ORDEAL ON LONELY ISLE

Patea Mail, Volume LII, 25 February 1931, Page 4

ORDEAL ON LONELY ISLE

ETOILM* DELAY PHSCFLPS. THREE HEX,.VXD V.'OMAX 1)1 L. Drama, suJTenng. ami death are revealed by the return tu France of three survivors of a party of six men .md a woman who v.ere left on the lonely volcanic' island of St. Paul, south of the CapetOAvn-Freemantle trade route, says the Paris correspondent of the ‘Daily Mail.’ A French company in 1028 organised a lobster tinning industry on the island and took oat men from Brittany. After an ea rth quake and fire these decided to abandon tint enterprise. The Bretons were repatriated with the exception of Madame Bninon. her husband, and five men avlio volunteered to remain to guard the machinery. The party suffered terrible hardships owing to a relief ship being held up by storms. A baby was born,, but Madame Bninon lived only a few days. Disease broke out and some of the men went mad. A negro, Francois, dragged himself from the hut to an isolated rock to die. His flesh was eaten by birds. Bronon died in his wife’s arms. Pierre Quillivic. dressed in a Breton costtime, put to sea *n a canoe and avus not seen again.