Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-14
HURRICANE IN THE FIJIS
The Islands Look as if They Had Been
Bombarded.
Plantations WIN V6ke Five Years to
RccOver-Famfne and Dis
ease Likely.

VICTORIA. B. &c. n 14-Particulars
have arrived by the Australian mail of a
terrible hurricane which, swept over the
Fiji Islands a few weeks ago. and the first
effects of which were still topic of inter-
esting discussion when the Mirrowa
touched at Suva. 1t was in this storm
that several large vessels came to grief,
with lamentable loss of life and buildings
in Suva. The capital Of Fiji suffered Sc
verely. The town was almost in ruins,
having been the center of the hurricane.
Most of the damage apears to have been
done about o'clock in the morning of Feb
ruary Z. when the force of wind was ter
rifle. The hurricane was accompanied by
a fearful. driving rain, penetrating every
thing. The storm continued until ) o'clock
Monday afternoon, and then gradually
Gained down.
Great Damage Caused.
During the lull some ventured out to see
the extent of the damage done. The town
was stripped of foliage, and on every hand
were houses with verandas blown down,
roofs half off, bare walls standing or dam
age of some other form apparent.
The most serious reports Of damage come
from plantations in the group, which
have suffered terribly. The cocoanut plan
tations will take fully five years to recover,
and banana plantations have been totally
ruined. The past year had been such a
thoroughly successful one that business
people were looking forward to a few years
of prosperity, cocoanut plantations having
only recently recovered from past blows.
This is reported to be the most serious
hurricane the group has had for years.
The Islands of Taveuni, on which most
of the European planters are settled, have
been swept from top to bottom.
The Union Steamship Company's Osau
had a miraculous escape. She was ship
ping sugar at Vuln. point where there is
absolutely no shelter. When the hurri-
cane had blown over she had drifted many
miles and got among the most dangerous
patch of reefs in the group, known as the
Ringold reefs. where the smallest inter
insular steamer would not go in the broad
est daylight.
Famine and Disease.
The food supply of the people is now al
most entirely destroyed, and the effects
which must surely follow such a storm are
famine. disease and too often death. The
government of the Fiji Islands Is fully
aware of this danger, and has voted mon
ey to meet the more immediate necessities
of the case, but this will certainly not
prove sufficient. By far the largest num-
Der o: natives belong to the Methodist
Church of this colony. and missionary So
cieties are taking steps to give relief. A
correspondent says:
THE cyclone Travelled from east to west.
developed around an axis against the sun.
We had the last blast about 6 Pm Sun
day. though then it blew a gale of almost
hurricane force. All night it seemed to be
calm compared with the fearful reality of
the cyclone
ION Monday morning what sight the
island presented! All houses in the native
town were leveled. Nearly all the 100 cot
tages were down or torn away. The whole
place had just the appearance Of having
been bombarded for weeks past by all the
fleets en- earth or sea, the ground being
strewn with nuts. looking like cannon
balls. only no cannonading could have
caused the devastation, which was every
where level"