During the years that my grandmother Jane Rebertha Samuels, “Auntie Rosa”, “Mama Rose” – deceased at age 106 years – nurtured me in her dilapidated wooden house situated on the rocky terrain of “Mount Ease”, Flint Valley, Saint Elizabeth, among the many stories my grandmother related to me before she passed away, was that the hole from which fresh clean water was gushing was capped, and that an Engineer by the name of Mr. Alport stated publicly that there are seven (7) rivers running under Old New Market square.
Jane Rebertha Samuels, “Mama Rosa”, “Auntie Rosa”
My grandmother further related to me that when C. C. Bromfield, Syrian Businessman – deceased – was building his One Stop Shopping Department Store, Grocery, and Shell Gas Station – this building is currently owned by Raphael Cummings – a construction worker while excavating a hole in a corner for the foundation of the building, he observed fresh clean water gushing forcefully from the hole he was excavating. My grandmother also further related to me that the hole from which fresh clean water was gushing was capped off hastily and that this strange phenomenon that occurred is under the corner of the building up to this day.
FACT OR FICTION?
The information I received from my grandmother, was it fact or fiction? While no one knows for sure, there is empirical evidence that the flood of 1938 and the mother of all floods in 1979 which completely inundated Old New Market Square – from Paynes Town to Kepp, New Savannah, Long Ground, and Carr District – is no coincidence. As tall as Jamaica Public Service Company Limited and buildings were in the Parochial Market and Old New Market Square, the roofs of these buildings and JPSCO utility poles were submerged and were not visible until the lake like body of water receded six months later.
ARE THERE SPRINGS AND TRIBUTATIES THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE FLOOD OF 1938 AND THE MOTHER OF ALL FLOODS IN 1979?
While no official empirical evidence is available to answer the above question, the following eye witness phenomena should be given serious consideration:
- Anytime Two Sisters –two ponds located opposite of the main road at Paynes Town – meet and cross the main road, simultaneously, water begins to rise in gullies at Kepp and the gully at “Bitch Wood” in front of New Market SDA Church.
- As water in gullies at “Dawkins”, Glenburnie, Westmoreland rush swiftly to fill up gullies in Flint Valley, huge bodies of lake like water through their intricate unidentified underground network, meander through a network of sink holes from Flint Valley down to Ernest Wakeland – deceased – cattle lands where they are joined by gushing waters from “Hog Hole” in Ruinit and rising water in the gully known as “Bayie Hole” – named after a man lost his life by drowning as he tried to swim in the deep waters of this gully – which inundated Long Ground creating a nightmare for residents who only way in and out of the community is to travel the long route by walking through bushes to get to Beersheba/Flint Valley Parochial Road.
- Whenever water begin to rise in Flint Valley and “Hog Hole” starts to run furiously, a network of fresh water springs are observed gushing from rocks on the rocky hillsides.
THE MOTHER OF ALL FLOODS IN 1979 IS THE MAIN REASON THAT BUSINESS AND COMMERCE AT OLD NEW MARKET SQUARE WAS RELOCATED TO LEWISVILLE, SAINT ELIZABETH
After residents in New Savannah, Jacks Gate, Long Ground, Flint Valley, Happy Hall, Carr were not left with any other alternative but to commute by Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) boats, they boarded the boats at the abandoned New Market Police Station to drop off points at Beersheba Primary School (Government Leased) and New Savannah, near Sefton Hamilton – deceased – shop; travelling over water that appeared as if it was not going to recede anytime soon.
Various Government of Jamaica Ministries and Quasi Public Sector Entities met and concluded that the mother of all floods in 1979 was a wake-up call for business and commerce to vacate the Parochial Market and Old New Market Square for Lewisville which was built on lands at Kepp and featured a new Post Office, Saint Elizabeth Parish Library (New Market Branch), a new Police Station, a High School, a new state of the art covered Parochial Market, and National Housing Trust (NHT) Housing Scheme.
SOME FOLKS HAVE NOT HEEDED THE WARNING TO VACATE OLD NEW MARKET SQUARE
With Old New Market Square being the “Rock of Gibraltar” for vibrant business and commerce for decades, with people’s “navel string” buried at the root of the “Busy Tree” under which the Volkswagen Van stacked with hard-dough bread and bulla cake driven by Charles McPherson and Cleveland Farquharson served their faithful customers who waited patiently to purchase their mouth watering delicacies; just a stone throw away, “Miss Matty” use to sell sprats from her over-sized brown coloured cake tray with the look through glass on top, in front of “Miss Matty” was “Miss Hennie”, her short statue anchored against the foundation wall of the meat stall where she sold homemade candies, grater cakes, drops, and gizardas from her cake tray just like the one “Miss Matty” was selling from. Passing an array of rainbow coloured variegated pound cloth swaying from ropes back and forth in the breeze, the last stop is the stall where “Miss Queen” and other vendors from Lenox Bogwoods, Westmoreland use to sell wet sugar and ginger sugar head amidst the orchestral sound that emanated from braying donkeys that were tethered to wire fence posts nearby. At the entrance to the Parochial Market, stone-faced Mr. Baldie, District Constable and Market Clerk was busy collecting market fees from vendors who came into the market.
It is difficult for people to leave behind nostalgic memories of yester years. Consequently, it is not at all unusual to find Joe Campbell, Fitz Gayle, Cecil “Polite” Gayle, Egbert Hinds and other Oldsters – many of them Old Students of Beersheba Elementary School where they were taught by either Harry B.
“Bullhead” Crawford and Clifford I. Chang – still cling to that little piece of Old New Market Square which they cherish and revere dearly.
DARE DEVIL ENTREPRENEURS!!
Although all buildings in Old New Market Square were submerged in the mother of all floods in 1979, I like other people in New Market community are perplexed that two storey commercial buildings have been constructed and all available space have been rented in Old New market Square.
COULD THE MOTHER OF ALL FLOODS IN 1979 AND ONE THAT COULD BE EVEN WORSE AFFECT BUSINESS AND COMMERCE IN OLD NEW MARKET SQUARE ANY TIME IN THE FUTURE?
As one who always believes and trusts my grandmother’s predictions, sayings, and wise advice, I am inclined to believe that the phenomenon of the mother of all floods in 1979 could happen again with much greater catastrophic intensity and disaster. The bye pass road that meander through the peasant working class community from its intersection with the main road at “Mass Booze” – deceased – Shoemaker shop at Carmel, through Cottage, crossing New Market to Montego Bay main road near Sefton Hamilton – deceased – shop, through Ernest Wakeland – deceased – cattle lands, intersecting with Beersheba/Flint Valley Parochial Road, running southerly through Carr District; could not withstand the heinous onslaught of the mother of all floods in 1979. Residents in Carr and adjoining districts were completely inundated and marooned. Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) boats were their only means of transportation in and out of their respective communities for several months until food waters receded.
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