September 28
1929 – A category three hurricane passed over Key Largo. The lowest barometer reading recorded in the Keys was 27.99. Damage was slight as there was only a small population in the Upper Keys.
1931 – Capt. Matthew Gates brought a 19-foot sawfish and six nurse sharks into the local Key West “shark camp.” Eddie Saunders topped Gates, though, with a catch of 31 sharks.
1940 – The Navy announced that a contract had been negotiated to construct a water pipeline from the mainland to Key West.
1955 – Two Navy airmen escaped injury when a small but violent tornado struck Boca Chica Naval Air Station and tore two blimps from their moorings and blew them a half a mile into the mangroves with the men inside. Both airships were badly damaged.
1983 – A public hearing regarding what to do with the old Overseas Highway bridges was held in Marathon. Among the ideas presented: tear them down and use the rubble to create artificial reefs; use them for lobster trap storage; convert them to fishing piers; and lease them to private businesses.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: A catch of sharks on a barge in Key West harbor for the shark leather industry, 1930s. Gift Jack Thompson. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
