The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1903-02-28
The PaumOtu Hurricane.
ALMOST COMPLETE DESTRUCTION OF LIFE AND
PROPERTY ON THE LOW-LYING GROUP OF THE
PAUMOTU ISLANDS BY A TERRIFIC HURRICANE
A REGION THAT LIVES IN TERROR.


The destructive cyclone and tidal wave that has visited
the South Seas for twenty-five years swept that part the
Pacific the morning Of January 9Th when between 800 and
1000 lives lost result of the flooding of the low islands
of the Paumou group, lying and northeast of Tahiti The
Marposa Captain Renne arriving San Francisco
from Tahiti brought OF the great disaster though details
lacking On the morning of January 27h few hours before
the Mpos sailed from the harbor of Papcete for this port the
French nersand steamer Excelsior from the Pamotu and
Marquesas islands, arrived Papeete with that the
morning OF JANUARY 18th terrific cyclone and tidal
and ruined six OF the islands They kehau Apatak Ar
Nakatta Nau and IIikuero.
-Four hundred and nnety-six natives and Europeans
ported having been drowned the island OF kueo where
the greatest loss of life occurred white named Samond
related to the family of the former King of Tahiti was among
the lost The other Europeans missing include Alexander Bran
der and family; trader named unkett and Patrick onney
formerly fireman on the steamer Australia but who for the last
few months has been trading among the islands The
Excelsior unable of the great storm to call at
Of the little ports usually visited but from other landings
learned from the natives particulars OF the upheava
of the
On the morning of January 18th the first extremely
calm but the sky with eecy clouds and Omnous
silence prevailed Almost without warning hurricane
the south and southeast and eveed the swayng
and other vegetation causing panic among the natives OF
Huero and the low neghborng islands who despite their
merry live in perpetual fear of the terrible that per-
haps three four times century sweep the islands OF the low
archipelago and great loss of life Following the
dous blow the hurricane the became circular in
the rising rapidly and before the day passed great
tidal struck the low islands and them where had
reached for quarter OF century before On Makaea island it
reported only of all the OF natives left
alive and she only saved because of her action climbing
stout when the hurricane first pOunCed the
island
Villages and island of Euero swept away
by the rush of the tidal without moments warning Ma
tves who attempted themselves by climbing the tops of
the caught the flood and drowned and
the recedng left nothing of their abaons their
OF hundreds of of cOpra awaiting shipment Tahiti The
island of Hkuero, in fact left desoae and the
the other islands mentioned though was
great them The total number of lives lost said will
approximate Officers of the Excelsior said
than that which visited Apia, Samoa dozen of
years ago when the warshp of the United States Great Britain
and Germany suffered severely for instead of being steady
hurricane the CIRCULAR in and wrecked
erything before with crushing force
The first news OF the great disaster carried to Tahiti
january 26th the day before the Maposa sailed by island
schooner, which reported that of the islands PaumOu
group had been swept by hurricane causing death
the native The Excelsior arriving the following
day when the MarpOsa about leave Rapeete brought
additional but had details beyond what given The
schooner carried number of cattle for islands but
lost them in the heavy that bcsct her neghborood
the I'aramOtu group
In the port OF Pcpeec Island c Tahiti was no storm at
the time of the tidal waves destructive work the Paumou
group but passengers arriving the Maposa say that slight
rising of the tide reported apeee about the time.
The islands overwhelmed about 800 miles northeast
of Tahiti close the track of the Marpoa in going
turning from Tahiti Captain Renne reports, however, that he
evidences of of unusual severity in those