EMIRAU ISLAND

Patea Mail, 6 January 1941, Page 2

EMIRAU ISLAND

SMALL CORAL ATOLL ABOUT 200 INHABITANTS A description of the small island of Emirau, or Emirea, in the Bismark. Archipelago, upon which 500 persons wer landed from an enemy commerce raider on December 21, was given to the “Herald’' by Mr, L. G, Maxwell, of the Seventh Day Adventist Mission, who, until 18 months ago was in command of a mission schooner in the group. Emirau, said Mr. Maxwell, was a small coral atoll on the north-eastern fringe of the archipelago, which formed part of the Australian Mandated Territory of New Guinea. It lay between the north-western extremity of New Ireland and the comparatively large island of Mussau, which was about 20 miles distant. SMALL BEACH FOR LANDING Flat, and measuring about five miles by three, Emirau had a fringing reef, but there was a good lauding place for boats on a short length of sandy beach protected by a little island near the northern end. Normally there was cnly one white inhabitant, the manager of a small plantation operated by the Australian linn of W. R. Carpenter and Company, Limited. The natives, who lived in one village, numbered about 200, and there were a few Chinese on the plantation. Communication with the outer world, except when a vessel called, was by way of Mussau, on the nearer coast of which was a resident missionary, Pastor A. Atkins, and his wife, with another European, who managed a small sawmill. The, mission station was on a high, cliff, and if a steamer anchored off Emirau in daylight. Pastor Atkins could hardly fail to observe it. In that case he would probably send across or go himself, in order to find out what was happening. THE NEAREST WIRELESS If no one came from Mussau, natives from Emirau, undoubtedly would go thither iu cauoe s to carry news of the survivors’ arrival. Crossing the channel was on ordinary matter to them and they made the trip in all weathers. It was equally certain that Pastor Atkins would carry the information as soon as possible by launch to Kavieng, the principal settlement on New Ireland, where fherp was a wireloa g station. Kavieng was about 80 mile® from Emirau, and could ordinarily be reached in a day by the Mussau mission launch, a 35ft craft with a 1(J li. p. Dieosl engine. - FOOD AND ACCOMMODATION Regarding the plight of the survivors, Mr. Maxwell said that, unless the raider loft them some provisions they would have to live on native food until help arrived. Accommodation would lie difficult to provide, because die plantation buildings consisted only of a small house designed for a bachelor 'manager and a small copra shed. Howvor, it wa rt most likely that the mission “boys” would clear out the furnishings of tho church, which was a fairly largo building, and convert it into a dormitory. Mr. Maxwell was quite sure that Mrs. Atkins, who was a qualified nurse with a Jiao record of service to tho natives, would bo able to do effective work in caring for the survivors. If thej weather was. good, news of their lauding' s'.'ould have reached Rabaul, the administrative centre, tivo of three duy s after the event. Mr, Maxwell remarked that Emirau was only about a <jl.ay.’s steam from the Japanese Caroline Islands, from which sampans a,nd .otjict. crijjft which bad broken from thpijr niporjhgs iji bad weather often drifted down tq Hip Bis'inark Archipelago,