The top article in the Caymanian Compass on 8 April 1976 was about an explosion on a boat, ‘Soto Trader’, which caused two men to lose their lives: chief engineer Hugh Bush, 55, of Bodden Town, and second engineer Alan ‘Barracho’ Moore, 49, of George Town. They had been trapped in the hold of the exploding boat, which was anchored at Blossom Village in Little Cayman. Bob Soto of Grand Cayman owned the ship. Police were investigating the accident.
A photo of Britain’s new prime minister, James Callaghan, appeared on the front page, along with a story about the election battle.
Another article followed up a story from the previous week, about four Jamaican nationals being charged with assaulting and unlawfully detaining New Zealand business executive Gerald Chambers and his secretary Angela Palomino.
There was also an article on Caribbean Utilities Company, saying that it “may be changing hands soon”. An offer had been made by a group of Canadian businessmen to purchase at least 75% of the shares in the company, which had an estimated value of more than $3 million.
The editorial covered two topics: ‘Turning point’ and the ‘Tragedy at sea’.
The turning point was that the Caymanian Compass decided to publish two issues weekly for the first time in its history. This decision was not arrived at lightly. The editorial noted, “With the advent of Radio Cayman broadcasting up-to-the-minute news, the Caymanian Compass will endeavour to fill a supportive and complimentary role, through our comprehensive reporting.”
Tragedy at sea covered the tragic explosion of the Soto’s Trader and loss of lives. “This is particularly hard for a country like Cayman Islands, which prides itself on virtually centuries of master seamanship in some of the toughest waters anywhere in the world,” the editorial said. It added that the investigation was being made by Inspector Vernon Ebanks and the Cayman Islands Police and until the results are declared public, no one is in any position to make judgments.
The editorial also noted that more stringent safety regulations were needed to govern vessels, as well as more enforcement and stiff prosecution for violators.
The programme for Cayman’s 12th annual Easter regatta appeared on page 5.
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