World’s oldest message in a bottle turns up 132yrs later
Running legend claims he was racially harassed by airport staff in Germany
THE world’s oldest known message in a bottle has washed up on a beach – nearly 132 years after it was tossed into the sea.
The 19th century gin bottle was found by a family on sand dunes in Western Australia.
Tonya Illman, of Perth, said the bottle contained a damp note rolled in string.
She dried the paper in the oven, before noticing German handwriting. Her husband
SIR Mo Farah has claimed he was a victim of “racial harassment” at Munich airport.
Mo, 34, yesterday posted videos on social media, alleging he was pushed by officials as he made his way to the gate for a flight en route to his African training camp.
He said: “Sad to see racial harassment in this day and age.”
In the video, he says: “Just in the airport here, got harassed again, again, again. For wearing a hoodie and a jumper.
“Germany airport, Germany airport, oh my God. The guy’s touching me up like crazy. Pure harassment, pure, pure harassment. You don’t need to push me.”
A guard is seen guiding him towards his gate, and another is seen pushing the Olympic gold medallist after he had asked not to be touched.
The athlete commented at the end of the video: “The way you get treated. Did you see that guys? Unbelievable.” The guard asks him to move from the area, and Mo tells him: “You’re on Instagram Live.” The guard replies: “I don’t care. Please move out of this area.” Mo’s spokesman later said: “There was an incident at a German airport whilst Mo was travelling back to his training camp in Ethiopia. “Mo felt it was racially motivated and that he was unfairly treated by the airport security staff.” Munich Airport last night said the incident was being investigated. Before his trip, Mo, who won the Vitality half marathon in London on Sunday, had posted pictures of himself saying goodbye to his family. He will be away from wife Tania and their four children for six weeks while he is in training for the London Marathon in April. UK Athletics was this week rapped in a parliamentary report on doping in sport over the nutrient L-carnitine Sir Mo received before his London Marathon debut in 2014. TRAVELLER Mo at Munich airport HANDS OFF Guard is seen shoving Mo in the footage discovered it was from the ship Paula as part of an experiment to find efficient shipping routes.
The note is dated June 12, 1886. The previous record was a message from 108 years ago.
The captain of the sailing barque Paula had recorded a drift bottle being thrown overboard on that date nearly 600 miles off the coast.
Tonya said they only saw the note when her son’s girlfriend tipped the sand out. A museum contacted authorities in Germany and the Netherlands who confirmed the captain’s entry.
The last bottle and note to be found from the Paula was on January 7, 1934 in Denmark.
The furthest a message in a bottle has travelled was almost 10,000 miles.
In 2013 Cade Scott, 11, of Sunderland, threw it into the sea at Roker, Sunderland. It turned up 17 months later, also in Perth, Australia.