AIRSHIP'S VISIT TO FIJI

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 380, 4 May 1910, Page 3

AIRSHIP'S VISIT TO FIJI

A CURIOUS STORY. A curious story of the visit of a supposed airship to some outlying islands of the Fiji Group is told in a letter by Miss Eva Hennings, received by Mr. G. Hennings, of Remuera. According to the young lady, a party of strangers were seen cruising about in the vicinity of Loma Loma, and on an attempt being made to get into communication with them, they disappeared as mysteriously as they had come. Miss Hennings tells her story thus:— v ■'V\u are more up-to-date than Auckland now, because we have seen an airship before yotij Between 2 and 3 o'clock in the afternoon, on March IV, Bcatty (native) sighted a funny 'olack sail in the water between Xaitaba and the mainland. She said it was the schooner Dewdrop, and called me to see it. Looking at it, I said, 'No, it is not a schooner.' Taking the glass, I called Uncle William to see it. He had a look, and, his eyesight not being very good, said, 'I don't know what it is—it may be a wreck." I then looked, and almost dropped the glass, and shouted, 'A flying machine!' I could see the wheel's quite plainly, and it was going at an incredible speed. Beatty had a look, and not knowing what a living machine was, only described it as I did. In about five minutes it travelled the distance of about eight miles, and anchored at a small island called Kibobo, about six miles away from us. Uncle then sent the whaleboat and three men and a note, at about 3 o'clock, and they set out to pull and sail also. After that we saw another, flying very high, and in the opposite direction.

'"The boat returned at noon on the 18th. Ma'lakai said they only arrived at the middle island at 7 in the evening and slept there. Early that morning they pulled to the small island where we saw the airship anchor. Arriving on the beach, he saw the prints of hobnailed boots. He followed the' prints up into the grass, where the visitors seemed to have sat down and had a smoke, /for bits of cigarette papers were lying about, and there was also a bit of a German paper, which the boy picked up, then lost again, but he knew German print, having seen uncle's papers. Malakai could not make out how many persons had been on this uninhabited rock,- because they seemed to walk on each other's tracks (Indian file); but their footprints were plainly seen. The night they slept there they saw a light far across the water, and believed it to be from the airship. The Loma Loma magistrate rode out on the 19th, and was informed about it. He at once wrote to the Colonial Secretary. It had evidently not been seen from Suva or Levuka,-or the steamer which came the same day would have brought the news; so perhaps we are the first to have seen an airship in Fiji."