PANIC IN SUVA.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2266, 28 September 1914, Page 7

PANIC IN SUVA.

PEAR QF THE GERMANS HASTY; FLIGHT.TO THE INTERIOR. A state of excitement, and alarm, almost amounting to panic, which exceeded anything of its kind experienced in the .Fiji Islands prevailed in Suva on Tuesday evening, September 15,'and'the ■following morning, states, the "Fiji Times." . There were signs. during the afternoon, that someming unusual, was on foot but :the general public did not become aware of the. fact until shortly., before seven .o'clock when it was learned that .the Levuka, which was ■ not duo to sail till 5 p.m. yesterday (Wednesday, September 10) was to leave within a quarter of. an hour for Sydnotwithstanding the fact that- a very large amount of her cargo.had not been got on board. When the news, emphasised by the almost continuous -hrieking of syrens, became generally known, .'there .was an excited rush of people to the wharf. Most of those who had. booked, their. passages by -tho. Levuka were at' 'dinner,, when the news reached,'them, and. few -had I .even got their' luggage packed. Some did not make .any; attempt to catch the boat 1 at such' slibrt notice, preferring to risk losing., their passage money, but: others, hastily .throwing, their things together, rushed off to the wharf and succeeded in climbing aboard, several'arriving just as the ropes were cast off: The .wharf was crowded with people, and the whole: scene was one of- unusual animation. With the utmost haste passengers and luggage' were crowded on board, tho deck-lights extinguished,' ;andhr partial■darkness' the 1 Levuka moved off'from the wharf, and in a very'short space of time disappeared outside tho reef.. . ; The. ! qrie: 'topic of conversation '■ which was'engaging.tho attention of everyone w*as:'- What was the cause of this startlingly. sudden departure? That only news of the gravest - importance could have necessitated her leaving with a considerable portion of her cargo still . on shore, and'without a, number of her . booked passengers, seemed evident.. The wildest' and most alarming rumours seemed to: spring up at once from 1 I nowhere. The general impressed seemed to.be that a German cruiser—or at ariyrate a strange cruiser which refused .to. respond to wireless signals—was mak-. ing for Suva, and that a bombardment was imminent- early 'the' next morning. The' fact, which speedily became known, that the defence : forces had been called out to a man at 5.30 next morning seemed to corroborate these rumours..;

' Then there began a veritable exodus of the inhabitants. Every available vehicle horse or motor-driven, was requisitioned by those who wished to get their wives and families out. of danger. Sonic were contented with conveying those belonging to them to places three or four miles out but the majority made for Davuilevu and Nansori. Till late at night the'Rewa Road was a continuous stream of vehicles carrying, families away from Suva. The experience cannot have been apelasant one. To add to the disquieting character of the news —or rather of tho rumours which filled the place of definite news—the rain, which had held off during the day, camo down in torrents. Tho roads were muddy, and tho stream of vehicles made them in places almost impassable, and several parties. who were travelling by motor' experienced breakdowns on tho way. Aniong'the refugees was a large proportion of tho Indian and native population.. Many of thoso who decided to romaiirin town made preparations overnight in caso an early retreat was necessitated.

In the morning Suva presented all the-signs of a town awaiting a siege. The defence forces were out at an early hour and troops were stationed at varir points along tho foreshore. in tho drenching rain. The harbour was empty of vessels except for H.M.S. Sealark, which'was berthed at the wharf and a few small craft. In the town little business was doing. But though no one.would have been surprised at tho appearance on the hdrizon of a German cruiser, the morning passed without that.event, and the excitement gradually died down. No official statement had so far been made as to the position of affairs, but towards noon a proclamation from tho Governor was displayed on .the iiotico board at the Post' Office, which stated that, in view of the terms of a wireless message which.had been intercepted on tho previous day by the Suva wireless station, it bad been thought necessary that precautionary' steps should be taken for tho protection of : tho town, but that cause for immediate anxiety was not 'thought to exist, and that there was no reason why tho people of Suva should not remain in their own' homos Apprehensions having been allayed, the town soon settled down to its ordinary routine. A wireless message was dispatched to the Levuka recalling hor to Suva to.take on .tho remainder of her cargo and passengers. The cargo of the Lovuka which'remained on shore when tho vessel sailed consisted of some 40,000 bunches, moaning a loss to the planters—in tho event of the nonreturn of tho Levuka—3f soveral thousand pounds. Tho steamer had not returned at tho time of writing.