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Show SOUTH SEA ISLANDS SWEPT BY TIDAL WAVES I'apeete, Tahiti, July 23. Via San Francisco, Aug. 8.) It would seem that the ninety islands krown variously as j the Low archipelago or Tuamotu grouo, , are destined to be reclaimed by ihe j Pacific ocean. Last January they were swept by a ! ilood composed of rush waves from t'-ie i ocean and the lesser ones from the en- closed lagoons, and in consequence i nearly 60u of the inhabitants were ; drowned and property to the value of j $500,000 was destroyed. And now, six j months later, fieive gales from th! ' southwest and southeast have again caused great surging crests to sweep over some of the islands. So far only four persons are believed to have perished, per-ished, but the fear is great that when all the Islands are heard from there may be a distressing list .of fatalities. The steamer Excelsior suffered much damage during the series of gales, while she was on her trip frbni Tahiti to the Marquesas group. Three of the Tuamotu isl mds were under water to such an extent that the inhabitants had to climb cocoanut trees for safety. . Houses and stores, copra and finally the cocoanut trees were destroyed, de-stroyed, while the inhabitants had a close call to death. It i thought most of the islands of the group were visited j by the storm. I |