Evening star., 1925-10-13
FLEET TO VISIT
PORT OF TRAGEDY
Tai-o-Hai, Capital of Mar
quesas, Scene of Brilliant
Hopes That Proved Futile.

1dlo-lial, Island port or call OF the
homeWard bound United States fleet
which has been visiting in the Pacific.
is described as a port OF tragedy" in
4 bulletin from the headquarters Of
the National Geographic Society.
Situated at the innermost point Of
q horseshoe bay. which furnishes a
reasonably we'll protected harbor.' -
says the bulletin. "Tai-o-Ii&i, once
gave promise OF being a Pacific me-
tropolis, a dival perhaps, to Papeete,
Tahiti $50 miles TO the southwest.
The town. on Nukahiva, largest OF the
Marquesas Islands, is listed as the
administrative seat OF the French gov
ernment Of the MarQuesas; but the
honor is a hollow one, Tor the Mar
quesans are rapidly dying off. The
hundred thousand or more who peo-
pied the II islands century ago have
duindled to 1900 or 1000.
Future Seemed Assured.
When France took the islands over
in 1912 the future seemed rosy TO the
white settlers who went there. The
islands teemed with SGperlatiNely
healthy, brawny natives. The rainfall
was abundant and vegetation grew
rankly. Dreams of exceedingly pro-
ductive coconut. cotton and vanilla
Adventures. Tai-O.Hai was built with
these dreams in mind. and stores. inns.
churches schools and another accom-
paniment OF civilization. a Jail. spraug
up.
"Eut things did not work out as
had been expected. The Maruuesa ns
did not care to become plantation la :
borers They had led lives OF ease.
spending their time III idleness, III
gathering natures fruits. and in war
among themselves. Some unscrupu.
lous planters tried rum and opium as
inducements TO labor. They brought
certain temporary success. but they
helped 10 bring speedy end TO all
hope for the survival of the Mar
quesan people. To drunkenness and
soddenness We're soon added the
white mans disea ses-diseases which
meant little to the civilizations of
America and Europe that had be
come largely immune to them. but
which carried off the islanders like
flies
reeming Valleys Deserted.
Tai O-Iai which had waxed .s
quickly waned. Today less than l50
people live in the village and there IS
only a handful of whites. Abandoned
y
shops. dwellings. an inn. leper
house. Tn" once populace valleys
back in Nukahiva have been aban-
doned 10 the rank growth: only the
half smothered platforms on which
dwellings stood tell OF their past use
by man. In the valleys not wholly
abandoned. the few survivors have
moved near the sea for neighborli-
ness.
The MarqueSas are in two groups.
Nukahiva lies in the northern group.
Seventy miles of ocean separates il
from the group TO the south. II was
the southern group. discovered in
1895 by Mendana. that was named
Marquesas. This group was thought
TO constitute the entire archipelago.
Claimed for America.
The northern islands remained
unknown TO the outside world for
200 years and we're then discovered by
an American. capt. Ingraham. a
skipper from Boston. He named them
the Washington Islands, and they
almost became American possessions.
Cant. David Porter Of the United
States Navy took possession Of Tai
O-Itai Bay it, 1873 while harrying
British ships in the Pacific: subdued
the Nukahivian natives: and pro-
claimed the Washington Islands ter
ritorr Of the United States. But a
mutiny of the ships he left in the
harbor put an end 10 his plan. and
the United states never reasserted
It's claim.
THE MarduesaS are of volcanic
origin. They are extremely rugged
and, except the valley floors. there
is no level land in them. To the OBJ
server from shipboard who sails
among them their sharp peaks. line
behind line. cut the sky like the
bizarre mountains of stage scenery
"A number Of the smaller islands
are now entirely uninha bited Unless
some hardy race be brought to them
it will not be long before the Mar
quesas will be left virtually as they
were millenniums ago. before the Vik-
ings of the Pacific in their huge
canoes came TO claim them for man.
kind