Mayaro was one of the most isolated places in Trinidad during the 19th century, even though it boasted rich plantations of cotton, sugar and coconuts. Its only link with the rest of the island was via the island steamer which operated from 1818-1928. There was no road to the district and the overland route from Sangre Grande utilised the long, firm beach of the Bande de L'Est (Manzanilla) with its thousands of coconut trees.
At Point Radix, a headland juts out and obstructs the beach as a road which then turns inland. This inland track had to cross the mighty and broad Ortoire River which is the longest and widest stream in the island, being navigable by small boats for more than 15 miles. From the 1870s at least, a wooden punt served as a ferry bridge over the Ortoire.
Schoolmaster JH Collens wrote in 1888: "You have to cross the Nariva and Ortoire Rivers, which empty themselves into this bay. A large punt will ferry you over easily enough, and you need not even take the trouble to dismount. Both of these are mighty streams in their way, for in the wet season the fresh water rushes down with a current that defies the tide."
On each bank was a bell and one had to ring it to signal the ferryman, who would pull the raft over and take one across for a penny. Horses, buggies and later automobiles crossed the Ortoire in this way. Sometimes, travellers would spot manatees, caimans and anacondas in the water. A journey to Mayaro in 1910 was described thus: "Occasionally, I accompanied my father on his trips to Mayaro where he managed one of grandfather's estates.
This was an exciting outing which had to be fitted in with the low tide since the only 'road' was along the beach. The journey was always broken at the Cocal (Manzanilla beach) for a drink or lunch with Boss Bovell. In any case one could not have driven by without availing oneself of Bovell hospitality.
Then onto the beach again, trotting along until the turnoff into the coconuts to the Nariva (Ortoire) ferry where we rang a large bell to awaken the ferryman from his nap and he pulled the big ferry over to meet us. We led the horse onto the ferry and watered him while we crossed, father making a deal with the ferryman for a bag of oysters to be collected on our return trip."
Like all things, the march of progress saw the demise of the Ortoire Ferry bridge in the 1950s when it was replaced by a more conventional means of crossing the great stream.Its passing was preceded by that of a similar contraption over the Nariva River and one lower down at Mayaro. It is at least known that the latter survived well into the 1970s since it appeared in the opening scenes of the local movie Bacchanal Time, produced by Kamalo Deen.
