CHRISTCHURCH, this day.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 251, 1 November 1901, Page 5

CHRISTCHURCH, this day.

The Ariadne case was continued today. Frank Kochnitzkie, able seaman, deposed that he joined the Ariadne a few days before she left Sydney. He remembered a number of trunks, bags and packages being landed from the yacht the night before sailing, under Kerry's supervision. When nearing the New Zealand coast he saw the lifeboat being got ready. Witness, on the night the vessel was wrecked, saw breakers ahead on corning on deck at 8 o'clock. The vessel was then heading for the shore, which was between half a mile and a mile away. Witness called loudly to the captain,"You are putting her ashore." No answer was received, and nothing was done. About live minutes later the vessel struck close in shore. The yacht was heading for the shore all the time after four o'clock.

Witness was cross-examined by Mr. Napier at considerable length with reference to the packages landed at Sydney. He said the bags contained

something soft, but he could not say whether it was only soiled linen. He had not heard Kerry say the trunks, boxes and bags Avere his luggage, which he was landing because he was not going,to New Zealand. No provisions were put aboard the lifeboat during the voyage. He was wrong in saying the vessel was heading for the shore all the time from four o'clock till the wreck. The vessel was tackills' all the afternoon.

Hermann Wind, able seaman, doposed that he joined the Ariadne on February 23rd. The day before the vessel left Sydney witness went to ask leave to go ashore. Mumford and Kerry were standing by the* ship's rail. Witness heard Kerry say: "lk> you remember our agreement. £400 for you if you make this right; but for God's sake don't make a mess of it. Pile her up somewhere; do anything to get rid of her. I have paid that -much.insurance. ,p Ihe followed something witness could not understand. Finally Kerry added: "I've got your word for it." Witness did not hear Mumford's answer. Mumford turned round and saw witness, and asked what he wanted, and hearing his request, said: "I can't give you leave; you had better go to Mr Kerry." The latter refused to give leave. Witness saw Kerry go ashore that evening in the lifeboat, which contained trunks, bags, and small parcels. The lifeboat was fitted out during the voyage, but was lost in a storm.

To Mr Hanlon: Witness was dissatisfied on the voyage. The cooking was bad and food scarce. He had a row with the captain about it. The latter was abusive iand offered to fight witness and tried to hit him. During the nautical enquiry witness stayed at the same boardinghouse as Attwood, Kochmitzki and Waehsmith. They had never talked about the wreck. Witness saw a lawyer before giving evidence at the enquiry. Attwood and Kochmitzki went with him.

Mr Hanlon: Did you at the nautical enquiry say one single word about the conversation between Kerry and Mumford.

Witness: I did not

To Mr Myers: Witness said nothing at the nautical enquiry about the Kerry-Mumford .conversation because he did not know it was connected with the wreck of the yacht.

Claude Ferrier, nautical surveyor, deposed that at the request of Lloyd's Dunedin agent, he inspected the wreck on March 29th. The vessel was badly found. There were very little provisions aboard. She was ill fitted for a yacht of her class. Some of the fittings seemed to have been taken out. The sails were in bad order. He asked the captain where was the chart used on the coast. Mumford replied that the chart was burned by a lamp falling. He pointed to a place in the drawing-room where a cushion and :

portion of the panelling had been burned. It was not usual to use the chart in the drawing room. Witness had the lockers broken open. They contained next to nothing. In sucH a yacht he would certainly expect to find plate and dinner service in the lockers.

To Mr Napier: So far as witness could see nothing had been taken away whilst the vessel was ashore,

(Continued on page 8.)

A Maori named Waipapa Hearaka, convicted on three charges of theft, and sentenced to periods totalling eight months, was brought down from Russell by the s.s. Clansman to-day, and was lodged in Mount Eden gaol.

Mr W. Fricker has succeeded in hatching thrushes* in an aviary, which is generally considered a difficult achievement. A number of thrushes were in the aviary, and O'.ie b.rd made a nest and hatched three little ones. These were doing well for several days, when the three or four thrushes in the aviary not interested in the young ones hauled them out of the nest and killed them: The biid is, however, sitting again, a_.d the others have as a matter of precaution been moved out of the aviary.