The worst river disaster in Guyana’s history took place on Monday, July 6, 1964, exactly sixty-years ago, when an explosion occurred on the motor launch ‘Son Chapman’ near Hurudaia, 50 miles up the Demerara River, resulting in the death of 43 persons, including two children and six DEMBA employees.
Tomorrow (Saturday) July 6 there is the annual observance in Linden at Christianburg beginning at 3.00pm where there is a mini “Son Chapman” launch on Burnham Drive in Christianbrg and Lindeners will gather for this memorial.
Mayor of Linden Sharma Solomon is the main speaker at that remembrance tomorrow in Christianburg where 28 of the dead bodies found in the river were buried at the Christianburg Cemetery.
Twenty-seven passengers survived as well as six members of the crew and among them was Harold Cummings, aged 83, who is the only living ‘Son Chapman” launch sailor from that horrific explosion sixty years ago which was captained by Herman Softleigh.
Most of the passengers who perished from the wrecked explosion were women, including two expectant mothers, and many of them were hucksters who did business at Wismar and Mackenzie bringing with them bags and baskets of vegetables and fruits as well as dry goods. The vessel also had cargo for Chapman’s Enterprises, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Norman Chapman who also owned the vessel.
The boat stopped at Grove, Atkinson and Endeavour on the way up the Demerara River.
At about 4.30pm it stopped at Hurudaia a timber grant settlement about 12 miles from Mackenzie, and let off three passengers.
It then moved off about 300 yards from Hurudaia timber grant when there was a tremendous explosion on board.
It rocked the boat, blew a hole in the bottom and damaged sections of both the port and starboard sides. Within a few minutes the boat sank.
News of the disaster reached the Mackenzie/ Wismar/ Christianburg area shortly after 5.00pm when a member of the crew arrived by a speedboat and reported what happened.
Shortly after news of the launch sinking reached Mackenzie, racial violence broke out despite efforts of the British Army, the Volunteer Force and the BG Police, five persons including a DEMBA apprentice died before the situation was brought under control and a curfew imposed.
The management of Sprostons Limited had placed the company’s passenger boat “RH Carr” at its disposal of the police and the military for the transportation of evacuees from the Mackenzie area and the Mackenzie Police Station was where they sought refuge following an outbreak of factional violence.
The “Son Chapman” vessel was raised in unusual salvaging Operation and it took a combination of skill, teamwork, experience and perseverance to raise the sunken launch “Son Chapman” from the bottom of the Demerara River which was 38 feet in depth. The job was done by several personnel from the Demerara Bauxite Company Limited (DEMBA) in coordination with Phillip Gouveia, a diver from Georgetown, Capt. S. Watt of Sprostons and Capt. R. Stephens of Saguenay Shipping.
Actually it was the task of the B.G Police to get the boat salvaged in order to determine the cause of the explosion. Asst. Supt. O. L Hobbs asked DEMBA for help and the company readily made available equipment and personnel to do the job.
The first big problem was that the Police requested that the boat be raised as it was with the cargo and bodies in it, so that they could examine clues. This meant that instead the usual method of first lightening the vessel of all it contained, it had to be lifted deadweight- something not usually done in salvaging operations.
A DEMBA team went down the scene of the wreck near Hurudaia on the Tuesday afternoon, July 7, the day after the incident. Mr. Barney S Griffiths, who was once a professional diver with much experience in salvaging both in North and South America, explored the area first to see where and how deep the boat lay. He discovered that much more equipment than they had carried to the area was needed.
So on the next day the team returned with Captain S. Watt, who brought along his echo sounder, this instrument he established the position of the vessel and it was Thursday they were able to beach the Son Chapman launch.
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE TO SHOW WHO PUT EXPLOSIVE DEVICE ABOARD
In the Daily Chronicle of March 27, 1965, reported: “The five man jury inquiring into the Son Chapman disaster said there was not sufficient evidence to show who was criminally responsible.
Death, the jury said, was due to mutilation and drowning as a result of an explosive device, placed on the right side of the launch, which caused considerable damage.
The jury had deliberated for 45 minutes, and was asked to find out how 43 passengers came to their death on July 6, 1964, when the launch sank on the Demerara River, off Hurudaia, following a loud explosion, and to say if anyone was criminally responsible.
Sixty-five witnesses, including Dr. Robert Klautky and Dr. Davies Webb, testified at the inquest which lasted eight days.
In summing up to the jury, Coroner Mr. P. M. Burch-Smith commented on the absence of Harry Singh and Marat, although their names were mentioned frequently by many witnesses. He said he was surprised to know that the police did not take statements from these men so that they could have been called to testify.”
Residents in Linden have been invited to this public remembrance ceremony which starts at 3.00pm and wreaths will be laid at the “Son Chapman” monument on Burnham Drive in Christianburg, where items include the Linden Drum Corp, a poem and a cultural presentation and relatives of loved ones lost will be given a chance to say something, with the main address coming from the Mayor of Linden, Sharma Solomon.
