Salt Lake Telegram | 1926-03-07 | Page 19 | Home Built by Famous Explorer Maintained as Residence for New Zealand Governor

r Stevenson's Name Enshrined r L- L I in Jungle Paradise of Samoa I d v a I iak iakiri ir i i The Tho house in Samoa that Robert Louis Stevenson built thirty years I ago now used as official home of the governor of British Samoa Home Built by Famous Explorer Maintained as Residence for New Zealand Governor By W W. H. H PORTERFIELD N NEA EA Service Writer APIA BRITISH SAMOA March 6 In 6 In a w of ot tropic beauty a fairyland of ot sapphire seas and flecked cloud skies of ot crystal amid dark green jungles from out whose steaming depths fly gorgeous butterflies butterflies butterflies but but- and no less gorgeous Chattering chattering chattering chat chat- birds a fairyland of ot coral framed l lagoons goons upon whose bosoms float the picturesque outrigger craft and in whose limpid waters live and play the golden skinned children lof of the South Seas Seas Seas-In in such sucha a fairyland of of hearts heart's delight to choose one out of ten thousand Is Islands Islands islands is- is lands were sheerest foolishness And yet Samoa lovely Samoa of all the far flung archipelagoes of the antipodes must ever hold forus for forus forus us the greatest interest for it was here upon this of ot that the prince of all story tellers lIved Jived and wrote and died It was In November 1890 that Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson sick unto death when but 40 years of ot age came to Samoa and dropped anchor of ot his little trading steamer steam steam- er the Janet in the roadstead roadstead roadstead road road- stead of ot Apia WHERE HE LIVED Over Oyer the white surf sur line up through the swaying cocoa palms we looked for the white walls of ot Vallma Valima the house that Stevenson built more than thirty years ago and which today enlarged and re repainted repainted repainted re- re painted is owned by the government government govern govern- ment and used as the official resIdence residence residence resi resI- dence of the New Zealand governor governor governor gover- gover gover gover- nor of British Samoa Sir George Richardson Stevenson lived four years at Valima Vallma Va Va- lima llma for almost immediately he be be began began began be- be gan to recover under the genial climate of this pearl of ot the tropics enjoying in fact such health as he had not known since childhood Giving him the name name naine of ot Tusitala the warm hearted natives began with sincere affection which rapIdly rapIdly rapIdly rap- rap Idly grew rew Into love and adoration It was at Vallma a large frame house built In the fashion with wide open verandas and sleepIng sleepIng sleeping sleep- sleep Ing porches overlooking the sea from its elevation of ot feet that the Imm immortal author of ot Treasure Island wrote almost continuous continuous- l ly II- IIA A Footnote to History An Ar I Object of Pity The Wrecker The Justice Clerk Weir of ot Her Her- rolston miston and finally Ebb Tide which In interestingly enough was I being produced upon the screen with Gloria Swanson in the heroInes heroIne's heroines heroine's hero hero- ines ine's role the night we arrived at Apia Apis THEATRE CROWDED I The movie theatre of Apia the I only one upon the island of ot course was crowded to capacity with the thc dark skinned Samoans whose parents parents par- par had known the wonderful l' l Tusitala In the flesh Stevenson was in his usual apparent ap apparent apparent ap- ap parent good health on December 3 1894 He was dictating Weir 01 of Hermiston and stopped topped to tal talk gaily to some friends gathered upon 1 the veranda when a stroke of ot apoplexy apoplexy apo ape ended his fruitful life Next day his frail body was carried carried car car- ried ned by sixty sturdy Samoans who acknowledged the great romanticist a romanticists t as as s their chief to the summit ol of r the peak Vaca feet above Vallma Vail Vall ma where they buried him in th the exact spot he had long before se selected se- se This morning at the first flush 1 of ot dawn as' as we arose from our 1 berths on the S. S S. S Tofu in the thi harbor swallowed our coffee ann and annC were rowed ashore by a band 0 of ot C singing singing- Samoan boys Through the tha darkening jungle we Wi a fairly fought our way although h the thi path Is plain enough and finally Just at 8 o'clock emerged upon s a small plateau overlooking the blue blu Pacific over a circumference of ot a t hundred miles mUes or more At our fee feet t the picturesque town of Apia half hal hidden in the groves of ot cocoa palms palma I bread fruit and the mighty mango trees beyond the harbor of ot Apia Apis t and the spray toss tossed d coral reefs Here all was silence save save for the thi C raindrops falling through the sun sun- sun'S shine Upon the simple granite graniti S tomb we found as we had been told tob I we would find a fresh bouquet o of ot f gathered flowers Never a day bit but t some Samoan does not toil to these thes 5 heights there to place his tribute a upon the gla grave ve of ot one who in life a loved his people Upon that tombstone is carve carved I the immortal requiem of ot the on one S who lies there Under the wide and starry sky di dig the gr grave ave and let me melie lie G GiaI Glad Gia ad addid 1 did I live and gladly die api I laid bait I me down with a will This be he the verse you grave fo for r me Here he lies Hes where he longed I to be e Home is the sailor home horn horna 5 from the sea and the hunter home horn a from the bi big hill