The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-03-17
TYPH00N AND TIDAL WAVE
SWEPT PEARL ISLAND GROUP
Shows That Between 400 and 500
ISLANDERS Persisted During the Storm.
Disaster Calls to Mind the Hurricane Which Devastated the ar-
Dor at Apa Samoa in 1889

/ Correspondence Of the Associated Press)
nAPEETE. March 4.-(Via San Fran
cisco, March 16)-The latest in
telligence relative to the hurricane
in Tuamotus. or Low archipelago, in
dicates that the fatalities viii num-
Der 600. The loss of property VIII be
100000. Relief measures have been in-
stituted The hurricane and high water
lasted during Jan IA. 10 and l6. At Hi
kuera 81 deaths occurred, in most in
stances among the visitors from other
islands sojourning there during the div
ing season. one hundred and forty-twO
deaths are reported from six other
small islands. In this report there is no
record of the unknown dead, and il is
believed that the total number of fatali-
ties i'm the entire archipelago was not
less than 600. On an isiet south of Hi
kuera 262 natives persisted. being swept
into the lagoon and again into the
great sea. lacerated terribly by contact
with rocks, coral and debris of all
sorts. Upon some unfortunate ones
cocoanut trees fell. either manning or
killing them outright, or holding down
beneath the water until they were
drowned.
A Night Of Horror.
on the awful night of Jan. 10, when
in the darkness and. a driving down
pour of rain that stung their faces and
naked bodies the parents tied their lit
Tie children TO their backs and sought
mighty wave. and when the surges re-
treated the infants and the half-groWn
boys and girls succumbed. The father
or mother would vainly endeavor TO re-
tain the cOrpses of their dead but usu-
ally al length had 10 abandon them.
Tying themselves to trees, some At
last fell with them; others escaped.
clinging to trees temporarily, and AT
other times able TO catch hold OF some
thing else. and so. between the break
ers, reached safety after many hours
Of hardship.
Weakened by Disease.
About twenty natives, including a
Young girl. swan across the. lagoon,
and after five or six hours battling
with the waves succeeded i'm landing
safely on the leeWard side of the island.
Those who persisted in their attempts
however. were far more numerous imam
those who succeeded. The sea and the
lagoon were as unsafe by reason OF the
debris floating on the surface as was
the ocean outside. The depth OF water
in most parts of the island was from
nfteen 10 twenty feet. bur the meeting
of the waves from the outside and those
forced across the lagoon frequently
PIP
The gale found the natives weakened
from a virulent form of measles that
had become epidemic, otherwise more
might have been spared in the strug-
gle with the water. Those who sur
vived were the ones who were able 10
leave the main village and cross sew
eraI dangerous low stretches where the
waves washed into the lagoon, Wading
neck deep. aiding one another ana
holding to debris and gradually with
drawing from the danger 20 a slightly
more elevated section on the north
shore.
Account Given By Mormons.
.,ressrs sheffield and Alien. elders of
the Mormon church, and. Mr.. ana M ..
Gilbert of the Latter-day saints ms
sion i'm a report TO United states on
sui DOlan, give greWsone oelaI7 On -, -
when a cocnauut tree fell, but secured
another i'm a high stump of a boorah Tree;
The water which had an Dul sumner scu
them completely, now only reached tlleI
feet The wind threatened 70 ear mem ZEN
from their position again ana AGAIN allu
So these Americans passed tndl dWlul
night. In the morning the scene or nor
ror that met their eyes on every slue Nas
harder 20 endure than the teffors OF the
night COrpses frightfully muuldted were
4l there
ings with unsightly and most pallIul
wounds In some Instances only one oul
of "a family had survived Upon lle Dal
rem reef many bodies had lodged ana as
me- brown skin had been scraped on by
the coral. the CHASTITY appearance OF lAese
cOrnses was hard 10 bear. Out on the
surface of the deep the sharks were seen
10 devour many bodies. while nj the Ia
gO0n bodies We're floating upon the ue-
bris-a most unsightly mass.
Nearly All Persisted.
The story of the fatalities in Morakau.
where ninety-nEe oll on ~ M
habitants persisted Is likewise extremely
sad and so also with regard 10 the other
islands where deaths occurred. 1t Is ike
ly that One-fifth of the entire population
of the TuamOtus group succumbed. To aid
the injured "a temporary hospital was
constructed and DR.. Brunau acting adj
ministratOr of the group, rendered med
zeal assistance. From the debris were
secured tins containing food stun, Dut
. there was naturally a scarcity Of such as
was not spoiled A small supply had been
taken 90 the highest ground from store
of a trader, who paid the lransporters az
the rate OF s. per hour The cOcOanuts
were soon exhausted. To eat fish on Of
the sea or lagoon would doubtless have
been suicidal. considering the danger from
poison. as there were hundreds or corpSes
floating about i'm the water and upon
which the fish were preyins. From drink
ing brackish water by natives became
afflicted with dysentcry. OF the siXty-siN
saiIboats an but one or two had been to-
tally destroyed and these could not be
sent 10 Tahiti a distance of nearly 200
miles.