The Bog Walk trail

THE REOPENING of the Bog Walk gorge to traffic was welcomed by the thousands of commuters who use that corridor. The road conditions have never been friendly but we heaved a huge sigh of relief when the gate was flown and we no longer had to travel via Sligoville or Barry.

No disrespect to the persons who live on that route, but if at anytime we are to be forced back on those bypasses then the road surface will need to be repaired.

The Bog Walk road still appears threatening in some spaces where the rock face has been disturbed and cause you to wonder about falling debris. But these spots are few and far between. If you are lucky to catch a clear, sparklingly clean river racing you around the corners to Spanish Town with its little waterfalls playing a mischievous dip-and-fall back you can enjoy one of the best river drives in the countryside.

Unfortunately, with all the construction and earth removal, we have lost a Bog Walk gorge institution which in earlier times afforded a biological lesson to eager sightseers on either side of the road. What has happened to the protuberances which traditionally teased conversation and a quick surreptitious look? Gone the way of all flesh, it appears, or transferred to the Emancipation Park, perhaps.

But Bog Walk is to be remembered for much more than a naughty laugh. Regular commuters may not realise the historic importance of this well-trod route through the mountains.

Kent Village

As you leave Bog Walk towards Kingston the little hamlet in the middle of the gorge is Kent Village. Kent Village is home to Eric Donaldson, whose Cherry Oh Baby is still regarded as one of the world's iconic musical hits that seem to find fresh life with every generation.

The village is perched pre-cariously on the banks of the Rio Cobre and has had to face many a crisis when the river is in spate.

But many are unaware of the tragedy that struck just outside of Kent Village on the morning of June 27, 1904.There existed in those days the Bog Walk Power Station which was served by an eight-foot diameter pipe, 6,200 feet long, carrying water to the pump from the Rio Cobre. It was said to be the largest pipe in the world, weighing 1,742,844 lb of solid steel, and held together by 259,102 rivets, providing a major visitor attraction.

On that fateful morning, 61 men had gone into the pipe to clean silt and debris on their regular maintenance schedule. Within an hour, what started as a small getaway drip swelled to alarming proportions. The water rose steadily and by 4 a.m. there was panic as the men struggled to escape. Some were penned up in the narrow space, trampling each other in a mad stampede. Others threw their torches into the water causing complete darkness. Thirty-three were found drowned, faces and bodies completely mutilated.

As the bodies were hauled up, the piercing shrieks of relatives reverberated among the rocks in one long, painful sound. The Kingston tramcar system was run by the power station, so all commuting in the city by that line came to a halt. At the coroner's enquiry that followed, lawyer Mr W. Bagget Grey waxed eloquent as he appealed to the jury to find the supervisors guilty. Said he: "You are having a duty to perform to the inarticulate dead, the bereaved relatives, and to His Majesty the King who has been deprived of 33 of his loyal subjects." The jury returned a verdict of death by misadventure.

The station was eventually closed over time and the ruins can be seen on the right just after leaving Kent Village heading towards Kingston. But people are still fearful of the spirits said to haunt the area searching for loved ones, as well as a foothold to get out of the pipe that trapped them in 1904.

The road continues to Flat Bridge with its own raft of experiences that may give you food for thought the next time you travel. There is also the story of the Golden Table in the Rio Cobre, and the enthralling encounter between the Custodes of Kingston and St Catherine when they met on Flat Bridge many years ago. More to come.

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