Tahiti’s Oldest Resident

Came From Alaska

MEN come to the South Seas by devious routes; but probably few have been lured there by a postage stamp. Yet that was the way of it with Alexandre Michael Archangelsky, believed to be the oldest European resident of Tahiti to-day.

Oscar Nordman, our Tahiti cor respondent, tells how T it came about: I was on the old brigantine Galilee, a vessel under charter to the Carnegie Institute to survey the Seven Seas in the interests of science.

We arrived in Sitka Harbour, Alaska, on July 14, 1907. After the boarding officer had cleared our vessel, Commander H. J. Peters, of Galilee , sent me ashore for the ship’s mail.

When I entered the post office I was greeted by the lady post mistress, Mrs. Archangelsky, who begged from me the nostage stamps on my letters from Tahiti. During the ship’s stay there, the Arch angelskys were our friends. Having viewed the Tahiti postage stamps, they were eager for information about that Island.

The following year I was on the old Mariposa —and there, as a passenger, was Mrs. Archangelsky, bound for Tahiti to join her hus band, who she told me, had arrived there two months previously.

The Archangelskys lived quietly down at Vairao, on the Peninsula.

Then, suddenly in 1925, after being almost forgotten, they were “in the news.”

The American fleet had made a goodwill visit to Australia and New Zealand, flying the flag of Admiral Robert E. Coontz, from USS Seattle. When returning home, the Admiral—doubtless with the warm

support of his officers and entire company—decided on a detour, so° that he might visit a cousin in Tahiti.

None guessed who the cousin might be until, as the Admiral stepped ashore from his barge on the flower-decked wharf at Papeete, Mrs. Archangelsky suddenly rushed into his arms.

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Alexandre Archangelsky, oldest European resident of Tahiti to-day.

N ex-resident of Tahiti tells another tale of this man from Alaska. Two of Tahiti’s “Nature i;n” of that day, who had come wn from the mountains on one f their rare visits to Papeete, were inplaining to Mr. Archangelsky at the island was becoming too iilised altogether. As they were caking, there was the drone of engine in the distance.

“Yes,” said Archangelsky, com ■serating with them. “There will flying machines here next”— ver imagining for a moment that ere could be such a thing.

Suddenly a small seaplane ooped over them, and landed arby, on the lagoon. It was an icraft belonging to the now de :ict PCPC (Pacific Coconut Pro :cts Co.), whose extraordinary -tory was related in PIM of May, =l. The pilot had just dropped to visit Archangelsky. rhe old man, now in his 80’s, en relates this incident, tfrs. Archangelsky died about ten irs ago. The old man, who never s regretted his first glimpse of 3se Tahiti postage stamps, lives •ne on his property at Vairao.