The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-03-20
PITCAIRN ISLAND.
The Colony Now Numbers One
Hundred and Thirty Members.


- Pitcairn is an island in the South
Pacific ocean In latitude % deg. 4
min. south, longitude 130 deg. 8 min.
west. Historians disagree as to the
discoverer Of the island. One says
it was discovered by Carteret IN the
latter part of the last century (1767)
and was named for Midshipman
Pitcairn, who sighted it from the
masthead; another says it was dis
covered by mutineers from the
British ship Bounty in 1870. The
island is under the supervision of
New South Wales, and its area Is
three square miles. 1t is 1000 miles
from San Francisco in an air line
and 1900 miles south of the Hawaiian
Islands. In December, 1857, Lieu
tenant William Bligh of the British
navy, who had made a voyage
around the world under Captain
Cook, was placed in command of the
Bounty to proceed to Tahiti, there to
collect breadfruit tree plants and
thence sail with them to the West
India colonies, where it was desired
to introduce them. The vessel
reached her destination without mis-
hap aud remained there for a consid
cradle length of time. By their long
stay on the charming island the
members of the crew had become dis
satisfied with life OH board the ship,
and they also complained of tyraDni-
cal treatment on the vessel. They
however, set sail for Jamaica and
when twenty-four days out, there
was a mutiny. The commander and
eighteen of the crew were forced
into an open launch and cast adrift.
Those who remained on the vessel
set sail in the direction of Tahiti.
They touched at Toobouai and then
sailed for rahiti, where they remain
ed for some time. Fletcher Chris
tan, the leader of the mutineers,
however, fearing pursuit, urged the
men to leave. Some preferred to
remain, so Christian with eight other
British sailors, went on board the
Bounty, sailed eastward, reached |
Pitcsirn island, took possession and |
burned their vessel. This colony !
did not prove a happy one, and In !
the course OF ten years all the |
Tahitiau men, and several of the !
women aud all of the sailors except |
Alexander Smith, otherwise Jack |
Adams, died by violence or from dis
ease. Nothing more was heard OF |
the mutiDeers until 1908, when they !
were discovered by Captain Mayhem |
Folger of the American ship Topaz, !
who reported what he had seen to |
the British Government. In the |
meantime Lieutenant Bligh with his |
companioDs, after sailing without |
sextaDt or compass q distance OF |
over 3000 mila6 reached land in |
safety. in 1914 Briti-h vessel, the
Britain, stopped at the island and
found Adams still alive and at the
head of a little colony that had
sprung from the original locators.
He had changed and become a
teacher of those around him, improv
ing their morals and giving them
religious instruction, his library CON
sisting Of Bible and q prayer book
Of the Church of England In 1923
John Buffet of the whale ship Cynes
remained on the island and assisted
John Adams. Since then the island
and one adjoining have been occu-
pied by a colony which now numbers
about 40 souls. The men engage
In fishing and herdiDg cattle aud the
women attend to their families and
the diaries. Ships occasionally stop
at the islands and give the iLhshi-
tants news of the other part of the
world and deliver supplies that can
not be raised on the islaUds. Mis-
sionaries have located on the islands
and a little vessel owned by them !
sometimes comes tn San Francisco
for proVisions.-S. +. Call.