| Indians, Mystery,
Plantations and Pirates |
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Here's the story...
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Click photo to enlarge.
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MAPS
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Some 35 miles south of San Salvador, Rum Cay is approximately 29 miles square.
First known as Mamana by the Lucayan Indians, the cay was later renamed Santa
Maria de la Concepcion by Columbus in 1492.
Spanish explorers once found a lone rum keg washed up on shore and changed the
name again to Rum Cay.
In the north, there is a unique historical cave named "Hartford Cave". Lucayan
drawings and carvings decorate the cave walls. Farmers have also found
various artifacts from the Arawak Indian period in the fertile soil.
Plantation boundaries known as "Margins" can be seen all over the island and
date from the beginning of the 19th century when Loyalist settled here.
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Type: Island
Population: 53 (1990)
Location: Bahamas
Latitude 23deg 40'N
Longitude 74deg 55'W
Island and district
29 sq mi/75 sq km Central Bahama between Long Isl.
and San Salvador
185 mi/298 km SE of Nassau
9.5 mi/15.3 km long
5 mi/8 km wide |
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| HMS Conqueror - Shipwreck |
In 1860, HMS Conqueror, one of the Royal Navy's finest ships, and took pride of
place in the British line of battle in that day.
Still virtually on her maiden voyage, she was lost on Sumner Point Reef, Rum
Cay, on December 13, 1861.
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Click photo to
enlarge |
Her crew of 1,400 all survived. She was 20 nm out in estimating her
position and, after making her landfall, cut rounding the southeast point of
Rum Cay too fine and went hard on the reef. Her Captain, fearing that his
crew (most of whom could not swim in those days) would drink themselves
insensible. When it became obvious the ship was lost, he ordered all ale, wine,
and spirit casks to be broken and their contents ditched. He then sent the two
largest ship's boats, rigged with sail as well as oars, to Nassau and Jamaica
requesting help.
HMS Conqueror is still there, in 30 ft of water and is visible by air. It is
listed a historical site by the Bahamian Government.
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| Pirates |
In May 1718, Nathaniel Catling came ashore in Bermuda and went to see Governor
Bennett. He told the Governor that he was one of the crew of the Bermuda sloop
Diamond.
On April 14th, they were sailing off RUM CAY in the Bahamas when they
were intercepted by the pirate ship Ranger commanded by Captain Vain. The
pirates beat up the captain and all the crew of the Diamond, and looted the
vessel of black men and 300 pieces of eight.
Nathaniel Catling was singled out and hanged by the neck until they thought he
was dead. When they let him down on the deck, he was seen to revived, whereupon
one of the pirates hacked him across the collabone with his cutlass and would
have continued until he had murdered him had not one of the other pirates
persuaded him it "was too great a cruelty" The pirates final act was to set
fire to the Diamond. |
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