Bus Crashes Into

River

Samoan Youth Killed

From Our Own Correspondent APIA, April 13.

CRASHING through a wooden railing on the Letogo Bridge, the passenger motor bus No. 3, owned by the Gold Star Transport Co., fell into the river on April 6. A native youth Patioli, 19, of Solo Solo village, was killed instantaneously. The driver Su’a Tuitaufusi, sustained a broken rib, and a passenger a broken arm.

The bus had left Apia for Falefa, on the coast east of Apia, with 18 passen gers, including Captain C. Doughty, of the B.P. vessel Makoa, and Father J. B.

Doumeizel of the R.C. Mission. After passing through the Reparation Estates plantation at Vailele, it reached the steep incline of a hill, at the foot of which the road turns on to a small wooden bridge over the Letogo River, flowing into the sea. Apparently the vehicle gained im petus down the hill and the driver turned on to the bridge a bit too late. The heavy bus raced through the railing and shot into the river, which though almost at full tide was not very deep at this particular place.

Captain Doughty and those who had escaped injury pulled the survivors from the debris and out of the river. The whole of the superstructure of the bus was torn off and smashed to matchwork.

The unfortunate passengers, who were drenched to the skin and mostly suffer ing from cold, had lost all their belong ings and provisions. They were taken back to Apia, where the injured received hospital treatment.

The driver has had 20 years’ experience as a driver, but had lately, on receiving a chief’s title, retired from work and gone to his plantation at Fasitto. This was his first trip since he resumed \Vork after a lengthy rest. His wife, who was also a passenger on the unlucky trip, is Fa’agase, a Safune (Savaii) girl, who was the heroine of the famous Flaherty film “Moana of the South Seas.”