The Springfield herald., 1906-03-09
PACIFIC CYCLONE.
DESTRUCTION AND DEATH IN So
CiETY ISLANDS.
TUAM0TU GROUP RAvAGED
French, English and American Colo
nies Suffer-Waves Run Sixty
Five Feet High.


Papeete, Tahita, Feb. lS, via San
Francisco.-The most destructive cy-
clone ever experienced in the Society
and TuamOtu islands occurred Febru-
ary 7th and Sth. The damage at Ia
hiti is estimated at 81 900, 900. and pre-
sumably similar amount of property
was destroyed on the Tuamotu is
lands. The city of Papeete was inun-
dated and about seventy-tive buildings
destroyed, including the American con-
sulate and the French government
building. 1t is 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
five feet high. 1t was impossible to
see twenty feet away at 3 O'Clock in
the daytime, and the sailors had to be
lashed to the vessel. NJ. Marcadi, a
French resident at Faharana. Tuamotu
islands, abandoned that place in a
small cutter after all the government
buildings and dwelling houses and
Catholic church were swept away.
Many of the natives climbed cocoanut
trees, others put out to sea in small
boats.
The cyclone or hurricane reached
the velocity of 120 miles an hour. 1t
struck the island about midnight Feb
ruary 18th and continued until about
O'Clock the next afternoon. The island
of Anaa, TuamOtu group, is believed to
have been the center of The storm.
At Papee,e about o'clock p. IN.
February 7th the sea began to break
heavily over the reef: the waves in
the harbor washed over the quay.
There was no perceptible wind. To-
ward 10 o'clock people dwelling in the
vicinity of the water front were com
PEELED to abandon their homes, secur-
ing as Il rule only small portion OF
their belongings.
An hour later high seas broke, com
pletely demolishing the government
slip and buildings, besides causing
great damage to the coal sheds. The
guardian of the arsenal, Teffer Adams,
an expert swimmer, was in the water
for many hours, and assisted in warn
ing and rescui..s many persons.
The village of Tcrona, near the ar
senal, was completely swept away. 1t
consisted of the mission buildings and
homes cf native converts of the reor-
ganized Latter Day Saints mission.
The mission house and great many
houses were carried off TO distance
of many hundreds of yards and deMol
ished
OF the church edifice not vestise
remains. settlement about an eighth
Of mile distant, comprised of dwell
lngs of several hundred Cook island
ers British subjects), was also COM
pletely destroyed.
An American named Seefeldt. living
near that community, had to take to
an adjacent swamp, which became in
undated, and he was compelled to bat
tie against the waves during many
hours. Further east on the beach
road all the house were swept away
for about half mile.
About O'Clock in the morning the
American consulate, the oldest struc-
ture in Papeete, having been built
about 1886, collapsed. Government
buildings, including the treasury and
storehouse, sustained great damage.
All the dwelling houses near the
Protestant church were wrecked. The
British consulate was slightly dam
aged.
There is much distress among the
homeless people. The local govern
ment extended the military barracks
as a temporary refuge, and provided
food when needed, but the funds oil
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 is
landers), who have lost their homes.
The American colony also has sus
tained heavy losses and are hopeful
that either the United States govern
ment will forward an amount equal to
the emergency or that American citi-
zens in California and elsewhere Will
furnish funds.
Other islands in the Society group,
Moorea. Huaheni Raitia and Tohaa,
are known to have sustained damages
to the extent of about 100000.
The Evening Post states that lo,ooo
persons perished during the storm on
Tahiti and adjacent islands, several OF
which, its account says. have dlsap-
peared. 1t places the damage at S5,-
900 900. These reports have not been
confirmed by the officers OF the
steamer which brought the news OF
the disaster from Papeete.