Hatchet Bay Caves Traditional Cache

It is advisted that you go with someone experienced, so you can make it back to enjoy the beaches!

A little history on the nearby silos: Close to Hatchet Bay cave is a series of silos, an uncommon site on a Bahamian island. These silos were built as part of the Hatchet Bay Company operations. American textile millionaire Austin T. Levy arrived from Rhode Island in 1937, and formed the "Hatchet Bay Plantations", a combined dairy and later poultry farm (Eneas, 1998). He cleared 2400 acres and imported topsoil from Savannah, Georgia to improve 500 acres. The land was ripped and pulverized (‘scarified’) to provide tillable land and planted with select grasses. Levy brought in 1000 cows, mostly Holsteins from his own stock farm in Massachusetts, but also Guernsey dairy cows from South Carolina, to produce milk and dairy products. Milk stands were set up in Nassau and four boats transferred the products to the capital on regular basis. Due to the high costs of imports and a shortage of water the farm never made a profit. Chocolate drink and ice cream were also produced and continued into the 1980s, although imported milk powder was used once the cattle had gone. Large silos lining the road were for the storage of green silage from the adjacent pastures, but these never worked well enough and grain and fodder had to be imported continually to support the farm. The venture created a small town with a school, stores, and cottages for the workers. Dock and shipping facilities were developed and are still used today. About 200 people were employed in Eleuthera and Nassau at its peak. Once the dairy farm was established a large poultry farm was added by the Levy Estate capable of holding 100,000 chickens for broiling and eggs (Eneas, 1998). Some 12 large airy sheds were built just east of Hatchet Bay. Seventy tons of feed imported every week made the project unsustainable, especially once poultry farmers on New Providence began producing. Levy died in 1951 and his family had little interest in maintaining the farms. By 1975 continuing losses threatened total closure of the operation so the Bahamian government bought out the Levy Estate. It then became an increasing burden on the Bahamian treasury and was largely sustained on the political grounds of employment and food selfsufficiency. It was closed down completely in 1984. Remnants of the farm can still be seen today, but the area never had enough fresh water (this is one of the narrowest parts of Eleuthera) to sustain the farming operation and over-pumping destroyed the shallow water wells, causing salt intrusion of the water supply. By the 1970s salt in the water was causing increasing mortality among the chickens.