The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1923-01-18
RADIO REACHES REMOTE
ISLAND OF THE PACIFIC
POPULATED BY 1870 PEOPLE WHO
KNOW LITTLE OF THE
WIDE WORLD.

Pitcairn island a lone point of land
rising almost 1000 feet out Of the
southern Pacific ocean, has a radio
station, according to a cable message
from Honolulu, and for the first time
In its history is in direct communion
ton with the outside world. Mails
come at infrequent intervals to Pit
cairn. some times as many as five
years elapsing between their arrivals.
Lying out Of the lanes of Pacific trav-
oil few ships pass Pitcairn and sailors
aboard these are loath to risk their
lives to make a landing in the high
seas beating against the rocky coasts.
There is no good reason for laying a
cable to Pitcairn and the radio thus
presented the only means of linking
up the people of this lonely island
with the rest of the world says the
New York Herald.
There are about $50 persons living
on the island. Most of them are de-
scendants of the mutineers who seiz-
ed the British ship bounty and settled
on Pitcairn in 1880 Once the island
ers, greatly reduced in numbers by
sickness, We're transferred to another
island, but they had formed such an
attachment for Pitcairn that they
were returned to it, The island forms
part OF the high commissionership
of the western Pacific but the only
visit ever made to it by a high COM
missioner was that of Sir Cecil Rod
well in 1921.
Job for Minister.
The inhabitants of the island, who
are Seventh Day Adventists, lost their
minister in 1896 and were without I'M
til last year principally because no
ship could be found to carry to Pit
cairn with his family the one man
who was willing TO accept this remote
charge The islanders first heard of
the world war when it was almost
ended
The Pacific and its islands have
again a place in the news since the
writers of south sea romances have
stopped finding lands inhabited by
nymphs and sirens of wondrous beau
ty. New islands are still being dis
covered. Others are apparently drop
ping out of sight. A few days ago a
Japanese war vessel went out into
the Pacific to take possession of one
of the awards of an international con-
ference and found that the prize had
disappeared. The ship steamed
around for miles and took soundings
at a point where the island was re-
ported to be but could find no trace of
it. The Pacific still holds many Sc
crets besides those of treasure buried
on its islands and sunk with lost
ships.
The United States navy recently
made a chart of $4,000 square miles
Of the Pacific bed and reported the
finding of several new mountains of
considerable height. An attempt was
made by a geographical expedition to
find the greatest depth of the south
ern Pacific valleys, but il reported
that no instrument has been invented
that would measure IT. The radio is
bringing the islands into closer COM
munication with one another and with
the mainland. Honolulu recently re-
ported that music broadcast by a ra-
do station at Atlanta, Ca, was heard
distinctly at wailuku, island of Maui.
Apparently contented.
The Pitcairn islanders are a simple |
hard working people and apparently |
they are not disconnected with their
The idea possessed by many /
of them of the outside world comes /
largely from traditions of their an /
cestors. traveller who visited the
island as member of the high COM
missioner's party said that the men I
showed little curiosity regarding the \
world and that the women were not
Interested in how women elsewhere
were dressing. The island is dry the
aryest land in the Pacific, it is said,
as not a drop of spirits has reached
il since the mutineers drained their
last key. The inhabitants base their
strict adherence 10 prohibition on n
deep religious conviction.
1t will be interesting TO know what
changes the radio will bring to these
remote people. What will the news
, fthe world mean 10 them, what viii
De the effect of the music and enter
ainment which most of them will
lear for the first time? And will the
Pitcairn children sleep more soundly
,nder the spell of the radio bedtime
tories than they did before they had
hat luxury? The radio brings them
uddenly into touch with the world,
mt a world greatly changed in the
go years which have passed since
heir mutinous ancestors landed on d
he coast. {
At present a weary company Of L
russian exiles from a bolshevist rid lo
en- land. is cruising the Pacific, bar il
ID from all ports and absolutely t
ithout a home. Perhaps these un- n