ISLE LOST TO WORLD

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 924, 18 March 1930, Page 9

ISLE LOST TO WORLD

RADIO LINK BREAKS DOWN The White Star liner Ceramic, which reached Fremantle recently, reported that a passenger had been dropped at the lonely little island of St. Paul, says a Sydney paper. His mission was to renew tha only link between the islanders and civilisation— a radio set, which had broken down. The little French colony of 12V inhabiting St. Paul Island has mail once every six months. For the rest of the time it is dependent upon its wireless set for communication with the outside world. In October last messages suddenly ceased, and for three months nothing was heard from the island. In December the Euripides called there, to discover what had happened, and reported that the wireless set was out of order, owing to seme defect in tho dynamos. M. Caille, chairman of the French company which began last year to exploit the resources of the islands of St. Paul and Amsterdam, went by the’ Ceramic with new dyuamos. St. Paul Island is a barren volcanic crater about four or five miles square, lying about half-way between Capetown and Australia. There are no trees and no vegetation but grass When the colony was established, everything necessary for feeding and housing the settlers had to be brought from outside.

The island now produces canned lobster and salt fish.