Tahiti Items.

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

Papeete, Oct. 25.

THE Danish yacht “White Shadow,’’ which left Tahiti some time ago to continue her voyage round the world, returned unexpectedly on September 12, and has since been stripped of her sails and put in shape for a long spell in harbour.

It seems that serious engine trouble developed shortly after leaving Tahiti, which can only be satisfactorily reme died by a new installation, for which the vessel may have to wait several months.

In the meantime the owner, Mr. Wes sells, has taken up a shore residence, and it is stated that he contemplates acquiring property here with the object of building a permanent home.

September has been an unusually wet month in Tahiti with record rainfalls in some districts. At Papua the con crete river bridge, which was rebuilt at great cost after the disastrous floods of 1926, was partly destroyed, and thus dislocated communications with the south-east end of the island until a temporary structure could be placed across the river. Since then, the make shift bridge has been twice washed away and replaced.

A destructive fire occurred in Pa peete early on the morning of October 3 when, for some unknown reason, the garage at the rear of the British Con sulate took fire and, with its contents of two motor cars and other material, was completely destroyed.

Luckily, the loud clanging of the fire bell in the market place brought the local fire brigade to the scene in time to prevent the fire spreading to the main consular building, which is only a few yards distant. It is understood that the garage itself was covered by insurance, but that the loss of the cars, etc., falls on the owner, Dr. Williams.

The old Consulate was torn down and entirely rebuilt some two years ago, on the original site given for that pur pose by the Royal family of Tahiti.

News has reached Tahiti of the wreck of the local trading schooner “Val encia” on a reef at the south-west end of Raivavai Island, one of the Austral Group, which occurred at night during the heavy weather experienced in Sep tember. Apparently there were no cas ualties. So far as present information goes the vessel is very badly holed and her salvage exceedingly problematical.

The “Valencia” is a locally-built schooner which was launched from Higgin’s shipyard in Papeete last year, when she started her career with a voyage to Easter Island to rescue a party of Chilian revolutionaries who had been interned on that desolate spot by the Chilian Government, and bring them to Tahiti. Among these refugees was Colonel Grove, whose name has been conspicuously mentioned in con nection with the recent political dis turbances in the Chilian Republic.

On her last voyage the “Valencia” was on route to Rapa and the Tuamote archipelago, on her customary trading circuit, and carried a stock of pro visions valued at 700,000 francs. It is stated that the hull is insured with a Ban Francisco Company.