The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-04-21
FROM TAHITI ISLAND
In the Beautiful City of Papeets ]. W.
Fairfield Writes a Letter.
ALL ABOUT HIS LONG TRIP
A Smooth and Enjoyable Passage
to the Bar Off south Sea Is
lands-An Entertaining Ac-
count and Description.
ALL ABOUT HIS LONG TRIP


a party about two months ago for a
. trip to the South Sea islands, writes
an interesting letter to his business
partner, o. Hight, about his trip and the
strange country he is visiting. The
letter was written at Papeete, Island
of Tahiti under date of March 10.
II have arrived safely. after a rather
short voyage of % days" writes Mr..
Fairfield, two of which days were
spent at Nonka river, one of the Mar
queses group. We left Frisco Feb. 1,
but put back after getting a few miles
out on account of a drunken cook. and
started again next morning. We had
no bad weather on the passage, but
after the first few days warm weather
commenced and increased to "a degrees,
no higher. We had awnings stretched
and with a breeze blowing all the time
we were perfectly comfortable. Had
a fair wind all the way. Nonka Hiva
is volcanic island, as are all the Mar
quesas group, and is 3840 feet high,
with bold, rocky shores. We went into
Taiohea Bay, which is the shape of a
horse shoe, and is the prettiest little
harbor 1 ever saw. Nothing of partic-
ular interest there except the tropical
vegetation and fruits. These are can
nibal islands, and il is said the natives
even now would not object to nice fat
| baby.
"A htilnCQys Wllc VI d liaoCi,
gave us a dinner on shore; must have
been seven courses, and was a credit
able dinner in any country. A good
| many of the dishes were native, such
as bread, fruit, mangoes, guanas, etc.
We had eight passengers-two French
officers, one of whom has his wife,
Mr.. Potter from the City of Mexico a
| young Englishman who is here to build
an oven for baking hard bread; Mr..
Agassiz, a grandson of the great Agas
siz, and ourselves very pleasant
company. After leaving Nanka Hiva
| we passed through the Paumatas
group, some of which we passed quite
close to and of which l had very
good view from the foreyard. They are
| called Atau islands, and are very low,
| being formed on coral reefs. The
shores were lined with cocoanut trees,
| which we could see quite plainly.
This island is Tahiti, and the city
| Is Papeete The island is volcanic and
| more than 1000 feet surrounded by
| coral reefs, forming a lagoon from
half to one mile wide. AS you approach
| it from the sea 1t is beautiful. The
| location of Papeete is perfectly level
along the sea shore, a half to a mile
| WIDE and the roads here and around
| the island are perfect. There is an
: avenue here named Fantana avenue,
! the finest 1 ever saw. On each side is
row of magnificent great trees, which
form a complete arch over the avenue,
making a perfect shade. The trees are
called Pride of India. This avenue
leads up to Fantana valley. where we
give a picnic tomorrow and a partial
return for many kindnesses received
by u.s. The queens sisters, princes and
princesses, will be our guests. They
have been very cordial to US, and very
kind They are mostly half-castes and
rlx.< md In
telligent, cultivated and intellectual.
All speak English, French and native.
They are very large, some of the men
nearly DIR. Johnston's size. Two of the
girls, Is and II years old, weigh over
200 pounds each. The native race is
certainly a fine race. The men are
straight, good physique, good features,
and, If white. would compare favor
ably with Europeans, and in figure and
physique excel them. The women, in
physique excel Europeans. and, /
think, in figure also, though that i
can't tell, as they all wear Mother Hub
bards. They are happy, peaceful and
gentle race, always ready with smile
and pleasant greeting. I am told they
have deteriorated in physique since
the whites came among them; II so,
they must have been a magnificent
race before that. Cannibalism was
never practiced here
Everywhere are cocoanut trees,
bread fruit, mangoes. guavas, oranges,
and many other fruits, such as pine
apples. lemons, lines, custard apple.
alligator pear. etc. Natives can live
on these, and with fish from the lagoon
they don't have to work. We have
taken a large, four-roomed house in
the center of the city, with wide ver-
anda all around ii, with considerable
ground and bath house in the yard, a
brick and cement tank through which
runs a stream. Every room opens on
the veranda, windows swing on hinges,
hammocks are swung on the veranda
and on the latter are also rocking and
steamer chairs. We hire the furniture.
In the grounds are two cocoanut trees
from which We can get nuts at any
time; that Is. when we can get anyone
to climb the trees for US. We are very
pleasantly located. Mr.. Potter is with
US. We have coffee brought to us at
O'clock breakfast at a French restaur-
ant at 1920 and dine at 8. 1t is delight
full to go out early mornings or even
ings in a native canoe-"dugout'- -and
| look down into the coral, which is of
many colors. see the fish swim in and
out, which also are of many colors.
This morning l was out with some ma
tive fishermen. In a large double canoe,
for bonitas, but did not get any. so i
shall try IL again. In business way
the island is very slow, having fallen
off greatly i'm the last few years. You
probably know it is a French colony.
and they are not successful colonists.
Under American or English care IL
would be developed to many times its
present production. Ii produces cotton,
sugar cane. coffee and vanilla wonder
fully well. and yet there is no more
coffee and sugar produced than sup
plies the islands. and very little cotton
or vanilla is shipped Its principal ex
port is pearl shell and copra (cocoanut
meat, and coacoanuts and pineapples.
The oranges are delicious, such as /
never had before.
I'VE will leave here April u or Is.
and passage takes so to IS days. and
expect to spend few days in San
Francisco"
In a postscript Mr.. Fairfield gives an