The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1903-02-13

fearful loss oil hfe IN a destructive
stOrln rnat swept over the South Sea
lsIands last month reached here ON
the Steamer Mariposa, direct from
Tahiti. The loss OF life is estimated
at 1000 souls. On January Is huge
tidal wave, accompanied by a terrinc
hurricane, attacked the Society isl
ands and the IuamOtu group with
fearful force, causing death and devas-
tatiOn never before equaled in a land
of dreaded storms, verihcation OF
mans inability to contend with wind
and sea.
The storm ragged several days, reach
ing its maximum strength between
January IA and January IL. From the
meager advices received at Tahiti, up
to the time of the sailing of the Mari
posa, it is estimated that at least one
thousand of the islands inhabitants
lost their lives. 1t is feared that later
advices will add to the long list.
The first news of the disaster ar
rived at Papeite. Tahiti, January g.
on the schooner Eimeo. The captain
of the schooner placed the fatalities at
JbO- L NO 0bN0hlSt AIANClSAOl dlllftQ
at Papeite the following day with 400
destitute survivors. The captain of the
Excelsior estimated the total loss OF
life to be 500. Their figures comprised
only the deaths on the three islands
of Hao Hikueru and Makokau, whose
ordinary population is 1900. On Hi
l1ueru island, where 1000 inhabitants
were engaged in pearl diving, nearly
one half were drowned. On an adjacent
island 100 more were washed out to
sea. Mokemo and Hau are depopulated.
Conservative estimates at Tahiti place
the number of islands visited by the
tidal wave and hurricane at so. All
of them are under the control of the
French governor at Tahiti.
The surviving inhabitants are left
destitute of food shelter and clothing,
all having been swept away by the
storm.
The French government, upon re-
ceipt of news of the disaster, took
prompt measures to relieve the dis
tressed district and dispatched two
warships, Duranee and Zelee, with
fresh water and provisions. The
Italian man of war Calabria accompan-
led the two French vessels on their
errand of mercy. AS the supply of
fresh water and provisions was to-
tally exhausted by the storm it is
feared that many lives will be lost be-
fore the relief ships arrive
So far as is known eight white peo-
pie were among the drowned. Includ-
II. i.
N. p Plunkett of Oakland; T. Donnel
ly formerly a fireman on the steam
ship Australia, and the local agent of
c. Coppensath. a merchant of Papeite.
Added to this number is an unknown
woman who committed suicide from
fright.
Climbed the Cocoanut Trees.
AS the islands were barely 20 feet
above sea level and not surrounded by
coral reefs, it was necessary for all
the inhabitants to take to the cocoa
nut trees when the tidal waves began
TO cover the land. These trees grow
to an immense height, many reaching
an altitude OF 100 feet. All of the lower
trees were covered by the raging seas,
which swept with pitiless force about
and over them. The natives in the
tallest trees were safe unless the CO.
coanut roots gave way, and then they
too, were swept onward, far out into
the sea.
Swan for Miles.
The 400 survivors brought by the Elk
celsiOr to Papeite gained the ships
side by swimming three and four
miles, from the tops of the cocoanut
trees. The Eimeo, though badly dis
abled by the storm, also brought off as
many persons as could swim to her
sides, she. like the Excelsior, being
unable to run close to the shores, be-
cause of the fearful violence of the
ocean swells, which continued to run
abnOrmally high for a week after the
tidal disturbances.
Another schooner, the Gauloise, from
the Marquesas islands, 600 miles from
Tahiti, encountered the hurricane
while en- route to the latter place and
only the timely action of the captain
in having the cargo, consisting of 80
head of cattle, 35 pigs and 80 tons of
cotton, jettisoned, saved the little craft
from destruction. Even with this pre-
caution the life of one man was lost
by waves sweeping the decks.
An Act of Heroism.
One of the many acts of heroism re-
ported is that of a woman who climbed
one of the tall cOcOanut trees and