Heavy Rains In French

Oceania

From Our Own Correspondent

Papeete. Jan. 14.

HERE is a saying that “when rain begins at Tahiti, it never knows when to stop.” During the past eight days, the islands in this part of the Pacific have experienced a wide spread storm which, in some quarters, has assumed hurricane proportions.

Mo orea, Ra’iatea and Bora Bora are reported to have suffered considerable damage from violent winds. On Tahiti, the deluge of rain has swollen our rivers, and three major bridges, on the highway around the island, have been swept away.

The high central mountains of Tahiti usually protect the narrow coastal areas from the violence of high winds. Pre cisely 20 years ago—during January, 1926 —a similar storm wrought great damage in Mo’orea, Ra’iatea and Bora Bora. The formation of the shallow valleys on those islands causes violent winds to assume the character of whirl winds, which twist away the top of coconut trees and disintegrate buildings to fragments.