Forty Years On The Pacific/Pago Pago

UPON going on deck at sunrise we sight the outlying part of the island of Tutuila, with its sandy beach backed by masses of luxuriant tropical vegetation. This beauty charms our eyes the more as we approach the entrance to the harbor of Pago Pago, the whole scene being one so familiar from my frequent visits that I imagine myself gazing at a suburban arm of Sydney Harbor.

Pago Pago, on the island of Tutuila, in the Samoan group, is the only American possession south of the equator, and is used as a naval and coaling depot. The harbor is one of the finest in the Pacific; in fact, it is the only good harbor in the Samoan Islands. In addition to the island of Tutuila, the islets of the Manua group are also included in the American cession. Pago Pago is a completely landlocked harbor, and the stretch of water is so deep and so great in extent that it has thus been described by the former Chief Justice Chambers: "The harbor could hold the entire naval force of the United States, and is so perfectly arranged that only two vessels can enter at a time. The coaling station being enclosed by high mountains, cannot be reached by shells."

The native population is about 7,000. The garrison at times consists of about thirty officers, one hundred enlisted men and one hundred native Samoan soldiers, whose picturesque uniform of red turban, white singlet and blue breechcloth with red border, is very attractive.

Red-haired ladies are very popular at Pago. On Friday nights the natives fill their hair with lime, which they wash out on Saturday, and which gives it the reddish appearance. This is done for sanitary rather than ornamental purposes. Recently when a newly arrived red-haired lady awoke one morning and looked out her window, she observed a large number of native women waiting outside. Upon inquiring the cause, it seemed they wanted the recipe she used for dyeing her hair such a beautiful red. As I have mentioned, the lime turns the natives' hair a reddish brown.

So you may know times do not always hang heavily at sea. I may mention that the night before we reached Pago Pago (November 8th) the passengers gave the American naval officers and their wives, who were leaving us at Pago, a farewell banquet to mark the occasion. Wine was opened freely, speeches made, and a concert arranged. The Hon. W. J. Thynne, of Brisbane, proposed the toast of the evening: "The Officers of the United States Navy," in a speech that evoked general approval. Dr. E. Parker responded on behalf of the Navy. His speech was frequently cheered. Mrs. (Dr.) Parker responded on behalf of the ladies, in a very eloquent manner. The naval party expressed keen regret upon leaving, inasmuch as they could not attend the daily muster at eight bells in the smoking-room.

Secretary Josephus Daniels of the United States Navy has decreed that no wines, beers or liquors shall be allowed in the Navy or on land under control of his Department, so no soothing beverages are obtainable in Pago Pago, and the officers and enlisted men are teetotalers. Even ships approaching Pago must lock up their drinkables upon entering the three-mile limit. Should an officer come on board in port, and a passenger, by some accident, have a bottle in his stateroom and offer him a drink, the passenger narrowly escapes arrest; in fact, if anyone attempts to take a bottle ashore, he is s'ure of arrest, if caught. Note the result: Almost any officer in the Navy will now tell you that strong drink is a curse, and under these conditions they spend their lives on that beautiful isle in the Pacific, where the rainfall is from 178 to 208 inches, on the average nearly an inch per day from November to April.

A clever feat of salvage was performed at Tutuila, when the United States gunboat Princeton (about 1,000 tons) ran upon an uncharted rock, the pinnacle of which, four feet long, drove into her bottom and broke off. Full steam was got up and she was headed for the shore, about six miles distant, which she reached in about fifty minutes. By the time she reached the harbor, the whole forward section of the ship was full of water up to the engine-room bulkhead. Had the bulkhead not held, she must have foundered before she reached the harbor. To the good fortune of the pinnacle breaking off and sticking in her hold must be attributed her safety. When she did reach the harbor, she was so far down by the head that at times her propellers were out of the water.

But our genial Captain Trask is the navigator who ought to put his experience at sea in book form. Speaking of good luck saving a ship, he describes what befell the sailing ship Alex. Yates (1,600 tons) twelve or fifteen years ago. She left the Galapagos Islands, off the coast of Ecuador, for Chile, for orders. The first night out she struck an uncharted rock and backed off. The captain ordered all hands to the pumps, feeling he could keep her afloat for twenty-four hours. He provisioned his boats so as- to be ready for any emergency. Luckily for him, the inrush of water suddenly diminished—so much so that half the crew were able to keep the water down. Observing this, Captain Dunham decided to continue his course to Valparaiso, which was his original destination. In due course he arrived there and proceeded to place his ship in dock. On examining the bottom, it was discovered that the cause of the leak checking suddenly had been owing to a large fish getting sucked into the hole made in the hold when the ship first struck the rock, and contriving to be held there owing to the inrush of water, the dead fish having swollen and helped to fill the aperture.

A somewhat similar incident was experienced by Captain Dawson, of the Ventura (for thirty years in the Pacific trade), in the China Seas on board the Chingsang, a composite vessel of 800 tons. She was bound from Hong Kong to Liverpool, when she sprang a leak of sufficient volume to keep the pumps going. On inspection of her keel at Liverpool, the sword of a swordfish was found to have penetrated a teak plank three inches thick in her bottom. The piece of the plank containing the sword was cut out and placed in the Museum at Liverpool, England.

But I am digressing. To get back to Pago Pago, I may say that on the occasion to which I refer, the native band came on deck and played, and many of the couples danced the Tango and rag dances. Some wore shoes, while others danced barefoot. It was Sunday, and many of the girls were stylishly attired in the dresses of their white sisters. The night was very hot and close, but they minded not the heat, so long as the music lasted. But they are no more fond of dancing than their white sisters, as I can remember many years ago on the steamer Orient in the Red Sea, in a very humid atmosphere, quite a commotion was created by the ladies insisting that round dances be continued, while the male passengers protested that square dances required exertion for that climate.

Upon another voyage, we reached Pago at daylight. Shortly after arrival, the natives swarmed on board and the ship presented an animated appearance—the dusky maidens clamoring to purchase the ship barber's stock of chocolates, cigarettes, notions, etc. They roamed about the ship in a light and cheerful mood, which amused some passengers and shocked others. Mr. and Mrs. A. Mees, of Java, were on board, and did not appreciate the levity of the Samoans, saying it was in contrast to their native women, who would not dare to presume in this manner. But in Java the women are not precis, and even leave church-going for their men folk, who are Mohammedans.

As early as 1839, an exploring expedition from the United States, under command of Lieutenant Charles Wilkes, visited the Samoan group, and made surveys. Even then, they made no attempt to hoist the Stars and Stripes on any island in the South Pacific. It was in acquiring Pago Pago that the United States made the first departure from its policy of avoiding entanglements with foreign governments. In 1872 the commander of the United States warship Narragansett arrived at Tutuila, and secured from the Chief a right for the United States to control the harbor of Pago Pago. This was confirmed in 1878 by a treaty made with Chief Mamea, who visited the United States as ambassador of the existing government. Later, in 1872, Sternberger, described as an adventurer by the late Mr. Thomas Trood, British Vice-Consul, arrived in the yacht Peerless, settled in Pago, and enlisted the influence of the Chief, and set about establishing a government with himself as king. He acted in such a high-handed manner that the United States Consul Foster, in 1876, took advantage of the visit of the British warship Barracouta (Captain Stevens) to have him arrested, and deported to the United States. It is said that the English authorities disapproved of Captain Stevens' action in this step, together with his interference in native affairs, in which he endeavored to persuade some of the chiefs to accept Laupapa, thus causing the downfall of Chief Mamea. In a report on American Samoa by a previous governor, W. M. Crose, of the United States Navy, he states that the government of Sternberger was the best the Samoans ever had. Governor Crose added, however, that the State Department submitted Sternberger's case to Congress, which repudiated any agreement he may have made, as without authority.

There are no public lands in Tutuila; in fact, the United States only recently purchased forty acres for a naval station and public school grounds at Pago Pago. The Mormons have a lease for forty years of the 360 acres they occupy.

The Manua group of islands are situated about seventy miles from Tutuila, and are four in number, viz.: Tau, Olosega, Ofu and Rose Island. Rose Island alone is uninhabited. Tau, Olosega and Ofu together have a population of 2,100 souls. Tau has an area of about fifty square miles. Olosega about twenty-five, and Ofu about forty.

The island of Ofu has the entire village of Ofu, about 408 souls. Olosega has the village of Olosega, 355 souls, and Sili, 50 souls. Tau has three villages, viz., Tau, 536 souls; Faleasau, 350, and Fitiuta, 396.

These islands were formerly ruled by a king known as Tui Manua. He was a most noble man, and kept his people free from the outside world. Indeed, Manua was always sufficient unto himself. Here the people regard themselves as better than the average Samoan, and speak the purest language. The Manuans are proud, and were the last to embrace the authority of the Americans after Tutuila had signed the instrument of transfer to the United States. These people have manifested a splendid spirit in reconstructing their villages, and in general dealing with the situation and the famine brought about by the hurricane of 1914.

Years ago an Englishman named Young was shipwrecked on these islands. He stayed there and was cared for by the natives. He grew to love the Manua people and finally married the king's daughter. His progeny still live in Manua, and now own large plantations and are otherwise well to do.

During recent years the United States Government has arranged to market the Tutuila copra crop, thereby securing best prices. A commission of one per cent. is charged, and a deduction of five per cent. for shrinkage is levied. The export reached $50,000 in 1916. The natives are fortunate in having Governor Poyer as their guardian, for he watches the market keenly. Copra prices are generally quoted at so much per ton; but, when speaking to the governor at Pago, I notice he had prices down to half a cent, remarking that copra was bringing nine and one-half cents per pound in San Francisco (1918).

A duty of fifteen per cent is charged on most commodities imported to Pago, the United States being given no preference.

Pago Pago attracted world-wide attention in 1917, when the first word of the fate of the famed German sea raider See Adler was flashed to the Allied Governments by the American Naval Station's wireless. For, on September 19, 1917, the island was astonished by the arrival in Pago Pago of four weary, hungry sailors in a lifeboat, commanded by Captain Halden Smith of the American schooner R.C. Slade. They were some of the survivors from ships sunk by the raider. They had sailed for ten days in a fourteen-foot boat from the Island of Mophea, 1,000 miles to the east, upon which the See Adler had been wrecked. Some of the Slade's crew had attempted to reach Tahiti in the same boat, but were compelled to return on account of unfavorable winds. The story of the See Adler's activities is too well known to need repeating. Sufficient to say that three days after the wreck of the ship, her commander, Count Felix Grof von Luckner, fitted out a 32foot boat carrying two machine guns, rifles and bombs and with a crew of five, started north and went on a raiding cruise in an endeavor to hold up some passing vessel, capture her and turn her into a raider to continue the career ended by the See Adler's wreck. On September 22, 1917, he and his crew were captured off Levuka, Fiji.

When coming through the Samoan Islands in March, 1919, I found so much of interest had occurred since my last visit that I will add a few paragraphs describing incidents:

The night before we reached Pago Pago, Captain Trask picked up a wireless appeal for help from the steamer Jacox, bound from San Francisco to Sydney, several hundred miles distant, stating that she was on fire. Our course was altered to proceed to the rescue when we received another message stating that the fire was under control. The fire was caused by spontaneous combustion in some sulphur.

To show how labor troubles extend to remote islands in the Pacific, I might mention that the schooner Charles Crocker, copra laden from Tonga to San Francisco, ran into a hurricane and had to put into Pago under stress, her fore t' gallant mast and jibboom having been carried away. To add to the Captain's troubles, four of the crew mutinied and were sentenced to various imprisonments by the Governor of the island.

Some naval jackies, belonging to the station at Pago, were also in disgrace for sampling some gin at the Customs House, awaiting transshipment to Apia, with the result that they were discharged from the American Navy and their pay forfeited.

Dealing with international matters is as delicate a task as discussing missionaries in the Pacific, but at times it is due to the reader to refer to these subjects.

Strained relations existed between Governor Poyer (American Samoa) and Governor Logan, of Apia (British Samoa) which is the capital of Upolo and Savaii. The "Flu" was introduced into Apia by the steamer Talune, and the results have been appalling—out of a native population of 36,000 over 9,000 died, but the epidemic did not reach Pago Pago, Tutuila. Governor Poyer notified Apian authorities that no communication would be permitted unless arrivals observed quarantine regulations.

Colonel Logan, of the New Zealand forces, was acting as Governor of British (late German) Samoa, but had returned to New Zealand. The islanders claim that not sufficient precautions against "flu" were taken, and about January, 1919, they got up a petition protesting against his return to Samoa, requesting that the Samoan Islands be taken over by the United States as was preferred, or at least by the Colonial Office, rejecting most emphatically administration by New Zealand. This petition was subsequently withdrawn. Colonel R. W. Tate, C.B.E., was appointed to succeed Colonel Logan as Governor.

They also claim that the American authorities have kept the rhinoceros beetle, which attacks the cocoanut groves, out of Tutuila plantations, while it is very prevalent in Upolo and Savaii.

Few people are aware that treasure is hidden in Pago Pago. In August, 1914, the German steamer Elsass dashed out of Sydney Harbor, tearing away piles enclosing public baths. She sailed direct to Pago Pago, where she was interned till America entered the war. She was then seized and towed to Honolulu, having wilfully crippled her own engines.

The American authorities later on learned that she had on board $12,000,000 in British gold, when she left Sydney.

Upon the signing of the armistice, orders were received from Washington to seize all German property in American Samoa. Search was made for the gold supposed to be in the custody of the German firm, but only $15,000 were found. An American naval officer at Pago Pago, not being satisfied with this, conceived the idea of getting some natives to prod with iron rods any soft spots of earth, with the result that they found several large terra cotta pipes filled with gold. The officer was not at liberty to disclose to my informant the amount secured, but he said he found a "barrel of gold." It is supposed the German authorities shipped some of the gold away during the time of internment.

Some of the cargo from the Elsass was only delivered to the Sydney consignees four years later.