OCR Text |
Show LETTER FROM PAPEEJITI Papeete, Tahiti, Sept. 25, 1914. To Tho Logan Republican: The U. 8. S. Co's; boat "Moana" from New Zealand to San Francisco came In port last night and ,Js to leave In two hour and if1 time permits per-mits I will relate to your readers the llttlo excltoment that happened In this remote part of tho g'.obe, Tuesday Tues-day last, September 22. You might think Papeete, is toq much of nn isolated Insignificant part of this large earth of ours to be molested mo-lested in these times of war and bloodshed. For fear you would not find it on tho map, only a speck on the mnp or It might bo. only the nnmo Society Islands of which this Is ono of tho ninety Islands composing compos-ing tbo French Archipelago. On tho morning of tho 22nd, Just ns tho Inhabitants were beginning to stir a smoke was seen burst above tho horizon. Ono of tho hundred and fifty soldiers who aro stationed hero announced the coming by blasts of the bugal. In u few minutes nil wero on the waters front only to seo two large cruisers coming, followed by n cargo or supply boat which it is thought thoy had captured. Tho fort hero abovo tho town gave tho cannon can-non salute to which there was no answer. Then they asked for their colors up went the white flag and a Gorman flag, at that soldiers gave orders for the 4000 inhabitants to va cate tho town. All was an uproar, natives, Chinamen and French people peo-ple with a bundle of clothes on their backs and children following all fill ed the main road headed for a largo valley about a mile out of town and in twenty minutes hardly a person was to bo seen. I rnn up on tho mountain just back of our house to see over tho trees and buildings to seo where the cruisers cruis-ers were nnd just ns I was high enough to seo them, I saw a sight and heard that which brought mo down in about a dozen jumps it wns a flash of tiro, a smoke and then tho report of tho cannon. Tldor Otto Stocks of Lowlston and I, while the- hoiino wns fairly Jumping dedicated ourselves, house and church house to tho, Omnipotent Protector, Pro-tector, cashed tho mission records In nn outhouse so ns to bo protected from fire, took 'tho money from tho safe, locked tho houso ngalnst any ono that might linger to plunder nnd mado a hasty rotreat up tho mountains. moun-tains. Wo had only nrrlved to n .small wash, when tho firing from tho battleships, that had silenced for a llttlo whllo opened ftro again. From our placo of refugo wo had a full view of tho town below and wo witnessed a sight I shall long re-mombcr. re-mombcr. Tho Znllc, n small French gun, nnd a largo German freight steamer that tho French hero had captured a month ago wero at tho wharf and thoy worn tho target, for tho crulrf-ors crulrf-ors and Just back of tho wharf was tho business center and back of that is tho resldenco houses. Wo woiU) soo tho flash from tho sldos of tho two vessels, that wero out about a rallo and a half from shoro, then wo would hear tho reports of tho gun, and in about three seconds wo woul' seo tin and lumbor or water If tho bomb went a llttlo low and hit tho water, fly a hundred feet In tho air, seo a black cloud of smoko as tho bomb exploded and hear a nolso that almost deafened us nnd tho crashing as tho balls went through tho build lngs ono after another. Tho tiring lasted for about halt an hour and wo wero pleased to seo tho vessels going out of sight to where? Nono of us knows; und from whero they en mo Is also a mystery. Tho town was all In a flnmo below, Elder Stocks mid I descended to find thnl our house hud bcou hit twice, but no damage, dune, and Just across tho street was found u. fuso, part of, the bomb that weighed ubout sh pounds. I shall closo as time for tho boat to leave Is hero. The flro destroyed n largu European storo, general merchandise, mer-chandise, nnd lumber dealers, ft large French storo, a hotel, sevornl itB-tnurants, itB-tnurants, two tit tho four saloons, the Ico plant and dozens of Chinese stores, tho market building, and many others. It Is estimated that it rust about 3,000,000 francs or $600,000 to crulsors cell on us. Tho governor hero sot fire to 2000 tohs of brick coal that was hero. I was down town tp seo them take off the only two dead, a Chlnamin and a Tahltlon. Throo woundad, n horso killed and holes through ninny of tho residences und other buildings. build-ings. Tho peoplo, hundreds of thorn staved stav-ed tho night of tho 22nd all lay tho 23rd and many of them the night of r. , , the 23d in the mountains for fear the cruisers might return. Elder Stocks and I went out to sleep on tho night of tho 22nd. I, for one, do not caro to see any moro of it at so closo a rango. I think tho boats will not 'return now after three days. Wo wero sutdy pleased to seo the boat last night ns we were afraid wo would be cut off entirely, four weeks between mall is qulto sufficient for us. I think the good People of Cache county can be thankful they 'are In the quiet a alleys al-leys of the rockles. With best wishes to all, I am, Yours truly, ORA HYER, Lewiston, Utah. |