Sword Dance Fire

Shattering Blow To

American Samoans

From Ralph Craib, in San Francisco Almost every Samoan family in California and American Samoa seems to have been affected by the disastrous fire at a Samoan gathering in San Francisco on May 23. fPWELVE people suffered fatal A burns and another 77 were hospitalised when a tragic misunder standing turned the gathering into a fiery scene of panic and horror.

The list of dead and burned was so large that it was a shattering blow to California’s Samoan community and to American Samoa.

The victims and some 220 other people had gathered at All Hallows Catholic Church in a San Francisco residential area for a Saturday night social of entertainment and dancing sponsored by the Samoan Catholic Benevolent Society.

David Quane, 25, a professional night club entertainer, was to per form a ritual flaming sword dance as a high-point of the entertainment.

In his ritual, he lights candles on

FROM FIJI: At a social gathering of the Polynesian Association in Sydney recently was this party of people who either live or used to live in Suva or Rotuma. From left (standing) are: Mr. Barry Johnson, Miss E. Bently, Mr. A. Bowerman, Mrs. V.

Sukamanu and Mr. C. Benz. Seater (from left) are Mrs. Barry Johnson and Mrs.

C. Benz.—Tele-Photos.

e stage, dips his fingers into gasoline id dramatically uses his own flam g hand to light the cotton swabs aked with gasoline on the sword ades. On the fateful night, he had iptied a gallon of gasoline into a »wl and was about to take the ndles on stage.

He realised that he had no matches light the candles and asked a jsician for a match. The drummer, 10 was not familiar with Quane’s t, reached out with a flaming ;arette lighter—instead of the unlit itches Quane desired—and the soline was aflame in a second.

Spectators ran for a fire hose and ned it on the bowl of flaming soline; this mistaken effort did not ench the flames, but spread them ■oss the entire stage and into dried 1m leaves being used as decora ns.

In the ensuing panic, two exits ir the stage apparently went un ;d and the main entrance was •eked, at least momentarily, by a d table at which entrance tickets 3 been sold.

Fhe disaster resulted in immediate bilisation of San Francisco’s Civil fence and Disaster Corps. The f’s emergency facilities were over elmed and a Municipal Railway i was used to take some burn tims to hospital after all available bulances had been called to the ne. irnest Reid, president of the San mcisco Bay Area Samoan Civic jociation, and Tenari Fuimano, his inci p a 1 assistant, immediately nched appeals for blood for the tims and for funds to care for se who will not be able to work

for many months. Within a few days, 850 San Franciscans had given blood, and cheques totalling 4,000 dollars had been received by Reid and by the American Red Cross.

San Francisco city officials are considering making such entertain ments as the fire dance illegal unless the performer obtains a permit and the fire department inspects the premises where the entertainment is to be performed.

Damage suits alleging wrongful death have already been filed by some next-of-kin against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Fran cisco. They charge that the church social hall did not have adequate exits.

The dead include: Fa’aaoga M.

Tuelua, 27, of Fagatoga; Frances Bernard Himphill, 16, son of the president of the Samoan Catholic Benevolent Society, of Lalolaloa; Tagaluia Lefiti Jr., about 27, of Fagatoga; Tumuatasi V. Malepeai, 29, US Coast Guard enlisted man, of Fagaitua; Falaniko Tou Paaloalo, 32, merchant seaman, of Alao; Tavita Pa’ama’i Tuiagamoa, 25, air line caterer, of Malaeloa; Aoese Osoimalo, about 26, Army enlisted man, of Utulei; Aiva’a Tafao, about 40, steel worker, of Utulei; Fe’e Tafao; Togi Mata’u; James Edwards; and Robert Orton. The last two were not Samoans.

UILT FOR TWO: Tonga, which is noted [?]r its conservative ways, has been show g an inclination lately for more and ore modern mechanical things. Here is g brother John taking his small brother [?]kuofo for a ride on their new tricycle, hich their father imported from New Zealand recently.— Photo: Hettig.