Tahiti News Items

Papeete, Feb. 20.

NEWS has arrived from Pago Pago that Mr. Murman and his wife, of the American yacht, “Seven Seas II,” have arrived safely at American Samoa.

Mr. Murman, several years ago, circled the world in his yacht, “Seven Seas I.”

Last year, with the aid of his wife, he built his second boat, and from San Diego, USA, sailed to Honolulu, Hilo, Marquesas Islands, and Tahiti. From Tahiti via the Cook Islands, they have arrived in Samoa, where the American Colony re ceived them with great hospitality,

Plane From Samoa

On February 4 there arrived a hy droplane from Tutuila, American Samoa.

Besides Lieutenant-Commander H. Paige and his crew, she carried Mr. J. D.

Moroney (Attorney-General), Mr, J.

Eikan (Governor’s Secretary) and several others.

The plane brought a vital part for the engines of one of the Hawai an Tuna Packer Boats, now fishing in Tahitian waters. It left on the return trip on February 6, carrying one passenger, Mr.

Sterling Muller,

Famous Old School

The Old Pupils’ Club of the Catholic Brothers’ School at Ploermel, Papeete, met at the schoolhouse on February 6 to make plans to raise 1,000,000 francs, to complete the new school buildmgs.

The school was founded in 1860, and many of our prominent citizens were educated there.. The first Director (1860- 65) was Brother Alpert; the present Director (1948) is Brother Arsene. Nearly 200,000 francs were collected at the meet ing, with promise of more to come.

Linesman Is Killed

One of Tahiti’s most esteemed young men, Felix Laurent, known to all as “Rico,” employed as a linesman by the electrical firm, Etablissements Martin, was accidentally killed on February 3. While making repairs, he contacted a high vol tage wire, and was thrown to the ground, striking his head against a cement block.

He died a little later in hospital. He leaves a widow and three children.

Old Lady’S Memory Of The Sea

Born in Tahiti in 1865 and now totally blind, Mrs. Julia Nordman celebrated her 84th \birthday on January 29, at the home of her son, Mr. Oscar G. Nordman.

She remembers vividly much of old Tahiti. She recalls an incident of 72 years ago. She heard the cry, “Slr.p afire,” coming from the beach, and her father, Mr. Thompson, reported the ves sel’s plight. The French authorities sent the gunboat, “Singerlay” to tow the burn ing British vessel, “Ada Iredale,” to Pa peete harbour. After she was repaired, a memorable ball was held aboard, on the eve of her departure for San Fran cisco. The “Ada Iredale” later became the four-masted auxiliary schooner, “Annie Johnson,” of American registry, owned by Captain William Matson, and became famous on the sugar run between Mahu kona and San Francisco. Some years ago the Matson Navigation Company sold her to a Frenchman, Captain Ozanne; and on one of her numerous voyages to Tahiti she became waterlogged, and was abandoned at sea near the coast of Oregon, USA.