Rocky Ford enterprise., 1906-03-09
CYCLONE.
DESTRUCTION AND DEATH IN so.
cIETY ISLANDS.
TuAMoru GROUP RAvAeEp
French. English and American Colo.
niles suffer-Waves Run Sixty.
Five Feet Hiah.

Five Feet High.
Papeete. Tahita. Feb. IS. via San
Francisco.-The most destructive cy-
clone ever experienced In the Society
and Tuamotu islands occurred Febru.
ary 7th and Sth. The damage ut Ta-
hiti is estimated ut $l.O00.000. and pre-
sumably similar amount OF property
was destroyed on the Tuamotu H.
lands. The city of Papeete was inun-
dated and about seventy-five buildings
destroyed. including the American con-
sulate and the French government
building. II Ii feared that there has
been heavy loss OF life In the lagoons
OF Tuamotu islands.
The schooner Papeete was sub.
merged for an hour near Anaa, Tu.
amotu. Her captain. Philip Michaelli.
estimated that the waves were sixty
fiye feet high. II was impossible to
see twenty feet away ut ) o'clock In
the daytime. and the sailors had to be
lashed 10 the vessel. NJ. Marcadi. a
French resident ut Faharana. Tuamotu
Islands. abandoned that place In n
small cutter after nll the government
buildings and dwelling houses and
Catholic church were swept away.
Many OF the natives climbed cocoanut
trees. others put out 10 sca In small
boats.
The cyclone or hurricane reached
the velocity Of 100 miles nm hour. II
struck the island about midnight Feb.
ruhry 18th and continued until about
O'Clock the next afternoon. The island
Of Anaa. Tnamotu group. IL believed to
have been the center OF the storm.
At Papcc:c about O'Clock y. m.
February 7th. the sea began 10 break
heavily over the reef: the waves In
the harbor washed over the quay.
There was no pcrccptibic wind. To-
ward 10 o'clock people dwcilin. In the
vicinity OF the water front were COM
PEELED to abandon their homes. secur.
Ing as rule only small portion of
their belongings.
An hour later high seas broke. COM
pictciy dcmoiishing the government
slip and buildings. besides causing
great damage tn the coal sheds. The
guardian Of the arsenal. Tcncr Adams.
an expert swimmer. was In the water
for many hours. and assisted In warn
ing and rcscuins many persons.
The village Of Tnrona. near the ar
Acnai. was completely swept away. II
consisted of the mission buildings and
homes Of native converts of the rcor-
ganiscd Latter Day Saints mission.
The mission house and great many
houses We're carried OF To u distance
Of many hundreds of yards and dcmo'
ishcd.
or the church cdifiec not n ycs;irc
remains. a settlement about an eighth
of a mile distant. comprised Of dwell
linss Of several hundred Cook island.
tals a.
pictciy destroyed.
An American named Sccfcidt. livin.
near that community. had TO take to
an adjacent swamp. which became In
undated. and he was compelled to bat
n. against the waves durin. many
hours. Further east on the beach
road all the house were swept away
for about half a mile.
About $ o'clock In the morning the
American consulate. the Oldest strue'
,urc In Papcctc. having been built
about 1886. collapsed. Government
buildings. including the treasury and
s,orchousc. sustained great damage.
All the dwelling houses near the
Protestant church were wrecked. The
British consulate was slightly dam
aged.
There is much distrcss among the
homeless people. The local govern
mcnt extended the military barracks
as temporary refuge. and provided
food when needed. but the funds OF
the treasury are practically exhausted.
Governor Julien will appeal TO France
for aid. The British consul will also
address his government In behalf OF
some 500 British subjects Cook Ia
landcrs). who have lost their homes.
The American colony also has sus
tanned heavy losses and are hopeful
that either the United States govern,
ment will forward an amount equ' to
the emergency or that American cih
zcns In California and elsewhere VIII
ft.,aish funds.
other islands in the Society groul.
Moorca. Huah.ni. Raitia nno Tohaa.
are known to have sustained damages
to The ,sten, Of abou; 100000.
The Evening Post states that 1000"
persons pcrished during the storm on
Tahiti and adjacent islands. several oil
which. its account says. have disap'
pcarcd. |, places the damage Mt &5.'
600, 900. These reports have not been
confirmed by the officers of the
steamer which brought the news o'