Virtual Museum of Trinidad & Tobago
Aside from being Mayor of San Fernando (1895-1902) when this pic was taken , Dr. Eakin had long established a practice in the town. Up until his term as Mayor , her served as District Medical Officer for the town as well as the superintendent of the San Fernando hospital which was built in 1859. During the 1880’s Dr. Eakin contended with several outbreaks of typhoid and yellow fever which decimated the population of the town. It was during his tenure that the Borough finally received a potable water supply from springs in the Montserrat Hills in 1899, the 1881 waterworks on Carib St. being worse than useless, and producing sulphur-impregnated water. He never failed in his attempts to improve the horrible sanitation in the town. During his term , the noxious Maraquire Ravine was tunneled and disappeared. This was a ravine which ran down from Pointe-a-Pierre Rd. betwixt High and St. James Sts. It was a dumping ground and de-facto sewer. Dr. Eakin made sure that it was paved with concrete and buildings tunnelled over it so today, it no longer exists. the only visible section is the large storm drain which runs behind Carlton Centre.
Other notables in this photo include the Town Clerk (CEO) who is the short man in the bowler and glasses to Dr. Eakin's right. Francois was a man haunted by the colonial prejudices. He was a coloured man who had graduated from the Borough High School ( an institution established in the 1850’s under Mayor Dr. Robert Johnstone for the education of coloured children) under the tutelage of the brilliant John Jacob Thomas ( author of ‘The Theory and Practice of Creole Grammar’ and Froudacity’) . Francois worked at the Town Hall as Deputy Town Clerk ( a position which still exists today) under the long-serving Adolphe Boucard (1825-91) . With the death of Boucard in 1891, Francois was denied right of promotion when the Council of Mayor William Sloane Robertson (1848-1909) led to appoint former Mayor Colin M. Dick (1828-1891) who had fallen on hard times as Town Clerk. Mayor Dick was ailing and died five months into his term, which left Mayor Robertson with no choice but to confirm the appointment of Francois. He served as Town Clerk ( a position now known as CEO) until 1905 when he was succeeded by Sydney P.Knox.
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The early pioneers of " The Industrial Capital . Thanks for the Pic and Info for it is very interesting . I am sure that today we are still enjoying the fruits of their labours .
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The early pioneers of " The Industrial Capital . Thanks for the Pic and Info for it is very interesting . I am sure that today we are still enjoying the fruits of their labours .
Nice one for the history buffs.