The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-02-09
More Than 1000 islanders
 Are Killed in South Seas
STORM DEVASTATES ISLANDS
Natives Climb cocoanut Trees But Heaving Waters Lick Them from Branches-News of Disaster
 Brought by Steamer.

San Francisco, February S.-More than 1 1000 persons were killed and eighty islands of the Society group in the South ern Sea were devastated on January 10 by a huge tidal wave that swept across the island-dotted sea. News of the dis aster was brought today on the steamer Mariposa direct from Tahiti.
 The storm ragged for several days, be- ing most severe from January 14 to Jan nary 16 On January 15 a tidal wave. l accompanied by 8 terrific hurricane, att tackled the Society islands and the l Puamotu group with fearful force, car ring death and devastation for miles be- fore its towering front.
 As the news received at Tahiti up to the steamers sailing was meagre it Is thought that full returns may swell the death list It Is possible that hundreds of bodies were washed out to sea so that they may not be accounted for The islanders who survived are desti- tute of food shelter and clothing. Crops have been destroyed and death threatens the survivors.
 First News of Disaster.
 The first news of the disaster arrived at Papiete, Tahiti, on January 26, by the schooner Eimeo. The captain of the schooner placed the fatalities at 300 per- sons. The steamer Excelsior arrived at Papiete the following day with 400 desti- ute survivors. The captain of the Ex- celsior estimated the total loss of life at 800 persons. These figures comprised only the deaths on the three islands Of Hao, Makokaw and Hikuera, whose total pop uation Is only 1S00 On Hikuera island where 1000 inhabitants were engaged In pearl diving, nearly one-half were drown ed. On an adjacent island 100 more were washed out to sea-
 Makokaw and Hao are depopulated. Conservative estimates at Tahiti place the number of islands visited by the tidal wave and hurricane at 80. All of them are under the control of the French gov- ernmept at Tahiti.
 The French governor upon receipt of | news of the disaster took prompt meas ures to relieve the starving survivors. The governor dispatched two warships, the Duranee and Zelee with fresh water and provisions The Italian man-of-war Gala bria, accompanied the two French ves- sels on their errand of mercy. As the supply of fresh water and provisions was exhausted by the storm it is feared that many lives will be lost before the relief ships arrive. As far as Is known eight white people were among the drowned. Included in these were Alexander Brand- CT. N P. Plunkett of Oakland, Cal; T. D. Donnelly, formerly a fireman on the steamer Australia and the local agent Of c. Coppenrath, merchant of Papiete. Added to this number was woman who committed suicide from fright.
 Climbed cocoanut Trees. As the islands were barely twenty feet above sea level, and not surrounded by coral reefs, it was necessary for all the Inhabitants to take to the cocoanut trees when the tidal wave began to cover | the land. These trees are 100 feet high. | Those who climbed the smooth trunks of the taller trees were above the crest of the wave, but all the shorter trees | were covered by the raging seas, which swept with pitiless force about and over them. Many natives in the taller trees were lost when the roots gave way or 1 the trunks snapped under the force of l the water. Many of these were swept far | out into the sea. The 400 survivors l brought by the Excelsior to Papiet gained I the ships side after the hurricane by swimming three and four miles from the l tops of the cocoanut trees. The Elmo, 1 though damaged by the storm, also brought off as many persons as could swim to It's side The Elmo, like the Ex- celsior, was unable to run close to the shores because of the violence of the ocean swells which continued to run abnormally high deluging the islands for a week after the tidal disturbances. Another schooner. .-le Gaulois, from Maquesas islands, 500 miles from Tahiti. encountered the hurricane while en route to the latter place, and 1 ~H nt.. l..
 having the cargo, consisting of thirty
 head of cattle thirty-five pigs and thirty tons of cotton jettisoned, saved the little ] craft from destruction. Even with this
 precaution one man was swept from the
 decks and lost.
 A Mothers Heroism.
 One of the many acts of heroism re- ported is that of a woman who climbed | one of the tall cocoanut trees and lash ed her baby to the branches, with strips | of her clothing. The mother clung to the I body of the tree beneath the little one | as best she could. There they remained for ten hours, suffering great torture l from wet, cold and hunger until finally | rescued by other natives who swan with
 them to the ship. Thousands of tons Of
 copra and more than 200 tons of mother
 of pearl shells are known to be lost. The l pearl Sneil5 are Ndiucu db $1oU O. iNh.
 Many valuable pearls may now be lost forever. The islands produce some of the | finest pearls in the world.
 Among the passengers on the Mariposa
 today was c. w. Waterbury, formerly of l Chicago. He was in that part of the storm which visited the Island of Raitea, one of the leeward islands, situated some dis
 tance to the west of the ill-fated Pua- motu. On Raitea much damage was done, although no lives were lost. A well built
 road. constructed by the French govern ment at considerable expense was demol- ished bridges were carried away, build
 ings overturned and shattered and pieces
 of big ships. old wreckage and cocoanut trees were heaped high along the coast line. Old inhabitants on Riatea said the storm was the worst they had ever seen.
 Returning to the Tahiti the little schooner upon which he sailed was almost
 swamped by the high seas and .. water spout came near to the boat at one place. |