Life on Pitcairn Island

Excerpts from a letter written Toy

Nurse Evelyn R. Totenhofer, on Pitcairn Island, on July 24, 1945: ALL of the islanders are very thankful • and happy now because they re ceived some flour from the last ship, which the steward sold them. After so long without bread it was certainly a blessing. Our eyes popped when we saw the bags being unloaded from the little boats and carried ashore. One man met an old friend on the ship who gave him the ingredients to make a steam pud ding. It was a great treat, with real cur rants and sultanas in it.

No stores have arrived here for one year and eight months, so pantries are all empty. The gardens haven’t failed us, though.

The arrowroot season is just over. It is always a very busy time. We closed school for several days, and all helped.

First, there is the digging. Some dig while others pick up the roots and put them in wheelbarrows and bags.

Then comes the peeling. Usually, several families work together, and all meet at one home, and scrape the husk off. This is the longest job, as the roots are small —from two to six inches long.

Next, they are washed and ground in a revolving grater, strained and put in tubs.

The flour settles and the water Is drained off.

The arrowroot is washed again and settled, then put out to dry, sieved and dried thoroughly. All the washing makes it a messy job, and all are glad when it is over. This year the folk were glad of it to make biscuits, in place of bread.

IMUST tell you about our races. The wireless men said if anybody could run from their station to the village in less than three minutes they would give 10/-. So our men took it on.

The boys fixed up a mike at both ends, attached to a telephone, ahd a loud speaker at their end. The boy up top announced the runners, and I started them off. Three did the distance in less than three minutes, and all finished in less than four minutes. Twenty of them ran. Then followed several children of six to eight years, and they took between four and five minutes. It was quite exciting for Pitcairn. The distance was some 800 yards, down a steep hill, nearly too steep to run hard.

Just as the race finished two unfriendly dogs met, and a fight started. One owner tried to separate them, .and was bitten.

When he saw the blood, he fainted. A bad ending.