CHATHAM ISLAND CALAMITY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10069, 17 August 1910, Page 5

CHATHA M ISLAND CALAMITY.

TRAGIC DSATH OP MR SHAND.

LOSS OF VALUABLE DOCUMENTS.

I A correspondent of the Wairarapa i Age, writing from Chatha n Island under date August 2nd, says:— "Early on the morning of the 29th ult. the island was literally staggered by the news of a sudden and sad calamity. At about 4 o'clock (it is surmised)'the house of Mr Alec. Shand, of Whangamarino, was burned to the ground, and he himself, the sole occupant, perished in the flames. What happened can only be conjectured, as, owing to the force of the gale and the position of the building, the flames must have been fearful, and the destruction must have taken place in a very few minutes. Mr Cox, Mr Shand'a part* her in the statiqn firm of' Shand arid Cox, arid his family; lived a short distance away, but , no,o ne knew, anyithing> had ; happened < „ till, nearly .7 Vclock, when a few smouldering, ruins were found to be all that remained of the building and its occupant. Mr Shand was practically a cripple, always going about with two sticks, but otherwiselrewas strong and hearty. The flames must have got such a hold that an active man would have'found it difficult to make his escape, and one not so active would have no chance. His charred remains were buried on Sunday, the 31st July, in the Waitangi cemetery. It was another dreadful day, but a large and representative gathering paid their last respect to his memory.

.The late Sir Shand.was ai bachelor,/ and had been on the", island a very long time. He was, perhaps, the greatest living authority on the language and customs of the Moriori people. He was writing a book on the subject, and has been for years putting together materials for a dictionary of the Moriori language. Besides that, his housa was practically full of records, curios, etc.. relating to that fast disappearing race. And now,, at one blow, all has vanished i for ever. This unexpected and dreadful blow will be felt much farther than the Chatham Islands, for great interest has' been taken in New Zealand over the habits, etc., of <the natives here, who are popularly supposed to have been the ancestors ef tbe Maori race. Many a strange tale of Moriori history, of their religion, of their, legends, the late Mr Shand could tell. The writer has listened to him with the greatest interest, and he was only too glad to tell all the strange stories ho knew to anyone who was interested. And oil these legends and recoids he had put on paper for the benefit of everybody, but Jiate'has decided otherwise. Unless some of his manu scripts have been forwarded to New Zealand for printing" it is to be feared that all his knowledge and life work is a total loss. Literary and scientific circles all over the world will be the poorer for his death. A genial, goodhearted, energetic man, he will be sadly missed on these islands, the advancement of which was one of his lifelong aims.