N.Y.Heraia tribune, Fob.10, 1940
Shadow of War
ReachesEvento
Pitcairn Island
Radio Contacts Lessened,
Rnt Hunts Curtailed as
Ship Visits Are Limited
By Capt. Irving Johnson
Master of the American schooner
Yankee, on a world cruise out of
Gloucester, Mass.
PITCAIRN ISLAND (radioed by
Schooner Yankee), Feb. 9 (/P).—The
residents of this lonely South Pa-
cific Island, descendants of the mu-
tineers of the Bounty, have been
even further Isolated from civiliza-
tion than usual as a result of the
European war. and they have been
handicapped in their rate hunting.
There are many rats here, and
they eat up the islanders' food. But
the people are not starving, and the
arrival' of the schooner Yankee has
replenished supplies.
"Stories that the Pitcairn people
are living under starving conditions
are entirely false," said Edgar Chris-
tian. Chief Magistrate. "We never
eat rata, although the island is over-
run with them and they damage
much of our food.
'The scarcity of ships visiting here
since the war had stopped our sup-
ply ot .22 ammunition for hunting
them, but the ankee has left us
several thousand rounds of ammuni-
tion now and we will be able to
resumo our rat hunting."
These islanders, whose forefathers
came here in 1790 from Tahiti with
a dozen Polynesian women after
deserting in the mutiny on the
Bounty, have seen the first motion
pictures ever shown on the island as
a result of the Yankee's present trip.
The films, in color, provided a two-
hour show of the Yankee's second
world cruise to strange parts of the
world. The present trip, which began
at Gloucester, Mass., last Oct. 30, is
the ankce's third world voyage.
Speaking for this dispatch, one of
the rare radio messages from
Pitcairn to the outside world. Chief
Magistrate Christian related some
of the new difficulties caused here
as a result of the war.
"Our radio, brought by the Yankee
three years ago. is in working or-
der," he said, "but because of war
conditions we cannot contact ama-
teurs or transmit to them except for
emergency purposes. A constant
lookout is kept from the highest
part of the island, about 2,000 feet
above sea level, but as yet no raiders
have been sighted.
"Wo are gradually eliminating the
use of flour, sugar, kerosene and
other staples which we ordinarily
traded for fruit with passing sailing
ships and steamers.
"This visit of the Yankee was of
timely help, because the schooner
took forty-seven islanders on a five-
day trip to Henderson Island, col-
lecting thousands of much-needed
cocoanuts and tons of mlro wood."
The Yankee's crew members were
treated hospitably, and the ship
now, after a stay of more than a
week. Is loaded down with tons of
fruits and vegetables and curios of
the island.