“La Victoire.”
p. 14 · Read in the full issue
Wrecked at Mallicolo.
From Our Own Correspondent.
New Hebrides, May 19.
A WEEK before the April hurricane, a trading schooner, “La Victoire,” was wrecked at Oonwah, on the east coast of Mallicolo.
Three years ago, “La Victoire” was the French Government yacht. She went on the reef in the Maskylyns, a group of islands in the south of the New Hebrides, Some Japanese bought her for a mere song, and spent three menths salvaging her, employing 150 natives per day for labour and blasting a passage in the reef for 2½ miles, enabling her to come out.
Since then, she has been again on the reef in the Maskylyns, but without causing much damage. The Japs, used her for trading all round the group.
But “La Victoire’s” last day has come. Having ten tons of copra on board and two of trocas, she went into Oonwah to pick up one ton from the natives. On leaving in the night, she struck the reef and quickly sank. No lives were lost. The hurricane, a week later, completely destroyed her.