Ross Island civilization absorbed the jungle Bashny.Net

On Ross Island uninhabited since the Second World War. Now it is more like a decoration for the film "The Jungle Book».





But once it was called the "Paris of the East" - for the amazing architecture and advanced at the time the level of social life, it is unusual for tropical islands in the region. Ross Island was considered the center of the British government Andaman Islands (in the Indian Ocean, part of the territory of India) - in the 1850s the colonial government of India has decided to arrange here their remote headquarters.



So why the once thriving island was "imprisoned" in nature? Why are people allowed jungle absorb his magnificent architecture? The story is quite dreadful.



Ross Island history began when he landed on the first British. It happened in the early 1790s. Naval Lieutenant Archibald Blair decided that the island could be an ideal place for penal colony - a kind of modern Guantanamo. However, the first attempt to organize here a settlement ended in failure - the entire population soon squinted outbreak of malaria.

After the suppression of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and the country's transition under the direct jurisdiction of the Queen of England, Ross has become a place of detention of political prisoners - Indians called it "the British Gulag", where in a very inhuman conditions were about 15 thousand people.



At that time, as the locals call the island "black water" - because of the terrible crimes going on behind the walls of the prison in Britain itself, he was considered the "Paris of the East". Any naval officer would have considered it a great honor to get there fast, and settle on the island, along with the entire family.

Gradually the island were luxurious mansions with lush ballroom rooms, manicured gardens, church, swimming pool, tennis court, printing, market, hospital, bakery - all that at the time was associated with the concept of the modern settlement and a comfortable life. All the buildings were built in the colonial style.



However, prisoners of life on the island looked very different. The first group of convicts arrived here as a part of 200 people forced to clear the dense forest for future settlements.

These people had to survive without the most basic services, and build a colony of stones and wood, chains and collars with names. Then the number of prisoners has gone to thousands who huddled in tents or huts with leaking roofs. When the number of prisoners has exceeded 8000, an epidemic, because of which died in 3500.



Even the position of slaves was not the worst. On the colony occasionally raided wild Andamanese tribes, many of whom were cannibals. They were caught prisoners for work in the woods, tortured and killed.

Trying to escape from the island of prisoners often faced with the same tribes and turned back, knowing that they are guaranteed on the island of the death penalty. Once the authorities gave the order to hang approximately 80 such returnees for a single day.



On the conditions of detention of prisoners eloquent results of their medical examination. The survey carried out when the number of involuntary settlers exceeded 10 thousand. Health Only 45 of them were found to be satisfactory. People are often left without food, clothing and shelter. Mortality in the camp was about 700 people a year.



At the same time, the British government has decided to use these prisoners for testing new drugs. They began to give 10 thousand accidents. Side effects of these drugs were manifested in severe nausea, seizures and depression dysentery.

As a result, some have come to injure their comrades in misfortune - specifically, that they captured and hanged, relieved them, thus, is unbearable. The authorities responded by whipping ustaivaya and reducing already meager daily rations.



Now building on the island is almost nothing left - root and branch braided them sprouted through. In 1941, a terrible earthquake destroyed much of the infrastructure and forced many to leave the island. The headquarters was moved to the nearby Port Blair. And during the Second World War on the island were the Japanese and the British hastily evacuated - this time once and for all. Although the Japanese occupation ended in 1945, no one ever tried to settle here. Who is Ross Island come only tourists.