WHAT STARTED out as a birthday celebration for a gold miner at a mining camp along the Essequibo River, last Saturday ended tragically with the death of the man whose birthday was being celebrated.Dead is Compton Adolphus, 69, formerly of ‘Grant Fear Not’, Pomeroon River, Region Two and Georgetown. Adolphus who turned 69 on Saturday was a miner for 45 years.

Information reaching the Guyana Chronicle remains sketchy, but his relatives who live at Linden and in Georgetown say that Adolphus had earlier in the day hosted a ‘get-together’ at which he treated about six work colleagues from the mining camp.

Of affable disposition and a peace-loving man, Adolphus, who was also known for spreading cheer, was in his usual high spirits as he socialised with the comrades throughout the day.

Later in the afternoon, as they were preparing to leave the entertainment venue, Adolphus told the men that he was taking his ‘last drink’, after which they boarded the boat and set out for the mining camp.

But it was not long before tragedy struck. The boat was said to have hit a rock and capsized. The other men managed to escape harm, but Adolphus who had apparently dozed off temporarily, and was sitting in the hull of the boat, was flung against the rock and suffered severe head injuries.

He went down and perished.

Relatives who are also gold miners, on hearing the tragic news, hastened to the location on Saturday night, but found no trace of him.

They were joined by another search party on Sunday and on Monday, found the body which was already bloated.

He was transported to Georgetown and was received by at the Lyken Funeral Home.

The deceased, who was the son of the late Cyril and Ruby Adolphus of Pomeroon, is survived by five children, four siblings, several grandchildren and other relatives.