LONELY PACIFIC OUTPOST.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20191, 31 August 1927, Page 14

LONELY PACIFIC OUTPOST.

WALPOLE ISLAND. VISITED BY STEAMER KANNA. Situated about 150 mileu east of Noumea is Walpole Island, cn of many louely Pacific outposts. It, is a guanoproducing island, and, while so far fram the reach of civilisation, is. in a manner of speaking, in touch with the outside world by means of cargo-carrying steamers. The island is visited at periodical intervals by Union Company steamers, which go there to ship guano—a light yellow-coloured powde.-like manure—which is used as a fertiliser on farm lands. A recent visitor to Walpole was the Kanna, which arrived at Dunedin yesterday morning with a full cargo. The Kanna arrived off Walpole Island at daybreak pn August 5 from Auckland, via Noumea. She lay at the mooring buoy, about 200 ft from the rocky shores, for 13 days. During that time the Kanna loaded over 2200 tons of guano for Dunedin and Bluff. There were few interruptions in the loading pr "ss, the Vessel leaving the mooring buoy only on one occasion owing to strong north-west winds, while work was suspended for four days through the heavy surge of the sea and heavy rain.

Walpole Island is an interesting place from a visitor’s point of view. The island is in the open sea, and is rather more than two miles in length, and one mile wide. The formation is of'fossil coral, and the island gives the appearance of a narrow table. Vertical walls rise about 300 ft high at the north end of the island. There is no vegetation, with the exception of a few stunted plants. The island was discovered by Captain Butler, of the ship Walpole, in November, 1794. It was approached in 1876 by Captain Chambeyron, commander of the French ship of war Le Curieux. The island is controlled by tlm French. At the present time the population comprises between 130 and 135 souls. About 130 Japanese, Chinese, and Loyalty Island natives are employed in the guano works. There are three or four white people, including two French overseers, and one white woman. The Loyalty Island natives far outnumber the Japanese and Chinese, and it is for this reason that there arc no disturbances between the three factions. In spite of the heat —the temperature being as high as 85 degrees while the Kanna was off the island —the Japanese, Chinese, and Loyalty Islanders carry out good work. At the place where the ship’s mooring buoy is placed the cliffs are practically perpendicular and about 250 ft in height. The guano is collected and crushed on the high levels of the island. If is then conveyed through large pipes to the store sheds situated at the bottom of the cliffs. When a ship arrives the guano is loaded into baskets, which arc conveyed by punts and then loaded in the vessel at the mooring buoy. The amount loaded per day by the Kanna averaged from 100 to 200 tons, according to weather conditions. The best day’s work was 320 tons, the natives commencing their labours at 6 a.m. and ceasing at 4.30 p.m. Having completed loading operations, the Kanna left the mooring buoy on the evening of August 18, and steamed to Noumea to take in fresh'water and obtain her Customs clearance. She was at Noumea for nearly two days, and Captain J. Green was paid a high compliment by the French Consul, who said that the Kanna was one of the finest types of British cargo steamers -diich had ever visited the port, and also said that she had one of the best behaved crews. The Kauna’s voyage from Noumea to Dunedin was uneventful, the weather being fine most of the way.