GlenysThe Bloody Bridge, Norfolk Island
April 17th 2011 00:28
... and some flowers belie a gory story ...
This beautiful, delicate flower grows near Bloody Bridge, Norfolk Island. It is in stark contrast to the gory story which accompanies the building of the bridge.
Studying the history of Norfolk Island reveals there were three attempts by the British to settle this small island.
The first settlement began in 1788, 6 weeks after Captain Phillip settled Botany Bay. It was thought the fertile island would be the food bowl for the Australian settlement. Captain James Cook had reported earlier that the tall,straight Norfolk Island Pines would be good for making ships masts and he thought the native flax would be good for weaving sails for ships. None of these assumptions came to fruition and the settlement was abandoned in 1814.
The second settlement began in 1825 when the isolation of the island was considered beneficial for a convict settlement. Up to 2000 prisoners were sent to the island and they suffered horrendous conditions under sadistic officers. Eventually authorities back in Britain realised the rumours about the conditions on the island were true, and in 1855 the settlement was once again abandoned.
The third settlement began in 1856 when the overcrowded population of Pitcairn Island moved to Norfolk Island. The Pitcairn islanders were descendants from the mutineers of the Bounty, and many of their descendants live on Norfolk Island today.
The Bloody Bridge was built by convicts during the second settlement. The harshly treated convicts were made to work in heavy irons and even a glance of resentment towards the goading officer would mean being punished with a cat-o-nine-tails.
The story goes that on the fateful morning one convict snapped under the pressure and killed the overseer. This meant all convicts in that working party would be punished, so they 'buried' the overseer in the wall.
When the relieving overseer arrived he was told his predecessor had gone for a swim and not returned.
They may have got away with their story but the bridge was not good at keeping secrets ... blood started oozing out of the still wet mortar.
The convicts in the gang were executed and buried in a mass grave.
Water Hyacinth, growing near Bloody Bridge, Norfolk Island
This beautiful, delicate flower grows near Bloody Bridge, Norfolk Island. It is in stark contrast to the gory story which accompanies the building of the bridge.
Studying the history of Norfolk Island reveals there were three attempts by the British to settle this small island.
The first settlement began in 1788, 6 weeks after Captain Phillip settled Botany Bay. It was thought the fertile island would be the food bowl for the Australian settlement. Captain James Cook had reported earlier that the tall,straight Norfolk Island Pines would be good for making ships masts and he thought the native flax would be good for weaving sails for ships. None of these assumptions came to fruition and the settlement was abandoned in 1814.
The second settlement began in 1825 when the isolation of the island was considered beneficial for a convict settlement. Up to 2000 prisoners were sent to the island and they suffered horrendous conditions under sadistic officers. Eventually authorities back in Britain realised the rumours about the conditions on the island were true, and in 1855 the settlement was once again abandoned.
The third settlement began in 1856 when the overcrowded population of Pitcairn Island moved to Norfolk Island. The Pitcairn islanders were descendants from the mutineers of the Bounty, and many of their descendants live on Norfolk Island today.
Bloody Bridge, Norfolk Island
The Bloody Bridge was built by convicts during the second settlement. The harshly treated convicts were made to work in heavy irons and even a glance of resentment towards the goading officer would mean being punished with a cat-o-nine-tails.
The story goes that on the fateful morning one convict snapped under the pressure and killed the overseer. This meant all convicts in that working party would be punished, so they 'buried' the overseer in the wall.
When the relieving overseer arrived he was told his predecessor had gone for a swim and not returned.
They may have got away with their story but the bridge was not good at keeping secrets ... blood started oozing out of the still wet mortar.
The convicts in the gang were executed and buried in a mass grave.
The tunnel under Bloody Bridge, Norfolk Island
*** sadly, homo sapiens don't always learn lessons from the past .. and history repeats itself ***
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