The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-01-05
flaming and Washington Islands
! Purchased BY Big Merchant
Prince In London
PLANS FOR BUNkERlNG
PLANT HELD UP BY WAR
Ship Officers Announce copra
Crop Hard Hit BY Severe
Drought In Islands

Returning from a seven thousand
mile voyage TO Washington and Fan.
ring islands and TO the Gilbert group, |
in which she recruited laborers for the
first two islands, the British steamer
Kestrel, Capt. +. Il. Ferris, arrived yes
terday morning, seventy days out Of
Honolulu. 4tp
The Kestrel reported that Tanning
and Washington islands had been taken
over altogether by r. c. Pelly of Lon,
don, from the Armstrong interests;
that Capt. w. j. Weisbarth, formerly |
of Honolulu, had died on Tebiteuea
island, Gilbert group, November 8 or
8, Of dangpe fever; and that severe
drought in the Low islands of the Line,
from Washington and Tanning west to
the Gilberts, had damaged next year .
copra crop and was Killing eocoanut
trees. Ia 49, ra."i. .a. ~. "a.
Mr.. Pelly, one OF the merchant
princess of England, became associ.
ated with the Armstrong; last March,
and his connection with the islands led
tn the formation Of plan TO put in a
ccal numbering plant at Tanning; 4
Lrojectnwhich is in allegiance pending
the end Of the war.
This is the third complete change in
ownership of the islands within eight
years Father Rougier, the French
priest of Suva, Fiji islands, bought the
two at sale in Suya eight years age,
whom the Greig family, which had
owned them since the middle of the
last century. lost possession!
Father Rougier paid f25 ,000, or
about $l25, 900, at the sale, and other
costs amounted to about $4,000. b..
= After holding the two for three years
ba, sold them to the Armstrong inter.
etts Of London for 100000. : n
Owns Christmas Island ~ &.
4 Father Rougier now owns Christmas
Island, southeast of Fanning, which is
one of the largest atois of the Pacific,
Tanning and Washington lie few de,
grees north of the equator. Tanning
approaches the perfect atoll 10 an uh
usual degree, completely enclosing Ia,
COON except for three passages. 1t, is
nine and ne.half miles northwest and
snutheast and four miles wide, Wash.
ihgton is three and one-half miles east
and west and one and one-quarter
miles wide. Instead of lagoon its
center is a fresh water lake and peat
bogs, which mark the situation of the
old lagoon. ,..r., - 49,. ID.
Love of his wife and his wife s love
Of her home, the Gilberts, originally
sent Captain Weisbarth on the twenty,
five hundred-mile journey. Teoti Weis.
Z barth, the wife, was an islander, whose
twenty-four years absence from, her
home had caused much heartsiekness,
Having made enough money to support
themselves in their decliping years.
Captein Weisbarth finally decided to
return there. He had constructed for
himself the little two masted schooner
'HTeoti," named after his wife, in
long voyage. 1t had happy ending,
but the captains years in his wife .
home proved to be few.
Buried His Gold
A short time before his death, Cap.
tain Weisbarth concealed his money.
burying Ii in the bush by night, and
this had not been found when the Kes.
trel departed from the Gilberts. Rumor
had il that the sum was fl500-which
appears altogether unreasonable to
Honolulans who knew Captain Weis.
barth. They say that he took no such
sum TO the Gilberts with him. Mrs.
Weisharth remained on Tebiteuea.
Virtually no rain has fallen in the
southern Gilberts for seventeen or
eighteen months, and even Butaritari,
of the Northern islands, which, lying in
the track Of the westerly winds, gets
more rain, had had little for eight
months or so. On the sea side of the
southern islands trees were dying. A
severe crop failure next year is Ger.
tain, and the trees will be harmed
much, even should there be copious
rains soon. The copra production of
the Gilberts this year has been the
heaviest Of their recorded history,
about seven thousand tons. Tanning
island needs rain more than Washing.
ton, but, although the copra yield will
be smaller than expected, neither is in
% bad state as the Gilberts. r'
Reports Rough Passage H. ... -.
The Kestrel had rough passages
throughout the voyage. Only one day
of'smooth seas--Deeembe "a, the day
she departed from Washington for Hon.
olulu--was reported.
She sailed from Honolulu October
"a arrived at Tanning island October
80, and, after calling at Washington,
sailed from that island for the Gil.
berts December IL. She arrived at the
island of Abemama November 30. Not
finding the deputy commissioner Of the
British government, George T. Muir.
doch, there, she sailed for Kuria the
same day, and proceeded TO Nonouti
without stopping at Kuia, Mr.. Muir
doch' vessel not being at Kuria. The
Kestrel arrived at Nonouti, November
81 and lay there six days. 4
III, Mr., Murdoch, Charles Workman, the
resident commissioner OF the Gilbert,
Elliee aud Union Colony, and f. G.
Brewis, resident commissioner, arrived
November 20, aud gav3 the required
recruiting license. After taking TWEEN.
tyrthree laborers at Nonouti, the Kes.
tFel sailed for Hebiteuea Novemhar Of