The Story Of Wm.

Reiher-Ii

By William Schutz

SOMETIME in 1928 the Mauno was due again for overhaul, and William went over to the Makoa, a sister ship, under com mand of Captain Colgahoun, which vessel was to replace the Mauno.

Under this master, William learned navigating, by stars. Old Colgahoun had served on destroyers in World War I, and he told William that aboard those craft in the Channel and North Sea, they had to depend on star sights mostly. Hence he believed only in star navigation.

Joining the Mauno again on her return from overhaul, William served on her until about the end of 1929, when he resigned to go and build the church on Arorae. While on Betio, awaiting transport to Arorae, about February, 1930, the old Mauno developed engine trouble which the engineer, this time a Norwegian, could not fix.

The engineer was dismissed and William given the job to repair and run it, until anew engineer was found. The trouble, he found, was exactly the same as in Jaluit nearly ten years before —with the differ ence that this time anew key had to be manufactured with hacksaw and files. That fly-wheel key lasted until Mauno was put on the scrap heap five or six years later.

All the money he made out of church-building, William invested in land on Abemama for his wife.

By buying available land in dif ferent places and, after preliminary clearings, exchanging it with land owners adjacent to his holdings, he was able to form a block around and near his dwelling. While build ing his house, and clearing and planting his lands, he started build ing a 28-feet decked-in boat which, on completion, he named Minoris and used for bringing in supplies from outer islands.

About 1935, the Catholic Mission decided to build a ship for its own use around the group, and William got the commission to draft out plans and lists of materials re quired. The Minoris was handy for hauling in Teitai (in Fijian, Dilo) logs and bends needed for stanchions, rips and knees. The actual build ing started in 1937, and the launch ing with masts in place was in 1938.

Santa Teretia, the new ship, sailed to Betio to meet the loading ship, so as to have the engine (a 54 hp Gardner) placed on the bed from the ship’s sling, as the makers of the engine were not willing to send the engine in parts. She was towed back to Abemama and the engine room, cabin and deck fit-

Last month, Mr. William Schutz, a well-known resident of the Gilbert Islands, began his story of William Reiher, who died at Abemama in August. Reiher was of mixed German-Marshall Islands de scent, and a member of a family noted for having pro duced men who were masters of many trades. In telling the story of William Reiher, Mr. Schutz tells also a great deal of the history of the Marshalls (German, then Japanese and now under UN Trusteeship to USA) and of the Gilbert and Ellice Island Colony. This instalment com pletes his story.

tings were completed there. William skippered the ship for nearly a year, until a Mission Brother took over.

Minoris was acquired by the Mission. She was sold to the Tangitang Co-operative Society later, and was destroyed by the Japanese in their raid on Betio on December 10, 1941, when they also burned the Nimanoa, the Government flagship.

Santa Teretia escaped to Suva, under command of Father Klipfel, and was used by the Government during the war. After a thorough refit at the end of the war, the vessel was returned to the Mission, and did useful work for her owners until the middle of 1950. While in Suva for overhaul she was put up

for sale. No buyers; so she re turned to Tarawa, and the Tangi tang Co-operative Society bought her and named her Aratoba (meaning “Our adopted child”).

The Mission bought Halgard in Sydney, and renamed her Santa Teretia.

When the Americans attacked Abemama in World War II, a stick of fire bombs fell near William Reiher’s dwelling, and every house there was burned down. William placed his most valuable tools on Bike (Entrance Island), locked away in his house there. The American troops posted a detachment of coast-watchers there. After these left, everything of value was gone, too. He lodged a claim with the American Island Commander in charge at that time, and was told the claim would be forwarded to Washington.

WHEN the fleet, with transports, arrived at Abemama, all the large ships anchored off the NW side of the island, necessitat ing ferrying of cargo, materials and ammunition from 6 to 12 miles, according to where the dumps were.

Going out one day with the Island Commander on an LCT, William in quired the reason; and was told that the ships were too large to come in. When told the draft of the ships, he assured the Americans that they could go in. That day he piloted 5 or 6 Liberty ships in, in a row—the ships following the LCT, on which were he and the Island Commander.

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William did not keep account of the numbers of Liberty and Victory ships he piloted into Abemama, but it must have been hundreds; and for that service he got $l5O per month from the mighty USA. Yet, as wages, it was high—William never got that much from Burns Philp—but, figured on pilotage, it was poor pay. Prewar, the rate for pilotage at Tarawa, for vessels the size of Liberty and Victory ships, was at least £lO in and £lO out.

William never complained. His reasoning was that it was war, and everyone had to do his b e s t.

William’s feat in taking those large ships into Abemama, and showing them how to enter, was never men tioned in any report—he never even received a letter of thanks or appre ciation from the American Navy authorities.

THE breadwinner for a large family is now dead. Perhaps someone with a kind heart, who reads this, may take action and try to find out what happened to his claim. If his claim for houses de stroyed through war action cannot be entertained, surely his claim for stolen tools and other valuable per sonal property should be recognised.

If the claim never reached Wash ington, then USA owes William’s family the difference between the pay he collected, and the fees he should have received for piloting each ship in and out of Abemama.

Before the war, William applied for British naturalisation, and at the end of the war the application was granted.

From 1939 until 1950 he acted as a sort of stand-by, relieving Gov ernment masters going on holiday doing recruiting, piloting ships in and out of Tarawa, and stevedor ing.

When commanding the Govern ment ship Kia Kia, towards the end of 1940, one of the worst westerly seasons broke on small shipping in the group. The Kia Kia was right in it. A certain Govern ment Official, if he reads this, may be willing to write something about his experience of that memorable trip to the Ellice.

William’s command was the Maureen, for a Phoenix Group trip When he was again offered a re lieving command on the Kia Kia he declined, and went home to Abemama.

Many thought that his illness was imaginary. He always com plained of heart trouble, but the doctors could find no fault with his k ea . r £- at last he la y °n his deathbed, Dr. Rees was sent to Abemama to see him, and he diagnosed cancer of the liver It was then too late, and he died a few days later.

With the passing of William, the first generation of male descendants Df Captain and Mrs. Reiher of S* lui i? are gone - William’s si’ster, Elizabeth, married an old sea cap tain named Schmidt, by whom she

had three or four children. They settled in San Francisco; since the war, nothing has been heard of her.

Fritz was taken by a sea-monster while out fishing in a canoe, at Abaiang, just a few months before the arrival of the Americans in 1943. Proof of his being taken by a fish was that a week after his disappearance, his skull and shoulder blade, polished of all flesh and hair, were found on the reef of an islet off where he fished that night. Heinrich, the youngest of the Reihers, died on Ailinglaplap, Marshall Islands, in October, 1952.

The second generation are all well established in the Marshalls, in the Gilberts and in Suva, rear ing large families. The third gen eration is going to school now and is worth watching; the Reihers are an outstandingly clever and talented family.

William is dead but his name will always be remembered when the talk is about the churches of Arorae or Tamana, or the Santa Teretia (Aratoba) .

“La Belam’’ (which is William) he was in the Marshalls; he was .William” to all Europeans; and Unam” to all the natives in the Colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. The Reihers can be proud of him.