HURRICANE AT SAVAGE ISLAND. ANOTHER ISLAND WRECK.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 369, 18 May 1889, Page 5

HURRICANE AT SAVAGE ISLAND. ANOTHER ISLAND WRECK .

From the island of Niue, commonly known ns Savage Island, some distance to the eastward of the Friendly or Tonga group, wo learn that the hurricane ot March 16th la&b, which wrought such disaster at Samoa, also did very great damage on • the island. Capt. Ros.«, of Messrs McArthur and Company's Island schooner Olive, which is on a cruise to Wallis Island, Savage Island and Samoa, writes up from the Inlands stating that the teirific gale which raged de-troyed no less than 675 native houses, three churches, and two school hou%e-', besides some 2,000 cocoa nut trees and other fruit trees, doing a great amount of damage to the native stiples ot cultivation. We have received a letter from Niue through Messrs W. McArthur and Co., written by the Rev. F. E. Lawes, of the London Mission Society, at the mission station of Alufi, dated January 25th, 1889. Ii is directed to "The captain ot any ohip passing Nine," and states that "On "December 30th, early in the day (or Saturday. 29th, right time), a quantity of lumber and wreckage wa^ washed ashore on the weather side of this island, at Hakupu and at different places along the coast round to the eastward. The wreckage consisted of a mast and four cabin doors, two unpainted, and two painted white, one of which had a brass hingo on it. the other hinge had been wrenched off, it, also had on a staple for fastening the door open to a hook. I think also somo of partition or deck houi-e came aehoro there, and a very large quantity of lumber, slabs 14in. x 6 and 24in. x 6, also some 14in. square logs, and boards marked on end P.M. Co. Rjund the coast to the eastward at a village called Liku, on the above date a lot of lumber drifted on to the reef, also some wreckage, two o^ thiee cro-is beams and deck planking' with part of Hide of ship below deck attached. This was 15 fathoms long 1 (native measutetnent). After the above date no more wreckage came, and we concluded that the ship had gone to pieces not far from here ; bub f r om what cause we could not tell, collision being unlikely, and Beveridere Keef is too far off tor so much lumber to come from. " On the 19th (18th right time) two oars and ladder, a shutter marked ' Pl cub in with a knife, also part of grating from stern of boat, a lump of beeswax and end of case ot binned meats came ashore at /

Hakupu, AbLikn also one oar and a bib of ornamentation of deck house or stern of ship, and a shutter (apparently) 18in by 17in, marked in pencil, and still very legible *Sl, Starboard, Boltom end No. 1. Round further E.N.8., at Mutalau, they picked up a lifebelt with ' China ' printed on with stencils, such asare used formarking sails; a part of oar also fetched up there, and boards of a boat ; something, too, which looked like a sail, but it was too rough to get it or make it out clearly. Thus we know that one boat at least has come to grief. We are anxiously looking out for anything to give a clue to the losb vessel. I have told the people at these various places to take care of all that they land, and to bring to me anything with writing ov printing on. This is a great mystery to us ; but we fear that the ship struck on south or south east end of the Mand on night of 28th, and went down. Whether or not she had been previously deserted, we cannot tell. But we fear that all hands perished in the ship. These lumber ships are mostly from Pnget Sound, bound for Sydney or Melbourne, if you are going to New Zealand or Australia, to Samoa or Fiji, will you kindly report the above and make inquiry for miss-ing-ship ? The night of the 28th and 29th was starlight, easterly wind blowing steadily, buo weather had been bad earlier in <hu week. — 1 am, etc., F. E. Lawes." This narrative shows that the vessel must have been an American vessel bound to Australia with timber, and not the missing ship Suakim, as some have thought.