DESTRUCTIVE HURRICANE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 178, 27 January 1914, Page 5

DESTRUCTIVE HURRICANE

n.viiNi; i-'oh eight days. JtOl'Gll EXPL'UIF.XfES OX SLA AX' i. AND. By Telegraph- Pre-;-. A,-soi-ialion. Auckland, l.a-t Night.

A story of an exceptionally strong hurricane, that practically devastated the little I'mieh island'of Makatea, Il'o miles from Tahiti, was brought by the steamer Dclmold, which arrived at Auckland unexpectedly this lviorniiig. Makatea is a huge ruck some live miles long and three and a-half miles in width. There is little or no vegetation, and the sole inhabitants are abouc 120 native laborers, engaged in working the phosphate deposit's. ' A handful of white men act as working foremen. On Sunday. January 4, a terrific, cyclone, with all i'.s uiiexpectoducf?, stniev the island, ami the Retinoid hurriedly put out to u-a. A ti-niendims t.w. was running, and tin: steamer was fore:, to keep hovc-to under steam for ai following eight days. On the sevent'i day the hurricane reached its height, and at, about mid-day. what appeared to be a tidal wave swept in from the ocean and hurled itself upon the island The steamer, (looting hi-h as she was. without cargo of any description, v,a tossed about like a cork, and those c.i: board experienced a very strenuous time.

The cyclone abated on January 11. and when tile Dotmnld put back tt. Uir island il was cviilini. Unit the inhabitants had liii.l a wry ronsh time of '.h The ln:ifj wooden pier, built of cspe ■> ally hi;'; ]>ilrs („ withstand lic:>.vv,;.s.! li. was di'iii(di--!i."l from (lie point where il entered 111 -:- -un" for a distance of ISOtt.

into the sea. The crane and two id." rowinn-bii.it-, which were kept at {';." end of the wln.rl'. had disappeared. I •< island iiself p:e.-eii(ed a very dismal an pearanco. the native (punters havi.v been ib'iio!i-hed and the vi>.i; i.„.strewn aleiiit the isiai.o. So far as could be ascertain! d, ho." ever, there had b-cn no loss of life. So; injr that il v>:is hopeless t" attempt t<

load piu.sph-.ilcs. the Detmobl eame 01 to Auckland for orders. l«;ivin« tin islanders |o coniiniiiiicate with Tahiti.