Page "Clipperton Island" Paragraph 18

By 1917, all but one of the males on Clipperton had died.

Many had perished from scurvy, while others ( including Captain Arnaud ) died during a failed attempt to sail after a passing ship to fetch help.

Lighthouse keeper Victoriano Álvarez ultimately found himself the last man remaining on the island, together with 15 women and children.

Álvarez proclaimed himself " king " and began an orgy of rape and murder, before being killed by Tirza Rendon, who had become the recipient of his unwanted attention.

Almost immediately after Álvarez's death, four women and seven children ( the last survivors ) were picked up by the US Navy gunship on July 18, 1917.

Following this, no further attempts were made to permanently colonize Clipperton Island, though it would be briefly occupied during the 1930s and ' 40s.