RAROTONGA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8473, 26 January 1891, Page 11

RAROTONGA.

CYCLONE IN THE HERVEY GROUP. A VESSEL AND FOURTEEN LIVES LOST. GREAT DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY. [from OUR own correspondent.J Avarua, December '25, 1890. The barque John Williams, of the London Mission Society, returned hero a few days back after a voyage of inspection to the various stations of that Society to the northward. The Rev. Mr. Hutchins was a passenger for the round trip from here. While iu matters spiritual everything was found to lie most satisfactory, we learn that a great deal of sickness prevails at many of the islands, in some instances of a most dangerous and coir tagious nature. At Penrhyn Island there are no less than 10 eases of true leprosy, and these all of a most violent character. The introduction, it is believed by the medical officer of H.M.s. Caroline, who recently visited there, has been from Honolulu, as a number •of vessels from that port touch at the island named. Coining nearer home we have a ease in an advanced stage of development at Mauahcke. Some of the islands of this "roup have been visited by a very violent cyclone, which, besides doing a very laige amount of damage, has also ended fatally, no less than fourteen lives being known to nave been lost at the island of Aitutaki. From eyewitnesses the cyclone is described as having been much more violent in its terrible strength than any of the hurricanes that have visited this group for many years past. At Atiu a great amount of damage was done on shore as at Aitutaki. Trees were uprooted and bodily blown away for some distance from their original resting place. Some of the trees that were clean snapped in two were of over 16 feet in circumference. All the food trees, with but few exceptions, such as bananas,- breadfruit, eocoanut, etc., have been swept away, as were also the greater number of the orange trees, while over 70 houses were totally destroyed. _ The reef of the tine new church, a description of which I sent you some 12 months back, is gone. From Captain G. H. Short, who went as supercargo, etc., in the ill-fated schooner Araura (late Julia Price) our Rarotonga special correspondent received the following account of the cyclone as it was felt at Aitutaki On Saturday, 15th October, tho Araura left Rarotonga, we being bound away for the north for a cargo of lumber. On Monday at ten a.m. we reached Aitutaki, where we had to land some limejuiee barrels, etc., at two p.m. the work was finished, but owing to the captain of the schooner being away on the other side of the island, the departure of the schooner was delayed for that day. She was lying off and on a short distance outside the reef. As the afternoon wore on the weather began to look very dirty, with a strong breeze veering from all the northerly quarters with heavy rain. Next day the weather continued tiie same, the vessel still being in sight. On Wednesday there were no signs of the schooner. It was now blowing hard from the N.H., with very heavy rain. Captain Short went round the island to see if there were any signs of the schooner ; and as the weather was now assuming a very dirty appearance, with a falling glass, grave fears were entertained for the schooner. Towards the evening the schooner could be seen away to the southward of the island, wind still from the N.K., blowing a hard gale with heavy rain. On the 20th, at six a.m., the wind veered to the E.N. with heavy rain, and there were every indications of unusually heavy weather close at hand. The Araura was not now in sight. At eleven a.m. the wind had increased, with the barometer at 30deg lOsec. At one p.m. the barometer had ''one down to 29deg 90see, and, with the falling glass, the wind had increased in violence, and was now blowing in hard squalls from the N.K. At two p.m. the "lass had fallen to 29*70, and the wind had increased until it was blowing in terrific squalls, anil it could Ik- seen that a hurricane was at hand. At half-past three p.m. the barometer had dropped to 150, and the wind had increased to hurricane force. At four p.m. the barometer had reached 29*43, and the villages were by this time almost deserted, the natives having left their houses and taken to the bush for shelter. The scene presented a most desolate appearance on the laud. On either side of the main road not a tree was left standing, orange, cocoanut, and banana trees all being swept away by the force of the hurricane, which at this time was raging at its height. At length the hurricane began rospeud its force, and towards morning it had passed over with a shift of wind to the S.W. and iine weather overhead. Early was everyone about to see what was the damage done, and also to see if there were any sign of the schooner. It was now reported that a boat and a canoe were missing, containing IS people in all. Two whaleboats were manned 1 and started in search. This was at daylight. At nine a.m. one of the boats returned, having picked up two women and nine male passengers and crew of the schooner Araura. I These survivors reported that the illfated schooner capsized at three p.m. the previous • lay, and that eight persons were lost with her. The survivors had saved themselves by clinging to the galley, the hatches, and some planks thathadcomeadriftfrom the schooner. 'They had been over fifteen hburs in the water, and were suffering considerably from exposure to the fierce squalls of wind and rain and heavy seas. Soon after these sur vivors were landed the other boat returned, she having been successful in reselling thirteen out of the eighteen that had been blown off the island as stated above. The other live were drowned. From some of the hitter survivors it was learnt that the whaleboat and canoe attempted to return to the island at the commencement of the gale, but they were simply blown bodily away over the top of the main reef. As the whaleboat passed over the reef nine of her occupant*) jumped overboard on to the reef, preferring to take their chance there, but they were soon swept off the reef and could not regain the boat. Fortunately the empty canoe was floating near and they made for her, hut two of their number were drowned in the attempt. It was at this time that the whaleboat also capsized in the heavy seas that were running. Four persons could be seen clinging to her bottom. Tho hurricane was now carrying the unfortunate people -away from their island home, and with night coining on they gave up all hopes of ever seeing land again, or in fact of being able to hold on until morning, but fortunately and when things looked blackest for tlieni the wind shifted and came out from the southwest, which had tho effect of blowing them back towards the land again. A most welcome sight was the rescuing boat bearing down towards them in the early morning light, and great was the joy on the island as their friends given up for lost once again stepped upon their native soil, although that joy was tempered with the grief for those who were lost with the schooner and from the whaleboat and canoe.

The hurricane is considered to have been the hardest that has been experienced since the year 1804. Owing to the great loss of food in the shape of bananas, eoeoamits, etc., matters will go very hard with the natives for some time to come, and not only do they lose their food but also the loss of their pro-duce-bearing trees, oranges, limes, etc., deprives them of obtaining articles which they might otherwise have purchased.