A GREAT HURRICANE

Feilding Star, Volume 4, Issue 674, 5 January 1926, Page 5

A GREAT HURRICANE

LOSS' OF LIFE AT SAMOA STEAMER LADY ROBERTS WRECKED. MITCIT DAMAGE DONE. . t 'Hie following radio message was receiyed yesterday by Sir hrancis Roll, Minister of External Affairs: Samoa, .Tan. 2.

A treinendosu storm struck Samoa on New Year’s morning, serious .damage being done Lo the food supply of the natives by' the wholesale destruction of bread-lruit trees.

v Some: loss of life and a number of injuries were sustained by the natives as the result of the fall of dales (native houses) and the trees. Have sent round the islands of Upolu and Savaii to ascertain details of the extent of the damage. The steamer Rady Roberts was carried on to the inner reel, where she now lies with four tool ol water in lier engine-room. Will advise lurther as to her condition at the first opportunity. The trading launch Siliafai is a Total wreck on the outside reef at Watson’s Island, where she was carried by the force" of tlie seas when making for shelter at Mulinmi.

No casualties have so far been reported' from the Wreck, although, several’ members oi' : tlie crew of the Silaifai were severely injured before being saved’, as the vessel turned completely over when striking the reef, the mast and deckhouse being carried away.

Tlie sea-wall fronting the Reach road is standing the test, although some old inhabitants state: that the sea- is_ worse than that during the storm of 1889.

The green light on the eastern reef’ weighing 20 tons, consisting of reinforced concrete and set four feet in the reel’, was carried a wav bodily.

THE HDRRTOANE 0E 1889. In the year 1889 referred to above) the famous hurricane occurred when three United States’ warships and three German, warships were wrecked, the Rrit-ish cruiser Calliope alone escaping disaster. The trading launch Siliafai belongs to flic Samoan firm of £): U. Nelson and Co.

DAMAGE DONE IN AMERICAN SAMOA.

The Secretary of 'the- 'General Post Office, Mr A. T. .Markman, received the following message at midday yesterday from tlie superintendent of the radio at- Apia: ‘'.Just completed temporary repairs to ithe aerials which were brought down in a, hurricane yesterday.. The land wires are down and the roads blocked. “It is understood that the Lady Roberts is on a reef and other ’launches wrecked, but have no-aut’h-:<n tic information vet.

“Putuila reports that the Government officers’ houses were blown down there.” THE LADY ROBERTS. The small steamer Lady 'Roberts is :u sister boat - of the .Janie Sedilon, a well known Defence Department boat in Wellington Harbour. The Lady ‘Roberts,- which was formerly stafionc/T in l Auckland’ Harbour, was trail s--4erred lrom the Defence Department to the Samoan Administration in 1923. Since her arrival at Samoa, she has carried on. the mail service between Apia- (British Samoa) and Pago Pago (American Samoa), and has done much useful work in maintaining communication between, the various islands ol the Western Samoan Group.