LONELY LIFE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 18 July 1924, Page 7

LONELY LIFE.

ON MALDEN ISLAND. An interesting story of a lonely life endured by two white men on an almost barren island in the mid-Pacific was brought by the Union Company’s motor ship Hauraki, which arrived in Wellington on Monday from San Francisco. Distress signals, flying from Malden Island, were observed from the vessel on the evening of July 1, and a course w'as accordingly steered toward the island until the ship was within two miles of the beach. The two white men, Messrs Driver and Anderson, rowed out in a boat and to4d Captain J. D. Frew, the master of the vessel, that they were short of food supplies. They were given an ample supply of foodstuffs from the Hauraki’s stores, and were presented with magazines and newspapers, for which, seeing that very few vessels pass near the island, they were very grateful. After thanking Captain Frew for the supplies they rowed back to their island. Considering the circumstances they were very lucky to have attracted the attention of the Hauraki, as dusk was coming on when the signals were picked up. The life of the islanders was lonely in the extreme, according to one of the men. There were five natives on the atoll, who, with the two white men, comprised the whole population. Vessels called at long intervals to load guano, and the Hauraki was the first to put in an appearance this year. So dreary was the life that Mr Driver, who was formerly boatswain on the Waitemata, expressed his intention of leaving by the next boat which called to load J