When we got to the marina late yesterday after the lights came back on, we got truly shocking news. Peter Kieffer, concessionaire for the fuel dock and cafe known as Pete's Back Yard at Pier I, World's Fair Marina, Flushing, Queens, and his part time employee, Kathy (I don't know her last name), had died that day. Peter, who was 72 and a widower, and Kathy went on board Peter's 35-foot power boat which is always tied up at the fuel dock and on which Peter lived much of the summer. Kathy normally goes home when the place closes but called her mother to say she would be staying on the boat because of the blackout. The boat is equipped with an air conditioner. Usually, the boat at the dock runs off shore power. But with the power out Peter was running the engine to power the air conditioner. Their bodies were found about noon yesterday when Peter's 17-year old daughter, Anne Marie, reported in a panic that she could not contact him. They were not removed from the boat until nearly 7 PM after the coroner examined the site. Death was caused by an accumulation of carbon monoxide in the boat from the running engine. They were as much victims of the blackout as those few that have been cited in the papers. They will be sorely missed. The place will never be the same. Peter had operated the fuel dock and the snack bar in which he made many improvements for many years under several different marina operators. The lights are on but darkness has settled on our marina where Pete's Back Yard was the meeting place for all of us.
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The irony is
that Peter, whose politics were so right wing that I look like Genghis Khan (we never discussed politics) he told another motor boater not to waste money on a CO detector. $85 or thereabouts. We have a CO detector on our diesel-powered sail boat. Would have saved both their lives. We are distraught.
that Peter, whose politics were so right wing that I look like Genghis Khan (we never discussed politics) he told another motor boater not to waste money on a CO detector. $85 or thereabouts. We have a CO detector on our diesel-powered sail boat. Would have saved both their lives. We are distraught.
That is Really Sad
Even though we're a couple thousand miles away we share your grief. I agree with your statement that they were victims of the blackout too. This was so unnecessary. For the want of a horseshoe a city was lost. According to the AP "A failure to contain problems with three transmission lines in northern Ohio just south of Cleveland was the likely trigger of the nation's biggest power blackout." It appears the alarm systems that might have alerted engineers to the failed lines were broken. Wonder how much it would have cost to repair these alarm systems? This is what can happen with a poorly maintained infrastructure. Kinda like owning a boat or more money. Being involved with local planning and politics here there are a lot of problems due to growth. The county is doing everything they can to facilitate more growth and virtually everything is stressed to the max: water systems, sewer systems, roads, schools, etc. The eco systems in the watersheds are being destroyed and the fish, among other elements, are dying. The fish, like the alarm system, is just an indicator. Looking at the holistic picture the real culprit in this whole thing seems to be population growth.
Even though we're a couple thousand miles away we share your grief. I agree with your statement that they were victims of the blackout too. This was so unnecessary. For the want of a horseshoe a city was lost. According to the AP "A failure to contain problems with three transmission lines in northern Ohio just south of Cleveland was the likely trigger of the nation's biggest power blackout." It appears the alarm systems that might have alerted engineers to the failed lines were broken. Wonder how much it would have cost to repair these alarm systems? This is what can happen with a poorly maintained infrastructure. Kinda like owning a boat or more money. Being involved with local planning and politics here there are a lot of problems due to growth. The county is doing everything they can to facilitate more growth and virtually everything is stressed to the max: water systems, sewer systems, roads, schools, etc. The eco systems in the watersheds are being destroyed and the fish, among other elements, are dying. The fish, like the alarm system, is just an indicator. Looking at the holistic picture the real culprit in this whole thing seems to be population growth.
BINGO
John, You've hit the nail on the head. And the politicians, who are charged with maintaning and upgrading the systems, are only interested in wars for special interests(costing Billions of our dollars daly) so that they can deflect their failure on the home front. Playing cowboy and wearing a flight jacket may look good on TV, but it does absolutly nothing to fix a sick economy. Insightful solutions must be found to save this enviornment and our economy.
John, You've hit the nail on the head. And the politicians, who are charged with maintaning and upgrading the systems, are only interested in wars for special interests(costing Billions of our dollars daly) so that they can deflect their failure on the home front. Playing cowboy and wearing a flight jacket may look good on TV, but it does absolutly nothing to fix a sick economy. Insightful solutions must be found to save this enviornment and our economy.
No Politics Please
I would hope that this forum does not degenerate into a political forum. I am sure that there are plenty of political forums out there which you can participate in.
I would hope that this forum does not degenerate into a political forum. I am sure that there are plenty of political forums out there which you can participate in.
Carbon Monoxide death trap
How sad the needless loss of your friends.Their deaths were tragic, an accident that lays in wait for us all when we forget the steps of boating safety we need to remember when boating even when tied to a dock. May their souls find peace in Gods arms.
How sad the needless loss of your friends.Their deaths were tragic, an accident that lays in wait for us all when we forget the steps of boating safety we need to remember when boating even when tied to a dock. May their souls find peace in Gods arms.
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