A different view on current affairs & history
Like a magnet, a murder or any barbaric act always draws the media’s attention. In the case of the “manless head” [the opposite of headless man] discovered on the Fishwater Flats in 1840, it certainly did. This case could have acquired the sobriquet “The Case of the Missing Corpse”
Main picture: View of Fishwater Flats
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The edition of the newspaper Graham’s Town Journal dated 7 February 1839 carried the following advert notifying the public of the sale of this historic building being the first building constructed in Port Elizabeth after the arrival of the first settler ship, the Chapman.
Main picture: Scorey’s Hotel with its gardens below it
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Of all the recreational facilities that Port Elizabeth required at the end of the 19th century, a state-of-the-art seawater swimming pool located in the harbour was not on that list. It should not have been amongst the highest ranking priorities but yet clearly in the rankings of the Port Elizabeth Municipality this was the one that they, in their wisdom, selected.
This is a detailed description of this facility taken from the 1899 issue of The Visitors’ Guide
Main picture: April 1901 – the swimming pool in the harbour
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An enterprising local resident, John Owen Smith, entered into various disparate business ventures. Several of them such as mining copper in Namaqualand or recovering guano on Bird Island, required a seagoing vessel. This is what set in motion the necessity to build one locally. The unlikely location selected was a non-descript lake at the western end of Kragga Kamma road known as Lake Farm.
Main picture: Lake Farm in 1944
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In the first seventy years of the nineteenth century, executions by hanging were carried out in public, the primary rationale being that it would serve as a deterrence. Apart from that, the culprit would never become a repeat offender nor would there be any recidivism. On the other side, the general public relished the spectacle with many executions, especially the most notorious murders, attracting sizable crowds. Attendance at an execution can only be classified as the most bizarre form of morbid curiosity. Ultimately public executions were outlawed in 1869 and in future all executions were performed inside the prison walls.
This blog covers the execution of Hermanus Jager by hanging on the 23rd November 1833 for murdering his wife as well as briefly covering three executions of which two were public.
Main picture: Exhibition held at the Kgosi Mampuru Prison in Pretoria
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Arnoldus Bernhard Dietz was born in Holland circa 1768 and died on the 16th January 1832 aged 64 in Graham’s Town. Being of Dutch descent, on obtaining his majority, Arnoldus initially relocated to Batavia, a Dutch colony, and commenced trading. Later he became a Government Resident in Borneo where his two vessels were captured by the British and that is how he arrived at Cape Town in 1817.
Main picture: Arnoldus Bernhardus’ house in Graham’s Town
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Port Elizabeth commenced the year on a bright optimistic note with the appointment of Henry Green Dunsterville as Harbour Master and Port Captain with effect from the 1st January 1835. This appointment was only confirmed on the 7th June. Immediately after this announcement, the imminent threat of a Xhosa invasion of the town set the town on edge. This was followed in late September by a disastrous storm which resulted in the loss of several vessels in the Bay.
Among the bright rays which barely penetrated the dark, dank clouds was the appointment of the town’s first civilian doctor. Another spark was an extended stay of the Cape Governor during which the residents were able to address their frustrations about the lack of a lighthouse at Cape Receife.
Main picture: A blustery day in the Bay
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During the 1830s, a number of instances of fake distress calls being made were reported. These incidents raised the heckles of boating companies which responded to these emergencies by charging exorbitant “rescue fees” in those cases.
Main pictures; Ships at the roadstead during a gloomy day
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Both father and son bore the names John Chambers Kemsley and both became a Mayor of the town. In doing so, they created confusion for historians. In order to distinguish the father from the son, the son will be referred to Kemsley Junior. Like his father J.C. Kemsley junior was also appointed to the boards and management committees of numerous civic organisations, exacerbating the confusion.
Main picture: Kemsley’s Outfitters in Main Street
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Mills were initially used for grinding grain into flour and in the case of Port Elizabeth they were used to compress bales of wool. Prior to the invention of motors, mills were powered either by wind or water. During the Industrial Revolution, the definition of mills was expanded to include factories fitted with machinery which performed a specific manufacturing process.
Main picture: Painting by Thomas Baines of Cradock Place with the mill tower in the background
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