The front page of the 19 Sept. 1973 Cayman Compass told of the rescue of two seamen by the Kirk B, near Swan Island. They were crew members of the Itasca, which was said to have sunk south of Jamaica. But that is not the most amazing part of the story. For Joseph and Julian Fitzgerald, this was their second time being rescued. About a year earlier, they had to abandon their yacht during a voyage from Key West to Cayman, and were picked up 50 miles north of Cayman after drifting for 72 hours. Two other men, who also were missing from the Itasca, were spotted six miles from a freighter bound for New York, which rescued them.
For anyone who has ever complained about slow postal service, here is a story that may just take the cake. A front-page photo of S. O. Ebanks with a parcel came with the explanation that the package had been posted from West Virginia on 1 Dec. 1972 at a cost of US$9.35, and was finally ready for collection in George Town on 14 Sept. 1973. The picture caption added that “a layer of dust” was cleared from the parcel for the photograph.
The Compass editorial in this issue concerned education. Titled ‘Teachers And Our Schools’, it explained that the beginning of the academic year was “fraught with disaster” as teachers recruited from overseas were not able to “assume duty”. A shortage of textbooks added to the problem. However, teachers from other schools were transferred and eventually more from overseas arrived, with the editorial stressing there was “no need to panic”.
The back page of the Compass contained a small photo headlined, ‘Has Anyone Seen This Tank?’ Apparently, the 75-gallon capacity fibreglass tank, costing $137, belonged to the Mosquito Research and Control Unit, which was hoping to get it back. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the said tank was asked to contact the police.
Related Videos
