Evacuation Of Rabaul

How "Montoro" Transferred, Without Casualty, 200 Europeans and 5,000 Natives to Kokopo.

TTM -following account of the fine rescue work done hy the “ Montoro •” in trans * ferring, without accident, 200 Europeans and 5,000 natives from Nordup, across from Rahaul, to Kokopo, has been kindly written for the “Pacific Islands Monthly ” by Mr. D. Steivart , sales manager for Messrs. Holbrooks ( A/asia ) Ltd., Sydney.

Mr. Stewart was a passenger on the “ Montoro ” when, on May 29, steaming between Kavieng and Salamaua, she was urgently asked to proceed immediately to Rabaul.

npHE Montoro received an S.O.S. mes * sage from the American ship Golden Bear at 11.45 p.m. on Saturday, May 29, and orders were given immediately “full steam ahead” for the scene of eruption at Rabaul —approximately 150 miles dis tant. It is worth mentioning at this juncture that the ship that really held the key to the situation was the Golden Bear. She was only about half a mile away from Vulcan Island when the eruption actually occurred, being thrown on her beam ends and then righted by the next wave.

Owing to the Rabaul radio station breaking down, the wireless plant of this American vessel was used continually to send messages of the happenings at Rabaul to the outside world. Her Com mander then steered his ship through the harbour into safety at Nordup, and no doubt was responsible for the lack of panic among the refugees on the l each there. When they saw her appear, giving a feeling of security to nerve-wrecked

people, they were assured of safety -she was some means of escape.

On the Montoro there were scenes of great activity as life-boats, surf-boats, and pinnaces were prepared for the eva cuation of the refugees. Incidentally, her decks and cabins were covered with pum ice dust from a distance of over 150 miles, so that one can easily imagine the height which the pumice was thrown by the volcano to reach the ship at this distance. The estimated height was in the vicinity of 30,000 feet. Vulcan Island itself rose to a height of 800 ft. in a few days.

We eventually arrived at Nordup at 1.20 p.m. on Sunday, just as the sec ond volcano, Matupi, went up. The scene that met our eyes, smarting with dust and sulphur, was one never to be for gotten. The Golden Bear was drifting while her life-boats did humane services embarking refugees, mostly women and

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children. The schooners Muruk, Kwong Chow, Nercus and Incluna Star —the lat ter with a broken boom (caused by being thrown against B.P.’s store by the tidal wave, but luckily brought back to sea again by the same wave) —also were doing a noble job carrying their loads of human freight to Kokopo—15 miles distant.

Animated Scene At Nordup

The scene ashore on the beach at Nordup was one of animation. It was literally covered by a human mass of Europeans, Chinese, and natives, and in the immediate background hundreds of motor-cars and trucks were to be seen.

Behind towered the Mt. Mother crater.

Fortunately the wind was favourable, and Nordup was not affected by the pumice dust or smoke.

The embarkation was slow, but the discipline and lack of panic was most marked and one felt proud to be British.

It wanted only a sign of panic from one of the white women or men and the nat ives would have run amok—as it was, the Chinese were inclined to panic.

The Montoro now was being packed with a mass of European women, child ren, and men—the majority dressed in scanty clothing. The natives had gathered most of their earthly belongings and they were a’ motley sight coming aboard — some maimed and crippled — carrying their baskets, parrots, dogs, primus stoves, hurricane lamps, camphor boxes, etc. During the afternoon the Montoro's pinnaces kept hauling their life-boats full of refugees and it seemed, as one looked on the beach, that we were making no impression whatever. At 6.45 p.m. five hours after we anchored, orders were given to lift the “pick” and we were under way for Kokopo, with 200 Euro peans and 5,000 natives aboard and not a casualty during the whole embarkation.

During all this, the wireless operator on the Montoro w r as still on duty, sending and receiving messages. At one time it

was estimated that there were over 1,000 messages waiting to be sent to relatives and friends announcing that the senders were safe and sound. The operator, Mr.

Norman Odgers, was at his post for 72 hours on end.

Some New Arrivals

Monday morning at dawn, the scene was one never to be forgotten. The nat ives were discharged first of all, and in a lighter vein one might mention that during the night we had added to our number, as a “Mary” (native woman) had given birth to a child. Also a cow had calved and a dog had given birth to three puppies!

As we gazed on the two volcanoes belching forth we wondered how this could have been the same peaceful scene we saw and admired as we steamed into the harbour four days previously. Mean time the old German capital HCrbert shoke, now named Kokopo, had a popu lation of 800 Europeans, 1,000 Chinese, and 10,000 natives—nearly all refugees.

We stood by at Kokopo until the Thurs day (June 3) and during that time the residents of Rabaul had every reason to remember always the Montoro, Captain W. Michie (her commander), and his officers and crew. Nothing was a trouble.

Food was supplied, baths were prepared; in fact, anything within reason was al ways at hand with a smile. We passen gers were more or less helpless and all we could do was to give a cheery word and assist with a kindly smile, or by donating some clothing to those who were less fortunate than ourselves.

We were now running short of water and certain foodstuffs, which was giving the chief steward and his. staff a little concern, but even then at no time were the refugees or the passengers short.

Luckily, we were able to replenish our water supply at Madang.

The task of billeting and rationing the evacuated people was no light one, and too much credit cannot be given to the Vunapope Catholic Mission at Kokopo. where the majority of the women refu gees were given shelter and cared for with every comfort. The work of alloca

ting European, Asiatic, and native refu

gees to their various areas was carried on through the day. All neighbouring plantations became homes of refuge, and the willing spirit with which everyone worked was one of the outstanding fea tures of the situation.

Returning to Kokopo 11 days later,

after visiting outports, I was able to get aboard one of the schooners and go into Rabaul. Sailing down the harbour one could see the wholesale destruction to the plantations caused by the eruption.

Being a returned soldier, I was reminded of the Somme battle-fields after a gas attack —everything seemed dead, the re sult of the sulphur fumes and pumice dust.

We eventually reached the wharf and the scene that met us was one of desola tion. The foreshores were strewn with wreckage. Schooners and small craft were beached high and dry—the result of a tidal wave. A wharf belonging to Messrs. W. R. Carpenter and Cos. was totally destroyed, and the Government piledriver and punt was resting quite comfortably in Burns, Philp and Co.’s timber yard. As we entered the town a putrid smell filled our nostrils. The air was thick with dust and we were com pelled to place handkerchiefs over our mouth and nose to prevent choking.

Like A Ghost City

The beautiful garden city of Rabaul was no more. Instead, Nature had dealt a cruel blow and it was like a ghost city, with everything covered inches thick with pumice dust, and not a sign of vegetation to be seen anywhere.

I visited several homes and the sight was a sad one. Tea-cups were still where they had been left, on the verandahs and tables. Ice-chests still had foodstuffs in them, now putrid. In all, the scene was rather frightful. The police and Adminis tration were in charge of the town, and natives and native prisoners were clear ing the debris from the roofs and streets and cutting down the limbs of trees dam aged by the weight of mud and pumice.

All water tanks, etc., were condemned,

and we had to rinse our parched throats from water taken in bottles from Kokopo.

One wonders if the Administration were wise in ordering residents to return to Rabaul. Personally, I am of the opinion that they will be lucky if they escape an outbreak of malaria or dysentery. The majority of the womenfolk did not want to return. Business interests were un willing to spend more money in Rabaul, and some firms have established perman ent stores at Kokopo.

Cocoa Planter’S Loss

Plantations on the North Coast suffered most and overnight one planter lost his cocoa crop and plantation, valued at £30,000. The personal losses of the indi viduals no doubt will never be known as most of their goods and chattels were either destroyed by pumice and mud, or pitted by the sulphur fumes.

Since the Montoro left on her return to Sydney several gurias have taken place at Rabaul, and residents have re turned to Kokopo. Thousands of natives have “gone bush.” No doubt a terrific amount of cleaning up will have to be done before Rabaul is once again the town it was. Even then it is question able if it ever will again be a large commercial centre, as I am sure com mercial interests will not take any risks.

They probably will prefer to spread their activities over the other ports of the ter ritory.

Mr. James Scott Neill, British Agent and Consul in Tonga, has been appointed Administrator of Dominica, British West Indies.

Mr. A. W. Ottawa, of Riverstone Meat Cos. Ltd., will leave Sydney by the Mon toro on August 10, on a business visit to Papua and New Guinea.