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Show IT j X TJLUAIj wave sweeps south sea islands ONE THOUSAND NATIVE9 EN. QULFED BY TIDAL WAVE. Terrible Qtory of Devastation and Death Which Comes From the Society So-ciety Islands Surviving In. habitants Destitute of Food and Shelter. Nows of a fearful loss of llfo in a doatructlvo storm that swept over tho Bouth Sea islands last month has reached fcton Francisco on tho stcamor Mariposa, direct from Tahiti. Tho loss of llfo is estimated at 1,000 souls. On January 13 last a huge tidal wavo, accompanied ac-companied by a tcrrlfio hurricano, attacked at-tacked tho Boclcty islands and tho Puaraoto group with foarful force, causing deaths and devastation novor boforo equaled In a land of dreaded storms, a verification of man's inability inabil-ity to contond with wind and sea. Tho storm rclgncd several days, reaching its maximum strength bo. tween January 14 and January 16. From tho meager ndvlcos rocclvod at Tahlta up to tho tlmo of tho sailing of tho Mariposa, It is ostlmatcd that at least 1,000 of tho island's Inhabit, ants lost tholr lives. It is fearod that later advices will add to tho long list. Tho first nows of tho disaster arrived ar-rived at Papcteo, Tahlta, January 2C, on tho schooner Klmco. Tho captain of tho schooner placed tho fatalities at EOO. Tho stoamor Excelsior arrived at Papette tho following day with 400 destltuto survivors. Tho captain of tho Excelsior estimated tho total loss of llfo to ho 800. Those figures comprised only tho deaths on tho thrco Islands of Hao, Illkuora and Malcokau, whoso ordinary population Is 1,800. On III. kuera island, whoro 1,000 inhabitants woro engaged in pearl diving, nearly one-half woro drowned. On an ad-J-,-ont island 100 moro woro washod out to sea. MnJ:okau and Hao aro do-populated. do-populated. Conservative estimates at Tahiti placo tho number of Islands visltod by tho tidal wavo and hurricane hurri-cane at 80. All of thorn nro undor tho control of tho Fronch governor of Tahiti. Ta-hiti. Tho surviving inhabitants nro left destltuto of food, shelter and clothing, all having been swept away by ttJ storm. Tho Fronch government, upon rc-colpt rc-colpt of nows of tho disaster, touk prompt measures to rollovo tho distressed dis-tressed district and dispatched two warships, tho Duranco and Zoloo, with fresh water and provisions. Tho Italian Ital-ian man-of-war Calabria accompanied tho two French vossols on their errand of morcy. As tho supply of fresh water and provisions was totally oxhaustoJ by tho storm. It Is feared that many lives will bo lost beforo tho rollof ships arrive. As tho Islands wero baroly twenty foot abovo sea lovol, and not surrounded sur-rounded by coral roofs, It was noceS-sary noceS-sary for all tho inhabitants to tako to tho cocanut trees when tho tidal waves began to cover tho land. These trees grow to an Immcnso height, many reaching nn altltudo of 100 feet. All of tho lower troos wero covcrod by tho raging seaB, which swept wtih pitiless forco about and ovor thorn. Tho no-tlvcs no-tlvcs In tho taller trees woro safo until tho cocoanut roots gavo way, and then thoy, tt!o, woro swopt onward, lar out Into tho sea. Tho 400 survivors brought by tho Excelsior to Papccto gained tho ship's sldo by swimming ihrco and four miles from tho tops of tho cocoanut tices. Tho Elmeo, though badly disabled dis-abled by tho Btorm, also brought off as many persons as could swim to hot sides, oho, llko tho Excolslor, being un. ablo to run closo to tho shores because of tho fearful vlolonco of tho ocean swells, which continued to run nb. normally high for a wook after tho tidal disturbances. Ono of the many nets of heroism reported re-ported is that of a woman who climbed ono of tho tall cocoanut trees and lashed hor littlo bubo to tho branchcsu hanging on to tho body of tho tree, beneath tho littlo ono as best sbo, could. Thero thoy remained for ton hours, suffering groat torture, until fin. ally rescued. Thousands of tons of copra and ovct1 200 tons of mother of pearl shells are known to bo lost 'lao pearl shells aro valued at $1,800 por ton, and many valuablo pearls may now bo lost to tho world forever as theso woro considered con-sidered somo of tho best pearl islands in tho world. |