.--^--''V'.;-' •'•: •"- be reached as road Thit wounded opottum it being uted at a tur- -- German and Spanish, worldwide eiprit de ; • Staff veterinarian kills In Lee County \.. rugate mother at Care and Rehabilitation Of '. [ ^the brochure lists " corps.D :T,•-'•-' :.;•,.• -:.j--Marc EHeadds,"It's. claim more of the Wildlife to feed orphaned opottunit. ~ , . ^! a lot easier for a lac- species.D Couch-eye Ppg-gone good : .".- view of- "v-V':.* ; youths, who were in the hot midday" ' I Jim Lowman, -;. _ sun. - . - ;•;; " president of Com- anxious to munch power races , .boiled (ranks, bagged SRC's Helene ••,: a... ''"'•' ; Those who missed munity Bank Of The . Phillips and Jenny ^ : Islands, was putting chips and water- ",': last month's power;; •taieloD under the iMuench kept the «JS boat races off Fort ' on the dogs at ^ |[tionjping witha %t ; . Sanibel Recreation shaded picnic area b ; '•'i Myers Beach wlil ,,;-: 'ncarthaballlields ;-• •I Mckball game follow . I have an opportunity' Complex's first sum-'-, ; -Ing the>ot dog, ' F; mer program Friday < /Friday afternoon.' » | to view them from , Boiling hot dogs, lunch:T: ' 'it j the comfort of their - celebration June 24. mixing lemonade and ; -- living room this Sun-' ' ^ "Commercially, it's opening bags of chips The aummer pro- ;. ;rd«r.:i:; ;"-v,:>^-::.'-' inexpensive," said \ with the finesse of gran continue] till •!',.;• :J \k> The race will be -, Lowman, slapping a the finest outdoor school begins, giving ~ p shown on WEVU-TV, frank on a bun, "And chert, Mitchell and children a variety of •.