By BARBARA WALKIN, Freeport News Reporter

barbara@nasguard.com

FREEPORT – Grief engulfed the island of Bimini again yesterday when a beloved son of the soil went missing in a massive fire that gutted the Compleat Angler Hotel, the favourite haunt of legendary American writer Ernest Heming-way.

Up to press time police and fire officials from Bimini and Grand Bahama were unable to confirm whether Julian Brown had perished in the flames. Mr Brown is son of the hotel's proprietor, Captain Harcourt Brown.

In a telephone interview with The Freeport News Friday afternoon, an emotional Natasha Bullard-Rolle, Chief Councillor for the Bimini and Cat Cay District, recalled receiving a phone call around 4 a.m. notifying her of the destructive fire.

"The fire completely destroyed that facility and it is feared that there may have been one person who would have perished in that fire," said Mrs Bullard-Rolle.

She then hastened to say that the information was not officially confirmed. "In fact," added the Chief Councillor, "the investigation team is still at the scene actively shifting through the charred building."

The situation, she said, is looking very grim, "because he [Mr Brown] has not surfaced since the early morning hours." Mrs Bullard-Rolle indicated that there was one guest at the hotel when the blaze broke out and he was able to get to safety, without injury.

"The one survivor, the one guest that was in the hotel, said that it was Mr Brown who saved his life," she said.

Recounting the guest's statement, Mrs Bullard-Rolle said that residents and investigators were told n From A1

that Mr Brown - who also worked as a security guard - came to the room and advised him to get to a safe place. Mr Brown was reportedly attempting to extinguish a burning mattress in room No.1, which had been engulfed in flames.

"The guest said that by the time he turned to go into his room, to gather his few personal belongings and came back, the area where he saw Mr Brown standing in was engulfed in flames," stated Mrs Bullard-Rolle.

He then escaped over the balcony and lowered himself to safety, she said.

According to police, Nicholas Rademaker aged 40 of Nassau was the guest in room No. 4. He stated that he was awakened by the smoke and fire alarm. When he came out of his room he saw that the second floor of the hotel was on fire. The guest ran to the Alice Town police station.

Officers from Bimini along with a visiting Grand Bahama fireman reportedly rushed to the scene in the fire engine and were soon joined by Bimini volunteer fire personnel, who brought a BEC portable pump and began battling the raging inferno. BEC employees also switched off the power supply to Alice Town as a safety precaution.

A team of fire personnel from Grand Bahama led by fire chief Inspector Floyd Bastian, along with detectives from CDU, has flown to Bimini to render assistance.

"This really comes too close to the recent tragedy of the Chalk's plane crash," added Mrs Bullard-Rolle, referring to the incident that claimed the lives of 20 people, including 11 Bimini residents about one month ago.

"We were just trying to get back to a state of normalcy," she noted. "We've resumed our work schedules, children are back in school and we are trying to go through a work day.

"You know the impact of being back in the work area and not seeing all of those persons, who were in fact gainfully employed. So that in itself is heart-wrenching."

To be faced with this tragedy residents are once again in a state of disbelief and shock, she said, adding, "The mood in Bimini is sombre. Those of us who know the virtue of prayer are very prayerful. These are the kind of times. We have to pull on the higher power and the source of strength. That is what is going to sustain us."

The police continue their search for Mr Brown and their investigation into the cause of the blaze.

Brown, a well-known track star in the 1960s, medalled in the 1962 Commonwealth Games held in Jamaica. At that time, he was a 15-year-old student of St. John's College.

The Compleat Angler was built in 1935. It became famous after it was known as a favoured spot for Hemingway who stayed there in the mid-1930s.

The hotel was also known to keep a collection of Hemingway photos and memorabilia in the lobby. And it was reportedly the main setting for the American novelist's Island in the Stream published after he died.

The building was insured.