The front page of the 12 April 1973 edition of the Cayman Compass was dominated by a photo of a barge which had sunk in George Town harbour. As well as a salvaging job, plans also called for a barge to be brought from Miami to offload the 8 million pounds of steel and then float the sunken vessel and take it to Miami for repairs. It hadn’t been determined what caused the barge to sink.
Pointing to the recent case where a woman lost her appeal against an 18-month sentence of hard labour for possession of ganja, the Compass ran an editorial headlined, ‘Drug Trafficking’, which agreed with the decision of the appeals court. Drug traffickers “must learn that the people of these Islands will not lightly accept usage of this noxious weed”, the editorial said.
Another article recounted how the International Divers Association had a message for Cayman: “We are deeply concerned now with the growing threat posed to the reefs.” It noted that “some of us” have seen “disturbing changes” in Cayman’s waters with “signs that man has plundered its reefs for too many souvenirs”. The association added that “People come to Cayman for what they regard as unspoiled beauty,” and warned if that is lost, “the Cayman Islands may well lie desolate in the wake of the tourist wave that passes on to other places”.
And, finally, the change of address of Pizza Hut merited a story. Owners Davis and June Borden had moved their pizza business to the Government Dock at Batabano, which boasted seating for 45, with plenty of parking space, that made it more of “family night out” than its previous location on North Sound Road. Along with tables and benches right on the water, the new spot had a jukebox inside “for listening entertainment”.
Related Videos
