Drought, after the 1895 and 1899 typhoons, helps collapse Yap’s copra trade.

What happened

Yap’s copra exports had already fallen from about 1,500 tons a year in 1880 to half that, mainly because leaf lice introduced in 1895 damaged the coconut palms. A severe typhoon in 1895, a lesser one in 1899 and the 1900 drought finished the trade: by 1901 Yap exported only about 100 tons, and trader David O’Keefe turned to general shipping.