Forgotten on Clipperton Island: A Horrific Tragedy in Which Only 12 People Survived

A small island fought over by three countries

A barely visible dot on the map – that is the tiny Clipperton atoll, lost in the expanses of the great Pacific Ocean. This unremarkable scrap of land, on which there was almost no vegetation and no wildlife, suddenly became, at the beginning of the 20th century, a bone of contention among three countries. At first the Americans had designs on it, then the French, but the Mexicans unexpectedly got ahead of everyone.

And in 1906 a garrison appeared here under the command of Captain Ramón Arnaud.  The Mexican with French roots was full of pride and self-respect. With his colorful biography, which had many dark spots, the new posting was considered an honorable exile. And by the will of fate, reinforced by a decision of the Mexican government, Ramón Arnaud became the governor of Clipperton.

A new life on Clipperton

At first everything went well. A British company, under a contract with the Mexican authorities, set up the mining of guano – decomposed bird droppings. There was an enormous quantity of this commodity here. Guano was considered a valuable fertilizer and was exported to Europe in large batches. It was also used to make gunpowder and TNT.

About 100 people worked at the mine that had been built, earning a decent wage. Life on the atoll flourished, and contact with the world was uninterrupted. Ships constantly delivered to Clipperton everything necessary, including fertile soil. So that the islanders could grow vegetables in their gardens, rich in vitamins, of which there was a great shortage here.

Two years later, Ramón Arnaud brought a young wife, Alicia Rovira, to the tiny island in the Pacific Ocean. The woman was flattered to be the wife of the governor of Clipperton. She felt like a society lady and even organized a kind of club where the inhabitants of the atoll gathered in the evenings. Soon Ramón Arnaud became a happy father: Alicia bore him a son and a daughter.

Hard conditions

However, life on the island promised no paradise. Harsh nature, constant storms, the impossibility of catching fish – because of the fresh water, of which there was plenty on Clipperton due to the frequent rains. And no one dared to venture out into the ocean, teeming with sharks, to harpoon a tuna. But the settlers were content with everything: they sincerely rejoiced that together they bore any hardship.

However, only a ghost of this happiness would soon remain. The British closed the mine, the sale of guano ceased to bring profit, and the workers were, in the literal sense, deprived of their daily bread. Ramón Arnaud, nursing certain hopes, set off for his homeland. In Mexico he met with President Victoriano Huerta, who promised the islanders the necessary help.

A wrong decision

But a revolution had broken out in Mexico. The ship with provisions and supplies was sunk by the rebels after only its second voyage. And now it was perfectly clear: neither the heroic revolutionaries nor Huerta cared about the fate of the people on the Clipperton atoll.

On July 25, 1914, the American cruiser «Cleveland» put in at the atoll. The governor of Clipperton gave the guests a warm welcome. Over a modest dinner, the cruiser’s captain told Ramón the bitter truth: a world war was now raging, and no one had any concern for the inhabitants of the island. And the surest chance of escaping death by starvation was to set off on the American ship for places more fit for living. 

Alas, the proud Mexican would not accept the invitation. A sense of false patriotism clouded his reason. And with his refusal, as the future would show, Ramón Arnaud doomed to terrible misfortune not only the inhabitants of Clipperton, but also his own family.

Hunger and disease

Only a year would pass and hunger would put everything in its place. A few coconut palms on the atoll would help no one. Scurvy began to rage on the island. The first to perish were the garrison soldiers, who gave all the food to the children and wives. The desperate governor did not know how to save the people. Perhaps he was already repenting of his fatal mistake, when together with the islanders he had not boarded the American cruiser.

The appearance on the horizon of a ship without a flag Ramón Arnaud took as a good sign, meaning the end of their suffering. The suffering would indeed end, but not at all as he had reckoned. Together with three soldiers from the garrison, he set off toward the ship in a boat – and could not reach it. Enormous ocean waves engulfed the men, the boat shattered to splinters, and Ramón, along with his helpers, was dragged into the depths.

A tyrant and monster took charge

This was only the first act of a tragedy whose horrors are impossible even to imagine. The lighthouse keeper Victoriano Álvarez, who until then had silently observed the events on the atoll, declared himself governor of Clipperton. This subhuman, in whom a bloodthirsty monster had lain hidden for the time being, brutally dealt with two soldiers weakened by scurvy before the islanders’ eyes. And then he publicly executed a woman who had spoken out against him. Her body he threw into the ocean.

There now remained 16 people on the atoll: women and children.

Three years of the islanders’ lives would pass in a terrible nightmare. And one day Alicia Rovira, together with her servant Tirza, took a desperate step. They lured the maddened dictator into a trap and beat him to death with hammers.

Almost on that very day, July 18, 1917, the American warship «Yorktown» approached the atoll. Its crew would discover on Clipperton four women with eight children – tormented by unimaginable suffering, exhausted by constant hunger and deprivation. And only at that moment did the island hell end for the 12 survivors. 

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