Swam All Night

Passengers From Wrecked Tongan Cutter

Nukualofa, Feb. 20.

WHILE on her way from Haapai to Vavau, with thirteen passengers, including men, women and child ren, and a crew of four, with her cap tain, a Fijian named Elemasi Somo, a small inter-island cutter, the “Toutou noa”, capsized at 5 p.m. on February 6, when about six miles from Vavau.

The vessel was passing oyer a sub merged reef when a wave struck her amidship and turned her on her beam ends, so that her sails came into con tact with the sea. Unable to lift the weight of her water-logged sails and right herself, the vessel capsized.

The three children among the passen gers, with two elderly women, were placed in the vessel’s small rowing-boat, in charge of a member of the crew, while the rest of the passengers and crew swam.

With the help of a piece of board as paddle (since her oars were lost in the accident) the little boat managed to reach the small, uninhabited island of Luahiabo during the night, where they rested before starting out in the morn

ing to the inhabited island of Falevai.

But, finding Falevai difficult to reach, they turned to the island of Ovaka, also inhabited, where they arrived in the afternoon.

In the meanwhile, those who had been swimming, with the exception of a man named Kebu Malafu (who is still missing and is believed lost) managed to land on some of the small, uninhabited, outlying islands of Vavau during the day, after being in the water all night.

Six landed on the island of Maninita. one on Fua’amotu and four on Fonua oneone. These were found and taken to Neiafu by search parties, next day, February 8.

The missing man was last seen at dusk, on the day of the accident, swim ming with the vessel’s rudder, in the direction of Vavau. He was the first to leave the sinking vessel.

Passengers and crew were unanimous that the accident could have been averted. The captain has been charged with manslaughter and is awaiting trial.

The engagement was announced re cently in English newspapers of Miss Carola Peyton-Jones, of Wendover, Bucks., to Mr. Peter Ambrose Luke, elder son of Sir Harry Luke, Governor of Fiji and High Commissioner for the Western Pacific.