A front-page article of the 6 March 1974 issue of the Cayman Compass –‘Jet Fighters Harass Plane’ – described an “unpleasant incident” in the air. Pilot Billy Gravatt was flying his twin-engine Navajo back to Fort Lauderdale from Grand Cayman with five passengers, including his 18-year-old daughter. Though he had kept in touch with Havana, he noticed a jet beside him motioning him to land as he was passing over Cuba, with another jet flying below. But no “overt threats” were made, and “it is thought that while an attempt had been made to force the plane to land, the Cuban fighters did not want to be accused of an international incident”.
The editorial in the newspaper addressed a perpetual issue – reckless driving. Referring to the horrific accident that appeared on the previous week’s front page in which four people were killed (one must have succumbed after the story was published), the call was to stop talking and take action. Noting that neither the police nor the courts alone can be expected to solve the problem, it added that citizens “cannot shirk [their] responsibilities… [in helping] to stamp out this evil”, with the goal “to ensure safe driving in the Cayman Islands”.
Then there was the story that “Tourists Like New ‘Things’”, about Mervin Cumber, director of Coconut Car Rentals, saying that visitors “have been very pleased by the heavily constructed Volkswagen [Thing]”, now available to hire. The car rental company had bought 12 of the cars from Kirk Motors, with Cumber pictured taking the keys to one of the Things from Carl Gordon.
The sports section had a photo of Rudolph Lawrence and Renard Moxam for a story about two football clubs sharing one title, after a “controversial” tie. The Cayman Islands Football Association decided the By-Rite Stars ‘A’ team would hold the trophy for the first six months followed by Saprissa for the next six months.
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