Drunkenness on Sundays?
THE Public House Trust was situated at the base of the Bluff headland directly opposite the Point and could be reached by rail or ferry.
It offered accommodation, meals and had a bar. On May 16, 1905, a letter of complaint about the Public House Trust was published in the Mercury.
The complainant and his friend had crossed over the bay one Sunday to the Public House for a drink and a meal. Whereas usually alcoholic drinks could be ordered with a meal, they were told that “no intoxicating liquors were permitted to be supplied to people seated in that portion of the premises”, according to a new regulation by the Port Advisory Board.
In practise, it meant that food and drink had to be consumed at physically separate points. “It is too ridiculous, for the distance between the two points of the establishment is barely half a dozen yards,” wrote the complainant.
Apparently the new regulation was intended to curb what was believed to be excessive drunkenness on the Bluff on Sundays. Although that can’t be verified, what does appear to be the case may be gauged from the opening lines of the complainant’s letter: “Durban on a Sunday is one of the dullest places on earth. Beyond a trip to Umgeni or to the Bluff, there is practically nowhere to go by way of relaxation.”
First telephone on the Bluff
Early in March 1883, the Mercury reported that the first telephone beyond the town of Durban had been installed on the Bluff.
It linked the signal station on the Bluff headland with the port office at the Point. Unfortunately the link was shortlived. On March 17, 1883, the Mercury reported that the telephone line had been severed by the masts of a schooner entering the harbour.
1901 – brisk property sales
From May 1901, large adverts appeared in the Mercury concerning the development of a township on the Bluff. In motivation of the promotion, it was stated that the Berea had become too expensive and crowded whereas property prices on the Bluff were inexpensive and affordable. Also, apart from superior views and scenery, health-wise, the Bluff was a superior prospect to the Berea. In the July 2 and 13, 1901 issues of the Mercury, some 90 sites in the Fynnlands and King’s Rest areas were advertised. Sales were brisk. A report on 27 December 1901 remarked that since the “opening up of the Bluff, property prices there had increased from between 100 and 500%.”
Lepers on the Bluff – 1893
An advertisement in the Mercury of 23 August 1893 advised that a public meeting would take place in the Bluff hall on 26 August to consider having lepers removed from the Bluff and Wentworth district. A news report in the Mercury of 29 August 1893 noted that the Bluff meeting had been well-attended. Messrs Parsons and Clarkson were tasked to see the Resident Magistrate of Durban as to the relocation of six Indian lepers.
