The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1903-03-20
HURRICANE SWEEPS
SOUTH SEA ISLANDS
Six Hundred People Reported
Killed in the Lower
Archipelago.
CONDITIONS ARE PlTiABLE
Ono of the Worst Storms. Of a Century
- Efforts Being Made to
Help Starving Ma
tives.

Paheete, March 4, via San Francisco
18.-The lates intelligence relative t
the hurricane in Tuamotu, or lowe
archipelago, indicates that the fatal
tiles will number GOO. The loss of prop
erty will be $500, 600. Relief measure
have been Instituted.
The hurricane and high water laste'
during January IA, Is and l6. A
Hfkuera SIT deaths occurred, IN mos
instances among visitors from othe
Islands who were there during the div
Ing season.
One hundred and forty-two death.
are reported from six other small isl
ands. In this report there Is no record
Of the unknown dead. and it is believed
that the total number Of fatalities ir
the entire archipelago was not less thar
600. On an isle south of Iikuera 26.
natives persisted, being swept into the
lagoon again into the great sea,
lacerated terribly by the contact with
rock coral and debris of all sorts. On
some unfortunate ones cocoanut trees
fell, manning or killing them outright,
or holding them beneath the water,
where they drowned.
On the awful night of June Is, when
In the darkness and a driving down
pour of rain that stung their faces and
naked bodies, the parents tied their
StktAS = "a W iiS ~ llla Jug IN
safety. Over their heads rolled the
mighty waves, and when the urg re-
treated the infants and half drowned
boys and girls succumbed. The father
and mother woul vainly endeavor to
retain the corpses of their dead, and at
length had to abandon them. They
tied themselves to trees and
some at last fell with them. others
escaped, clinging to trees temporarily,
n at other times were able TO catch
hold of something else, and so between
the breakers reached safety after
many hours of hardships.
The gale found the natives weak
ened from a virulent form of measles
that had become epidemic, otherwise
more might have been spared in the
struggle with the water. Those who
survived were the ones who We're able
to leave the main village and cross
ReVe1al dangerous low stretches over
which the waves washed into the la
COON, wading neck deep, aiding one an
other and holding to debris and grad
ually withdrawing from the danger to
a slightly more elevated section on the
north shore.
One-Fifth OF Population Died.
Out on the surface Of the deep the
sharks were seen to devou many
bodies, while In the lagoon bodies were
foating upon the deep debris. The sto-
ries of fatality in Moraku, where 95 out
of 100 inhabitants persisted, is likewise
extremely sad, and SO also with regard
to the other islands where deaths oc-
Cured. 1t is likely that one-hfth of the
entire population of the Tutnotu group |
succumbed.
TO aid the injured a temporary hos !
pital was constructed, and DR.. Brunati.l
acting administrator Of the group, ren-li
dered medical aid. From the debris,
We're secured tins containing foodstuff,
but naturally there was q scarcity of
as Was hot spoiled. Il
A small supply had been taken to theII
highest ground from a store OF a,
q who paid the transporters at the
rate of s. an hour. The coacoanuts
were soon exhausted. To eat fish out
OF the sea or lagoon would doubtless
peen suicidal considering the dan
ger from poison, as there were hun
dreds Of corpses floating about in the
upon which the fish were prev
From drinking brackish water the
natives became afflicted with dysen-
terry. OF the sixty-siX sailboats ali but
one or two had been totally destroyed
and these could not be sent to Tahiti
d distance of nearly 400 miles.
The stencil at Hikeura and the de-.
of all buildings and the lack
OF FOOD rendered it a dangerous place
for further residence. About nine DAYS
AFTER the disaster as many of the peo-
pie as could be taken We're sent away
on the steamship Excelsior to other ISL
ands of the group or to Tahiti, Others
followed on the Durance and Zelee. TO
reiieVe the natives which have sus-
tanned losses agregat1ng $500, 600 gold,
the government has ordered a sinh
scription to be taken in this COLONY in
which France is expected to Join.
Relief for Sufferers.
Supplies amounting to twenty tons
sent from San Francisco and carried
rec by the steamship Mariposa have
oeen transferred to the French p1,nhoat
leees to be transported to the dastiS |
ute natives. The merchants here have
ost heavily through the insolvency of !
numerous creditors who persisted in !
me gale. The merchants say their loss :
s more than half a million dollars. The !
impression prevails here that It worad
ave oeeh better to send money to the
natives instead Of supplies. United
states Consul Dety states that whila Z,
he reefs sure that the government ap-
)rectates the kindness Of those VIZ
supplies. he thinks that mn
ess money Is sent for diving machine
the natives the subscriptions had 5
better cease in the United States ~ |
Heavy winds and high water have hea, h
reported from all the South SEQ Q
stands. NC" a
This disaster has not been eaualed I, tho
acme ocean Islands since that of Samoa f
ourteen years ago. +
March IL and II, 1889. q hurricane swent /,
he samoan Islands. Six warshtps and Is
en- other vessels were ground to pieces
n the coral reefs or thrown on the be,oh n
n front of the little city Of Apia. and lao
ihcers and men of the German and Amer
naVies lost their lives. The Irni,a
.tates vessels destroyed were the frirata
%'renton, flagship Of the Pacific souadrns. ;
cruiser Vandalia and the gunbcat
~
Tie storm ragged furiously for nearly NV. !,
a!s. and when the wind finally absra. -
he scene Of destruction was AWFUL, On T
ne shore houses were unroofed and blown :,
own, as were trees and fencssx !.
Out OF seventeen vessels wtrtchF,var. &, j.
ne harbor only two small steamers re- =
1ained afioat. and these were bad1y dam !
geo. The money loss was in the neigh !.
orllood of 5000, 0GO. j
HENDERSON, ARRIVES Hume -