Charlevoix county herald., 1918-10-18
WOMEN IN GREAT
NEED OF CLOTHES
SKIPPER OF VESSEL IN NEW
YORK WILL TAKE TO THEM
ANYTHING THAT Is GIVEN
THREAD and NEEDLES WANTED
Capt orlffiths Makes Report Of
Recent Visit There on Voyage
~ From Australia.

New York Women of Pitcairn
Island, through Capt. Grifiths of the
ship Port Hardy, have made an appeal
to their American sisters for clothing,
thread, needles, for while the inhabi-
tants Of this picturesque spot are
amply supplied with food and other
necessaries, the women have been re-
duced to the necessity of fashioning
their garments from the CASTOR 9TH
Ing Of the men.
The port Hardy plies between New
York and Australia, returning by way
Of London. Cant. Griff1ths had visited
Pitcairn Island in 1891 and, ha ing a
desire to revisit it, touched there on
his last voyage out. The island,
mere speck in the vast eX 0anse of the
Pacific Ocean, lies about halfway be-
tween the western extremity Of the
Panama Canal and New Zealand.
The island is a rocky promontory
rising from 1000 to 1000 feet above the
sea level. 1t Is about two and half
miles long and one mile wido. 1t is well
wooded and covered with luxuriant
tropicalvegetation The sides are sheer
rock cliffs and there Is no harbor or
anchorage for ships, though blight in
the coast line is known as Bounty Bay.
The Port Hardy though nominally
touching, did not anchor but merely
"lay to" off shore. That was a suf-
fcient invitation to a number of the
islanders, men, women and children,
to come aboard. The inhabitants, 100
in round numbers, were amply sup
piled with food, but madly in need of
clothing, especially the women.
The people of the island also need
other articles, such as writing paper,
pencils, states for school children, par
rafine, oil, soap and nails, all of which
the captain has promised to take back
to them If they are given to him.
Concerning the people of Pitcairn,
Capt. Grifiths said that the women
were dusky-hued, like their Tahitian
maternal ancestors, but the men have
more of the European coloring. They
speak no other language than English,
and excellent English, too. They were
strictly honest and exceeding religious.
In religion they are Seventh Day Ad-
ventists. Their religious ideas appear
to have been derived from Alexander
Smith, one of the original settlers,
who afterward changed his name to
John Adams and endeavored t. atone
for his mutinous conduct by educating
and civilizing the rising generation.
There is one church and one school
house on the island and the children
seem to be well instructed
The story of Pitcairn Island is one
of the strangest in history. TIL island
was discovered by Carteret In 1888 and
named by him after one Of his officers,
but it was not again visited by Europe
ans until it was taken possession Of by
some of the Bounty mutineers. Will
liam Blightan, English naval officer,
was sent out in December, 1887, to
Tahiti, In command Of the ship Bounty
to collect breadfruit trees for trans
planting in the Tahiti in October, 1888.
and remained there six months. She
set sail for Jamaica April 4, 1883.
Brgh was tyrannical officer and the
men under him had been captivated
by the easy life in Tahiti. On April
% they mutinied, cast Blish and IL
other men adrift in the ships launch
and sailed back to Tahiti. Bligh and
his companions reached the Island of
Timor on June IA after sailing 5000
nautical miles in an open boat and
suffering dreadful privations.