The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1889-04-15
HURRICANE AT TAHITI.
THOUSANDS SWEPT AWAY AND
DROWNED.

The hurricane that created such
appears not to have been confined
to that locality. Upon the same day
the island of Tahiti was visited by a
storm that caused unprecedented
loss of life and property in the So
ciety Group. The following ac-
count appears in the San Francisco
Bulletin:
Auckland, April 3.-The hurri-
cane of March 18th swept Tahiti
Island with terribly disastrous eff
fects. The capital city was totally
submerged. The loss of life was
enormous. Thousands of natives
were swept away and drowned.
Hundreds of houses in Papeiti we're
carried away and public buildings
ruined. Devastation was spread
everywhere. Some people managed
to reach the high lands. and thus
escaped the flood, but the number
who persisted is beyond present cal
culation. Crops are destroyed and
the people who escaped the food
are confronted by the danger of
famine.
Letters that came to the French
Consulate here yesterday from Ia
hiti were dated Feb. 18th. They
came by the barkentine Tropie Bird,
which was delayed on the voyage by
adverse winds. This is the only di-
rect news that has come TO the Con-
sulate from Tahiti. 1t is considered
probable that in the event of the
news of the disaster at Papeete be-
ing cabled to Paris, that some in
structions relative to the relief Of
sufferers may be sent here, but as
yet nothing has been learned of the
disaster beyond the facts contained
in the press dispatches.
All mariners are we'll aware of the
prevalence of hurricanes in the
South Pacific, although it has gener-
ally been supposed that both Samoa
and Tahiti were situated somewhat
beyond the limits of the cyclone
tracks. The space between the Sa-
moan and Friendly Islands has been
considered expressly subject to hur-
ricanes. Piddington's Sailors
Horn Book (of which Captain Nc
Intosh of the local photographic
office has copy, tells of terrific
hurricane that visited Samoa Apr. 8,
1850. 1t wrought great destruction.
Over 1000 native houses, the Apia
chapel and other large buildings
were leveled to the ground, and
three vessels in Apia Harbor, the
whaling barls Favorite of London,
Hercules of New Bedford, and the
Catholic mission schooner Clara,
were washed ashore. Since that
time nautical records show there
have been many hurricanes in the
region, all more or less disastrous.
Another despatch dated Auckland
April 2, has the following:
The recent hurricane in the South
Pacific Ocean swept over 1900 geo.
graphical miles, embracing in its
track the Heryey and Society groups
of islands. The American ship Red
Cross from New South Wales for
San Francisco was driven ashore al
Raratonga and wrecked The crew
was saved. The American ship Ada
Owen was wrecked at Quara. The
crew was saved. Wreckage from
the British ship Suakim from New
South Wales for San Francisco were
seen at Aitutaki. 1t is supposed
that the crew perished
The American ship Ada Over
mentioned as being wrecked a
Quara, is probably the Auckland
brig Ada G.. Owen, that went ashor
at Mara, of which we received new
by the last N. Z. steamer.
Private adyices from Tahiti date
IS February state, "This is the dry
est, hottest season Tahiti has eve
seen, everything dried up, Cocoa
nut trees are getting blighted an
dying fast"