The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-19
A TRAGEDY OF THE PACIFIC.
MORE ABOUT THE DESTRUCTIVE
TIDAL WAVES AT TUAMATU.
French Ofricial Account Of the CataS-
trOphe-One-eishth Of the Inhab-
itants DrOwned-WhOle villages swept
Away--lslands Entirely Submerged

A brief account was published a few
months ago Of the terrible tidal waves
which in january last swept over the Tua-
matu Island of the Pacific burying some
of them deep beneath the rushing waters,
utterly destroying native villages and
drowning many Of the people, The Tua-
matu Archipelago is in one OF the most
isolated parts Of the vast ocean, far to the
southeast of Honolulu, about midway be.
tween South America and Australia. We
seldom hear of it and it is not surprising
that up to this Tina only the most frag
mentary information Of the great calamity
has been brought to the Englsh-speaking
world by the ship or two that visited the
group and saw something Of the scene of
desolation
The islands belong to France and the
French Government has been investigating
the tragedy. The condensed account of it
that has Just been published in the Journal
Oticiel des Embellishments Frdncdis de
FOceanie gives new and interesting infor-
nation from the testimony Of eye-witnesses
of the catastrophe.
The French call the group the Tuamatu
islands from the native words meaning
-Farthest Islands, because they form the
extreme southeastern corner of the great
island world The inhabitants, however,
call the little rocks on which they live the
Paumotu Islands, which is a more descrip-
tive name, meaning Low Islands the
name being applied to them because they
are nothing but atols rising a few feet
above the level of the sea.
The archipelago contains about eighty
of these low coral islands besides numerous
islets The inhabitants belong to various
branches of the Polynesian race, some
resembling the FiJians and others the
Tahitians.
Like the jewellers on many of the coral
islands they are honest, industrious and
thrifty, for they make livelihood only by
hard work. 1t is only on the high, fertile
volcanic islands where food is easy to get
at all seasons Of the year that the inhabitants
of the Pacific have fairly earned the reputa-
tion Of being lazy and careless The in
habitants of the group have considerable
trade in copra, pearl shell and pearls
The rings of coral inclose lagoons. some
of which are completely separated from
the sea. while others communicate through
channels with the exterior waters. In
some Of these lagoons the pearl oyster is
found and is obtained by diving
In order to prevent the exhaustion Of
these fisheries the French Government does
not permit all OF them to he worked every
year. At the beginning Of the year the
local governor designates the lagoon in
which the divers may carry on their voca-
ton for that season.
The lagoon of the island Of Hikuern
was chosen this year as the place In which
the pearl shell industry might be prosecuted.
Several hundreds of natives therefore had
collected on Hikuern. A French physician
Ia the administrator Of the island and it
was due to his energy that the calamity
which overlook the natives there was not
still more deplorable in it's results
The A rst evidences Of tho coming catas-
trophe were observed on Hikuern on Jan.
u. The sea waves were unusually high
and it was remarked that they were wash
ing further up on the shore than for a mum.
ber of years past.
On Jan. IA the waves began to reach the
houses on the outskirts Of tho village on
this island and some of tho Iimsy buildings
were washed away The following day
mighty waves rushed In from the ocean
and entirely submerged the village The
population took refuge upon the highest
point of the island
The waves still increased in height and
on, Jan. 10 the calamity reached its climax.
The cocoanut trees, which form one Of the
fnrGost rosouraes ~ tho archino'a~o, began