THE TIDAL WAVE.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11512, 19 February 1903, Page 5

THE TIDAL WAVE.

FURTHER NEWS OF 1"HB Dl||P PS^^l '(SFXCUZi W>; ."IKB *Jwfit^®^3!.j''V---!i:^' ■ .- ■... i;M News received from Tahiti by t&'OralaGt >" gives particulars of tie . jwhlclt-'xrig devastated a low archipelago on JanUttJ 15th. Tho cyclone Btruck.the ilarqu«*» : • Group al the same time, doing conrids'-* > able damage. A severe shock of eartiquttko vNttf also felt, and the ileiod <1 Marokiui wae swept completely, not '. » house remaining, while aoine hundxed . ■ natives lost their lives it the latter place. At Takume two large villages. were destroyed and fifteen persons drowned,;'tfae eonio number losing their lives at tba ■■' Karoia Likud. Hikewai, which waa opened last October for pearl fishing, and carried ' & population of 1000 persons, suffered ' most severely, every veeUge of hehitatlion being swept away. The Jose of life here is estimated at over 400. Grave leant are entertained for the safety of several eoboonens, which were in the group at tiw time. Up to February 7th no news of them had been received. Over eighty pearling cuttare were lost at Hikewai.. ; ■ Upon receipt oi the news at the Fxfnch port, the Durance and Ziele were at onoe despatched to t±w Boeoe, tiro Governor bejng on board tie former. The Italian exuieer Calabria also proceeded to the group, the French Government taking means to relieve tiie distress. In some of the islands tho people savfed themselves by climbing cocoa. nut trees, remaining there from si* to tight hours. At Hikewtu, where the, greatest Ices of life took place, the «ea j rushed acmes in torrent*, tarrying away all the houses. Most of those who took to tcbti cocoamit trees w*r« saved, among them being Mr Charles Palmer, the only to escape out of nine on too came eidii of the lagoon. J . It was piteous in the extreme to hear above the roar of the wind and ceoi fehel cries of children ac they were torn froot tJie orme of their parents. Twenty or thirty natives were washed across the lagoon and miraculously escaped death, being fehrown upon the beach. At the seUlement, of iiotu, many natives acted badly after %he disaster, breaking open trunks and etealing tho contents. The survivors principally on wet flour oade into dough, aad , such tinned provisions as coukt found among the wreckage. All the wateisboliee i being spoilt by the eea, tl» Amenoao mis- ■■ , eionary rigged up a crude condenser, which provided enough water to keep things going. ' , " The following are the names of the while people killed or drowned:—Alex. Brand, Junsen N. Plunkett, P. Grutton, Mrs C. Palmer, W. Donnelly, Volma Swidt, t j and William Ddohain. ' ' . ;