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Chronicle Pepperpot December 29, 2013
(A look at some of the stories that made the news ‘back-in-the-day’ with CLIFFORD STANLEY)
Medical Department keeping close watch on vampire bats situation in North West
(Daily Argosy: July 27, 1960)
THE Medical Department is keeping a close watch on the reported outbreak of paralytic rabies caused by vampire bats, which has so far taken the lives of three children, with the death of a fourth suspected in the Aruka area in the North West District. The first threat of the disease for this year occurred in May, when an adult in the North West died under conditions which pointed to (although not verified) infection by vampire bat bite. Since this occurrence, two children from the Aruka area died at the Georgetown Hospital from paralytic rabies. About eleven days ago, another child from the North West was brought to the City, and succumbed through the bites of vampire bats. The Medical Department, a spokesman said yesterday, had already taken steps to combat the outbreak of the disease, and serum and vaccine have been provided by the Department for treatment in the North West. Residents of Aruka have been alerted by medical officials to avoid being bitten by bats of any type. In 1953, there was an outbreak of Paralytic Rabies in the Kurupung Creek. Last year, Mr. Greenhall, attached to the Ministry of Agriculture in Trinidad, visited B.G. and carried out a survey of the bat population in various parts of the country. As a result of Mr. Greenhall’s visit, two young Guianese were sent to Trinidad during the early part of this year to undergo training in the identification and destruction of bats.
First shipment of manganese off
West Berbice policemen receive awards
(The Daily Argosy: January 10, 1960)
(Daily Argosy: August 11, 1960) THE first ship to carry manganese ore left Port Kaituma on August 5 with cargo of more than 2,000 tons. The vessel, the “M.V. Ambrosio”, navigated the Kaituma River and the canal leading to Port Kaituma without difficulty. Ore was loaded overnight, at the rate of 400 tons per hour. The “M.V. Ambrosio” will be carrying ore to the Chaguaramas stockpile in Trinidad, from which larger quantities will be drawn off, from time to time, for ocean-going vessels.
Your Mattress? (Daily Argosy: September 1, 1960) A NEW, striped, bluegreen mattress was found in front of the gate of Mrs. Cuff’s residence at 217 Lamaha Street. Apparently, the mattress was dropped there by a cartman. The owner is invited to call at Mrs. Cuff’s residence.
Grave robbers steal a skull
(Guyana Graphic: September 4, 1960)
RUIMVELD Police were yesterday searching for ghouls who dug up a three- year-old grave at Le Repentir Cemetery within the past 48 hours, and stole a skull from it. The policemen were called out around 9:25am yesterday, ten minutes after Cemetery Ranger, Mohamed Ali, and Special Constable, Samuel Peters had discovered the freshly opened grave in the allotment consigned to Muslim burials in the eastern section of Le Repentir . After a search by a Municipal gravedigger, the head of a skeleton was discovered missing. On the headboard, which had been removed from the grave, was written, “M.A Jabbar Khan, died on July 21, 1965, at the age of 59”. A short distance from the open grave were some shovels and spades, which the grave digger said had been stolen from a shed in the cemetery since Friday last.
We have rocks 2.5 billion years old, says booklet (Guyana Graphic: September 6, 1968) A NEW booklet, written by former expatriate staff members of the Geological Surveys Department, has disclosed that radiometric tests in the Barama-Mazaruni area show that some of the rocks there are over 2,500 million years old. Others in the Roraima area, believed to be the source of riverbed deposits and diamonds, have been dated as originating 2000 million years ago, before the period when the sea invaded Guyana, and reached as far as the foot of the Pakaraimas. These disclosures are contained in the booklet, ”The folded Precambrian of northern Guyana related to the Guiana Shield”, written by Dr. E. Williams, Dr. R.T. Cannon, and Dr. R.B. McConnell, who were formerly attached to the Geological Survey Department, but are now in various parts of the world. The booklet, which contains a series of geological studies, and was recently published, is available at the Ministry of Information, which said that it was written as a
follow-up to the Provisional Geological Map, published in 1962. The Ministry said that it was intended to set out the facts on which the authors based their conclusions concerning their interpretations of the Guiana Shield area. (Clifford Stanley can be reached to discuss any of the foregoing articles at cliffantony@gmail.com or cell-phone # 657 2043)
SGT. 4441 James Robertson, Detective Cpl. 5184 Carlton Augustus, and Detective Constable 5289 James Allen of Fort Wellington Police Station, Western Berbice, at Police Headquarters, New Amsterdam, on Wednesday afternoon received commendation and monetary awards, presented by Senior Supt. James Phoenix, Officer in Charge of “B” Division of the Police Force, on behalf of the former Commissioner of Police, Mr. D. Matheson. It was stated in the citation by the Commissioner that the awards were granted for commendable action during the investigation of a murder. The case referred to was that of Joseph Williams (39) of Rosignol Village, West Berbice, who was charged with the murder of his wife, Marie Williams, of Rosignol on April 5, 1958. He was found guilty at the Criminal Sessions on June 24, 1959, and sentenced to be hanged by His Lordship, Justice Phillips.