15 Days' Drift

Polynesian Boatmen Can “Take It”

From Our Own Correspondent

Papeete, July 26.

ON May 15, five adults and a boy of nine, in a flat-bottomed boat 16 feet long, with an out board motor, left Tikehau Island for Mataiva Island, 28 miles away.

Half way across, the motor stopped. They had forgotten to take along their drum of petrol.

They bagan to drift helplessly.

They had exactly 3 cans of corned beef, 1 gallon of fresh water, a loaf of bread and one coconut.

Six days later, when they were very hungry, they caught two fish—which gave them bait for more fish. A welcome shower provided them with fresh water.

Fifteen days later, their boat drifted onto the reef of Belling hausen island. 3770 miles from Tikehau, and they got safely ash«re.

On July 21, the fishingboat Temanuroa, with four men, left Haapiti, in Moorea, for Papeete, with a load of fish. A large wave broke aboard, and put the engine completely out of service. The boat began to drift away from land. Two men, risking the sharks, swam two miles to the Moorea coast. A relief boat went out and found the

Temanuroa. towed her to port, fixed the engine—and the cargo of fish reached Papeete, none the worse.

The Archbishop of Sydney, Dr. H.

W. K. Mowll and Mrs. Mowll were in Papua in early August for the Anglican Mission’s 60th anniversary services.

Mr. R. S. Richards, Administrator of Nauru, with Mrs. Richards., arrived in Adelaide on a short visit in early July. The Administrator later attended to official business in Melbourne and Canberra and sailed for Nauru on July 17. The south ward journey was made in a RAAF plane which flew via Guadalcanal, Port Moresby and Townsville.