DESOLATE SCENE

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 4 June 1926, Page 5

DESOLATE SCENE

AT LONELY ISLAND. RAVAGES OF HURRICANE ISLANDERS’ SEVERE ORDEAL. (BY TELEGBAPH —PBESS ASSOCIATION.) AUCKLAND, June 3. A graphic- story of the calamity that overwhelmed Palmerston Island was cold by Sir Maui Pomare this morning. on hoard the Hinemoa. “The need for ending the long period of isolation of the people of the northern Cook Group from the outside world by installing wireless equipment,” said Sir Maui, “was dramatically brought home to me on the arrival of the Hinemoa. at the lonely atoll of Palmerston, which may be'' regarded as the half-way house between the southern and northern boundaries of the Cook group. “We found that the island had been comptetely devastated by a hurricane and tidal wave which struck it during the forenoon of March 31. The wave apparently started in the vicinity of Pukapuka, the most westerly of the northern islands, touching it lightly during the early hours of March 31. Gathering force and fury; in its southern progress, it overwhelmed' Palmerston about 11 a.m., struck Aitutaki about 6.30 p.m. the same day, and did all its damage at Avarua harbour, Rarotonga , between one and two o’clock the following morning. About- eight hours later tlie storm reached Mangaia, the most southerly of the Cook Group, but by that time its force was apparently spent.

“At- Palmerston the destruction was complete. This and -similar atoll islands consist of a more or less circular reef encircling a- lagoon, round the reef at intervals being perched eight small islands. As the Hinemoa- steamed up from the south a- most desolate scene met our eyes. Each island presented the same appearance of torn, twisted and broken oocoanut trees, but even that did not prepare us for the utter destruction we found when we landed on the main island, on which 108 men, women and children of several Marster’s clans- reside. All these people are descendants of William Marsters, who settled there in 1862. “The only building which had escaped was the church, but even that substantial structure had been shifted some 80 feet from its foundations. All the boats, except two or three, were smashed, and hundreds of coconut trees were uprooted and! the whole of the remainder stripped of their nuts, while all the manufactured copra had been swept- away, together with most of the other possessions of the unfortunate people. All the live stock left on the island was five pigs, about 20 fowls, and one cat. “It was entirely owing to the fact that the tidal wave swept the island during, the day time that only one life was lost, that of a young girl who was killed by a falling house as she was making her way to a small mound in the centre of the island, which barely afforded refuge for the inhabitants from the engulfing waters. Up to the time of our visit, six weeks after the calamity, the islanders had been living on fallen coconuts and such fish as they could catch with the means left at their.l disposal. Nevertheless, I was met on landing by the whole of the people, whose smiling, cheerful faces, and -songs and words, of welcome, gave no indication of,the severe ordeal through which they had passed. Having got word of the storm while we were at Aitutaki, we were able to take up enough provisions to tide over the Palmerston people until the next call of the trading schooner which visits these. outlying places! We were also able to supply them with tools enough to enable them to make a- start with clearing the tangle of fallen trees, and to set about making their temporary quarters more habitable.” Referring to the urgent need of equipping the most important of the northern islands with wireless stations, Sir Maui said it was proposed to provide that essential service as soon as the administration had 1 trained a native staff to operate them.