PROGRESS WRECK

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 51, Issue 187, 22 May 1931, Page 3

PROGRESS WRECK

INQUIRY STILL SITTING. TUG MASTER EXAMINED. IMPOSSIBLE TO ASSIST. (Per Press Association). WELLINGTON, May 21. The Court of Inquiry into the wreck of the Progress was continued this afternoon. The report of the watches at Beacon Hill during the/time the Progress was broken down was put in by llaymond Ernest Osborne, officer in charge -of the station. During the time he was on watch from, 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. he did not think that the Progress shiited her position at all. He estimated that the Progress was about U miles off the shore. Captain Worrall: Do you think the Terawhiti could have got out that morning—l wasn't on duty then. Did you see the Toia out ?—Yes. She was making heavy weather of it. She only just got out. The acting-harbourmaster. Captain Spence, said that he first got word that the Progress was in trouble when it was thrown on a screen in a theatre that he was required. He inquired about the position of the progress, and at 9.10 Captain Petersen rang witness, wanting to know if a tug should be sent. Captain Nees, the Holm Company's representative, with whom Captain Petersen, had been in touch, would ,not take on the responsibility himself about the tug. Witness gave them half an hour's grace and then, learning from Beacon Hill that the wind and the sea were increasing, he took steps to send the tug out on his own responsibility. That would be about 940 p.m. Witness had rung Captain Campbell of the Toia and told him to stand by. His instructions were to get the tug; ready to get away as soon as possible. • . Mr Prendeville (for the Marine Department): Was there any discussion regarding payment for the tug?—>ione whatever. I take it that the delay, if any, between 9.0 and 9.40 was concerning the responsibility of sending out the tug, not regarding the payment for the tug?—Quite so He could do nothing more alter giving the order to send out the tug, witness continued, except make inquiries" from time.to time. At 3.30 a.m. he got a message by telephone from Beacon ,Hill from the Toia that the Progress was dragging and she could do nothing further. He understood from what Beacon Hill told him that the Toia was trying to float lines down to the Progress. He also understood that the gun had been used _ Mr Page: Did you order the loia back?—She came back on her own initiative. . Mr Prendeville: What led up to the Toia being sent out the second time?— I took the responsibility on myself.

Progress Not Dragging. Captain Spence said he was out at Island Bay before o a.m., took a bearing on the Progress, and found she was • not dragging. When daylight came the Pa-ogress was labouring very heavily. She was about a mile off lied Rocks. " ' Mr Prendeville: Did you see the Toia?—Yes. She was ahead and further out to sea than the Progress. In the meantime, witness continued, they had noticed that the Terawhiti was on her way out. After the 31atangi had passed they noticed that a distress signal had been hoisted. He came into town about 9 o'clock and ordered the Toia out again. Mr Prendeville: From your observations from the shore you thought the Toia could have done something still r* —Well, it was a ticklish job. But if you ordered her out you must have thought so?—Well, you must realise I am an older man than Captain Campbell. lam head of tlie department at the present tune nndtt would take more risks. Witness went out in the Toia himself. „ ~ . , , Mr Kirbcaklie: No discussion, took place between you and Captain Holm about towage or salvage?—None whatever At the time the Toia arrived at Wellington too much space was given in the newspapers about the advantage of having a powerful salvage tug in port. She has the latest fire-fighting appliances aboard her. (Laughter.) The Toia, he said, was a powerful tug. When he went out in her she went through the Heads at full speed.

Awkward to Manoeuvre. Captain. Spence, in reply to Mr Watson, said the Toia was a very awkward vessel to manoeuvre in heavy weather, unless she was well loaded. Are we to take it she is not efficient for manoeuvring in heavy weather in Cook Strait?—l hardly know how to answer that question. It she is close to land she naturally requires room to move, and you've got to allow lor that in a heavy sea. Was she as efficient as the leiawhiti, or more efficient, for the purposes of bringing the Progress in on that night?—l would not like to express an opinion on that. Captain Spence said if lie had been in the vicinity of the Progress he would prefer to be handling the leraAV We're the weather conditions bad enoush to prevent the Terawhiti going oStthat moniing?-! don't think there was anything to stop her going out. Witness said that knowing the lorn was on the way to the Progress that nio-ht, he felt sure the. tug would nick her up and bring her in. He had no anxietv once the Toia bad been got ready for use. When he heard the Toia had not picked the Progress up he instructed Beacon Hill to ask the mister of the Toia i he used Ins gun. That is a reasonable step to takerWell, that is the last if it is not possible to get a line ou in any other W What is the range of the gun?—A °was under the impression that the Toia replied that he had used the gun. . . .1 • l From vour observations do you think it would have been possible to manoeuvre the Toia under the stern of the Progress to leeward?—\\ell, it could have been done, but a grave risk would have been taken. Would you have done it?—Considering iiiv age I think I would. Witness said he was in charge of the Toia when she went out the second time. There was a fairly heavy sea running. The Progress was under sad, but before he could get to her she was ashore. How far in to the land did you go?— When she went ashore we were between a quarter to half a mile oil. In reply to Mr Watson, Captain Spence said that when he got to the scene in the Toia the Progress was under sail, but before they could get near her she had gone on the rocks. Mr Watson: What was the nearest you got to her in the Toia at that

time?—We were never within a quarter of a mile of her. Had you to turn round at all?—One half mile from shore. Ycu could turn round half a mile from shore?—Yes. To Mr Mazengarb, who asked some questions about the dispatching of tugs, Captain Spence said there had been no .delay through having to get an engineer. He explained that all the master of a ship had to do if he required the services of a tug was to put out two blue or white lights horizontallv, as far apart as possible. A tug would then be sent by the Harbour Board, provided the ship did not belong to the Union Company or its combine. , Mr Treadwell: An attempt had been made to draw from you, Captain Spence, answers detrimental to my client. You have said that you might have o-one to leeward of the Progress. Who is the best judge of whether a ship can manoeuvre in a certain way.'' —The master of the ship. And you, with your great experience of the "sea, would not consider yourself a better judge whether help could be effected ?—No. You have said you turned round half a mile from shore?—Yes, but it was more open, a sort of bay.

Captain Peterson's Evidence. Captain Peter Stanley Peterson, acting deputy harbourmaster, said he had first got word of the Progress at 8.4 U pin from the watch foreman. He got into' touch with Captain Nees of the Holm Company, and asked if he knew of the Progrses. He was told "Yes. Witness asked if he were sending the tu«- out. Captain Nees said he wanted to get into touch with Captain Holm first 5 . Witness advised him to get a taxi. He rang Captain Campbell at V p.m. and told him to get steam on the Toia as soon as possible, and notify the engineer. Captain Campbell was told not to go down until he got mrtiier instructions. No request for the tug had been received up to then. He rang Beacon Hill and told him to watch very carefully to see if any: distress signals were put up. If they had bee'n put up he would have waited for no one and would have sent the tug immediately. At 9.10 he got into touch with Captain Spence, gave him the position and told him what had been done. At 4 o'clock next morning he was rung by Captain Spence, and told to get the rocket apparatus out. Witness described what they had done with this on shore. ..

Master of the Toia. Captain William Henry Campbell, master of the Toia, said the ship was fully equipped with both Manila and steel hawsers for towing. Witness heard first of the Progress when he got a ring from Captain Petersen, at 9.10 p m., as the captain had explained. He described all the steps he took to assemble the crew and carry out the directions lie had received. The vessel left the wharf at 10.43 and had eight on board all told, including the captain. The net draught would be lilt. 6in. forward and 14ft. sin. aft. They cleared the heads at 11.40 p.m. the wind was south-east, force seven to eight, with a rough sea. Visibility was o-ood. He could not see the Progress, so he asked Beacon Hill to signal the Progress and ask her to burn a blue lamp. The Progress put up a blue light. The Toia went straight to her, reaching her at 1 a.m. Mr Prendeville : What would you say the position of the Progress was at that time?—Well, I had no bearings, but I took it as about a mile south south-east of Sinclair Head. The wind and sea had certainly increased. When we approached the -Progress he had no navigation lights, but when we came up he switched them on. We went across his hows windward of him, and rounded up on the port helm of his weather side.

Getting Line to the Progress. '•I brought the tug along parallel to him, but with the weather prevailing I hardly thought it possible to throw a heaving line," said witness. " 1 rounded up head to wind abreast of his bow. When we backed down I suppose we got to anything within oU feet. As soon as we got down to him the wind took the Tola's bow and swung us round. I tried again two or three times, but on each occasion the Toia slewed right round. Then 1 tried to float a line down, with a buoy, but this was unsuccessful. I told the crew to get the line-throwing gun, but at this stage I saw the Progress had floated a lighted lifebuoy with a line. I told the crew that we would drift down and pick the line up. Wind and sea were increasing all the time. When we picked up the Progress's messenger I steamed slowly out parallel to the Progress until our port quarter was parallel with her starboard bow. The two ships were then ranging together. We must have been within 50 feet of each other. We had heaving lines the whole length of the ship on the port side, so that wherever we picked up their messenger we would be end on. We bent the end of two heaving lines bent together on to the messenger, and on to the heaving lines we attached our 2-I-in messenger. "The crew on deck could see that one end of our messenger was onboard the Progress, and they then bent our steel towing wire to it. When I thought they would have one end of the wire I Morsed and asked whether they had it fast. We were moving slowly up as those on the Progress were taking in the line. I got a reply saving. ' Not yet.' '••The next thing I knew was a Morse message saying "that the line had parted. During these, operations we heard someone'on the Progress shoot out that his anchors were down. • •'When I got the signal that the line had broken, there was only one thing to do —steam away. A whole lot of wire rone. 120 fathoms, had been paid out. and I had to keep going ahead 'until I got the whole of this wire in. My impression was that the line had broken at 2 o'clock. By the time avc got the towing wire aboard it was 2.50. While getting the wire in. the decks were continually awash. I personally went down and gave a hand with 'the wire. The remains of the messenger came in on the end of the wire. By this time the wind had got up. and there were heavy squalls. It was reported to me that the starboard engine-room skylight door had carried away, and the tug was taking considerable water down below.

Impossible to Help. '•'At this stage I had seen that the weather was so bad that it would be impossible to help the Progress. I called ui) Beacon Hill, and told them to tell Captain Spence that the weather was too bad to do anything, and that the Progress had both anchors down. Just then I received a Morse message from the Progress to say that she was dragging. I reported this to Beacon HillT A few minutes afterwards I got a message from Beacon Hill to ask if we, had tried the gun. I replied, ' Yes.' Then I received a message saying that Cantain Spence was coming round bv road. Just before daybreak Beacon "Hill told me that the Terawhiti was coming round. "At daybreak the wind and sea had increased." We shaped a course for the

.Progress. Looking at the Progress during daylight I considered that it wouhP have been a most dangerous manoeuvre, imperilling my ship and endangering lives, to have attempted to pass to leeward to the Progress. As far as I could see. the only assistance that could come to the Progress was by the shore. I knew that Captain Spence had gone round on shore, and I surmised that he would take rocket apparatus. I got within about a quarter of a mile of her. By.this time my crew were exhaused. Seeing 1 had decided that the Toia could not possibly help the Progress. I returned to port." The Court adjourned till to-morrow.