THE MARINE ENQUIRY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXiX, Issue 7727, 22 February 1909, Page 2

THE MARINE ENQUIRY.

THE CAPTAIN'S EVIDENCE.

WELLINGTON, February 22. The enquiry into the wreck of tho Penguin was resumed to-day. Captain Naylor, in his evidence, stated that before leaving Picton at 6.20 p.m. on the 12th, he could not tell what the weather was likely to be outside. The average speed of the Penguin' was 12J knots. On coming out of Torey Channel thero was very little sea and the weather was overcast-,. the wind being from the south-east. The currents at the head of Torey "Channel ran rapidly, as a rule, from one to three knots. When the boat emerged from Torey Channel, witness set southeast, a quarter east- by east- course. At 8 o'clock he went south-east by east .again and stood on that course till 20 minutes to ten. The ship by that time had steamed 22 miles. Ho reckoned she had done eighteen and it was 17$ miles from the Heads to Toms Rock. Witness, in his calculations, had made allowance for current, and, according to his reckoning, He would have been just' past Tom's Rock at 20 minutes to ten. I At 9 o'clock it was raining heavily and the squalls continued. Between 9.15 and 9.30 it became very dark. He did not alter the coarse till 20 minutes to 10, nor did ho take any soundings. He' noticed that the tides in Tory Channel were not according to tho .book. The tide was running in on the south, and' out on the north. Witness had-expect-ed slack water, and to meet this diffi- ~ culty he had steered a soiith-east-by-east course. This would keep the beacons in line, and so enable him to clear Tom's Rock. He considered he was on a good safe course at 20 minutes to 10 o'clock. He reckoned that lie had pass-^-^-. Ed Tom's Rock, and was' a good tnrSfr miles off it at that hour. He altered the course to east-by-south,, and ran her for 20 minutes. This should liave put him past Sinclair Head:'He coisla see practically nothing in-shore, ■

Counsel: " I put it to you that soundings should have been taken." Witness: "To have taken soundings with the lead I should have been courting danger, because I would have had to stop the ship, and that would have been dangerous." For the same season witness said he did not slow down. Counsel: "I put it to you, that after you came out of Tory Channel and lost'tho Brothers, you did not know whore you were." Witness: " I set a course that would have made mo absolutely safe tinder normal conditions." Continuing, he said that the ship struck at 2 minutes past 10 o'clock, at the moment he was putting the ship's head out to sea. He did so because if lie ran on much further he would be at Baring Head. He had never experienced such a "set-in" in the current as lie had that night. Tho boats and gear were in good order, and four would have been ample, if no damage had occurred. The last time boat-drill was held on th-3 ship was at Picton on January 13. In reply to questions, Captain Naylor said that he was off the deck for' five minutes to get his naper proof, and he was just near the bridge when the ship went down. Good order prevailed, barring the excitement of two passengers and a member of the crew, who let No. 3 boat out of the falls. Witness drifted ashore on an upturned boat. Referring to the statement that masters frequently lost all lights in Cook Strait, counsel.asked : Is it the practice under these circumstances, in going through the Straits, for masters to so on their course ? Witness: Yes; because all masters set a safe course and continue on. Counsel here read Regulation 33 which specified that, should foggy weather set in when a steamer is coasting or in the neighbourhood of land, the captain must take charge of the ship, the lead must be frequently used, and if the soundings suggest the slightest doubt of the course the ship is running, her bond must be turned away from what is considered the direction of the land, njid her progress stayed until her exact position is ascertained. Counsel asked witness if it was not ]iis duty, under the regulations, to put the ship away from land after 9.51 p.m. "I did not consider it so." replied the witness; "the course I set should have taken its clear."