How often are bones found on uninhabited and isolated islands in the South Pacific?
From a
previous incarnation of the Forum:
Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2008 08:16:31
From: Andrew McKenna
Subject: Re: Gillam crash
Speaking of inspired tales of survival, I just got finished reading
In The Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick about the survivors of the Nantucket whale ship Essex which was sunk when rammed by an enraged sperm whale approximately 1000 miles west of the Galapagos in the fall of 1820. Fearing cannibals in the islands to the west, the crew of 20 chose to sail south in their three hastily converted open whale boats and then catch the trade winds east to South America. Two of the three boats made it, sailing some 5000+ miles over 90 days with little food or water and arriving at Juan Fernandez Island off the coast of Chile. Starvation drove them to the point of becoming cannibals themselves and eating several of their own boat mates. Eight survived out of twenty. Talk about impossible odds... Quite a read. I recommend it, but not on an empty stomach.
One part of their story I found interesting with regards to our subject of interest. They happened across Henderson Island, Lat 24 S, Long 124 W - some 1500 miles south of where the ship sank and not far from Pitcarin island (if they'd only known!). 3 of the crew elected to remain behind and take their chances marooned on the island rather than sail on. During their 5 month stay on Henderson they discovered a cave with the remains of 8 castaways, which I think points out that travelers and castaways across the Pacific may have been more common than we imagine today. Somebody, or at least two people, had to get to Easter Island somehow to start that civilization. No sextant boxes though.
From the book "A medical examination performed on the bones in 1996 [apparently by a US survey party] revealed that they were of Caucasian origin, which suggests that these unidentified people, like the Essex Crew, had been shipwreck survivors. The examination also revealed that one of the skeletons had belonged to a child between three and five years old. All eight people had died of dehydration."
doing a little google searching, I find
http://library.puc.edu/pitcairn/pitcairn/govt-history15.shtmlWhich describes the re-discovery of 8 skeletons in a cave by Pitcairn islanders who came to visit in 1851
and
http://www.winthrop.dk/skeletons.htmlwhich discusses Henderson Island and the skeletons that have been found there. Apparently 6 skeletons were found in a cave in 1956. There seems to be some confusion as to whether or not these 6 are the same 8 as described in 1820 or 1851, and one wonders about the condition of bones that are at least 136 years old, and whether or not the examination in 1966 was of the 1820 bones, or some more recent castaway. Some hair was found and examined and while polynesian couldn't be ruled out, the hair was suspected to be caucasian. The Consulting Physician to the Colonial Office, Sir Richard Hawes, is quoted as saying he suspects the skeletons had been in the cave "probably in excess of ten years".
In any case, it is interesting to read about castaways being found on Pacific islands.
Food for thought, so to speak.
amck
Andrew McKenna