CALLIOPE DOCK DISASTER.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 150, 25 June 1907, Page 3

CALLIOPE DOCK DISASTER.

ACTION TOR DAMAGES CONTINUED. THE CASE FOR THE DEFENCE. The Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company's claim for £15,000 against the Auckland Harbour Board was continued in the Supreme Court yesterday afternoon, when evidence was called in support of the defendant's case. Continuing his address to the jury, Mr Skerrett dealt with the construction and the material of the blocks. During the whole twenty years the Calliope had been working no ship with such a large overhang, or anything approaching it, had been docked. That overhang must have placed a very heavy weight on the forward blocks. He would not dwell upon the number of shores which the contractor used. One had stated 14, and another IG. He would assume that 16 were used, but there should have been 27 shores on each side to satisfactorily shore the boat. Only one witness haA stated that the ship was in the centre forward, and that was a young, "inexperienced man. If the Niwa.ru had met with an accident, no one would have had the slightest doubt that she was piaced in the centre of the blocks; but he would produce photographs showing the very narrow margin which that vessel occupied between safety and peril. The docking of the Mamari was done in such a manner as to render it likely that this accident would occur. CAPTAIN DUDER'S EVIDENCE. Captain Duder, the Harbour Master, and Dock Master, said he had occupied these positions for 14 years. His duties as Dock Master consisted of his arranging for the taking of large vessels in dock. When the vessels were brought in it was his duty to put '"r - * in the centre of the dock approximately, and to direct the placing of the lines. When that w-as completed he jfanded the work over to the contractor. The dimensions of the dock were:—Total length, 525 ft; width of floor, 40ft: width at top, 110 ft; depth at ordinary spring tides. 35ft. The normal height of the blocks immediately prior to docking the Mamari was 3ft 44in. The height had formerly been 3ft Bin; but this was reduced when the dock floor was altered several years ago. For the docking cf the Kaikoura the blocks were raised to 4ft 10in. Subsequently,, in company with Mc MeFarlane, dock engineer, witness examined the blocks, and everything appeared to be satisfactory. It was customary to examine the blocks almost every day that a ship was in. which would average about a hundred times a year. He did not always make the examinations personally: sometimes it was done, by an officer of the Board. When witness noticed any unsound blocks he reported the matter, and they were replaced by sound ones. The Kaikoura was docked on November 21st. and prior to her going on the blocks they were examined by the captain and chief officer of the boat. For four days the Kaikoura was in the dock, and during that time the blocks were examined by witness and Mr McFarlane. They found everything in first-class order. There was no undue strain on them. On the afternoon beifore the Kaikoura went out witness again examined the block?., and founct them in the same good order. Witness went on to describe the method adopted in undocking vessels. Erery car« was taken in refloating the Kaikoura, and taking her out, and there was no wreckage about to be seen. When the local agent for the Mamari (Mr McGregor) came to see witness with regard to docking the vessel, witness asked for dimensions and for a cross-section plan. Mr McGregor promised to supply the latter. Subsequently witness arranged for Captain McS'i;tt to s?e him the day before the docking, but. althoujrh he waited for him the whole day he did aot come. At this stage the Court adjourned until this morning.

TO-DAY'S PROCEEDINGS.

When the Court resumed this morning Captain Duder. continuing his evidence, said that regarding his conversation with Captain Moffatt he told him to pump out some of the after water to bring the stern up. He had no conversation with Captain Moffatt regarding the ship's dimensions. He had particulars of her length, breadth, and depth in Lloyd's register. Witness had" no conversation with Captain Moffatt regarding plans. Captain Moffatt was quite mistaken when he said that he offered to show witness his plans, nor had Captain Moffatt stated anything of the sort in the Lower Court. Witness told Captain Moffatt he was going to put the Mamari on the Kaikoura's raised blocks (4ft. lOins.). Xo objection was made to that. He did not tell Captain Moffatt that the blocks were raised by guesswork. Witness then left the ship and came ashore about 5 o'clock. He returned later and slept on board the steamer, and on the following morning went on the bridge ivith Captain Moffatt about half-past three. The anchor was hauled up, and the boat taken to the dock gates at daylight. Witness placed her approximately over the blocks in the dock at 4.15. The gates were closed and the pumps started. The ship was hoved to the head of the dock and the lines placed in the different bollards under his instructions. Witness remained on board until about 5 o'clock, and then went ashore, walked round the dock, saw and talked to the engineer, and ultimately left the dock about half-past nine. When the Mamari went in the dock there was 311-ft. of water. The floor of the dock had a fall of 15 inches from the head to the outer position. Witness saw the contractor start the shoring at 6.45 a.m. At that time witness gave instructions for one of the pumps to be stopped, in consequence of the contractor telling him that the water was going down too quickly. The shoring commenced aft. He particularly noticed the position of the It was practically in the centre of the blocks ami apparently upright. The water had receded 16 or 17 inches when the shoring was begun. Witness remained walking up and down until the shoring was completed. The water had soughed possibly 6 feet when witness left the dock, and the shoring was then completed. There were 12 shores on each side of the ship. It was untrue that there were 16 on each side. The shores were placed at 30 feet intervals, roughly. Witness had 200 shores in the dock of various lengths, 60 of which would be suitable for shoring the Mamari. The contractor took just over an hour in shoring. During the process of shoring the pumps were slowed, stopped, and started again, as the contractor desired.

Witness said he was not in the dockyard when the accident occurred. As soon as he heard of it he hurried across and took the Mamari out of the. desk

at 4 p.m. When the dock was pumped dry in the evening witness was present and noticed the condition of the blocks. Those the ship had struck were all thrown down and forward. Some were crushed to splinters. Some were standing at each end of the dock. These he examined the following day. There were four at the front and five at the back. They there perfect, notwithstanding the- mighty rush of water on both sides of them. Those in front had battens, not dogs. On the second docking of the Mamari witness made an examination of the blocks in company with Mr. Plamer, Mr. McFarlane, and either Mr. Russell or Mr. McVeagh. Forty-four ot the pohutukawa sets of blocks rescued from the debris after the accident were re-erected and used. He again examined the blocks when the Mamari was on them. The pohutukawa blocks were in first-class order. Some of the ironbark blocks were very much split, and showed considerable stress and strain. Witness did not see the blocks on the first docking. It was material, as a dockmaster, that he should have t>een acquainted with the fact that the vessel had the two overhangs. He had never « vessel in the Auckland dock with -, ,nJi an overhang. There would be a lot of machinery and heavy material stored in those overhangs. The effect of the overhang would be to strain the forward block in consequence of the heavyweight. The weight of the material referred to he estimated at not less than 150 tons, exclusive of the weight of the ship and the water ballast. The object of bracing the blocks as was done was to prevent their floating, accidentally loosened, and to give them rigidity when a ship wae settling on and floating off ithein. In his judgment the bracing, straps, dogs, etc., were sufficient for that purpose. Water was admitted into the dock near the gate on the port side, rushes in, strikes the solid masonry on the opposite side, and then filters steadily up the dock. Five of the blocks left standing after the accident were in the neighbourhood of w-here. the water rushed in, the nearest being about 12ft. to 15ft. away. The blocks built as thfy were, were sufficient for a boat of the size and weight of the Mamari. The dork was not pumped down after the Kaikoura left and before the Mamari came m. In witness's opinion it was not necessary to pump out the water before taking the Mamari in. As far as -witness knew, the general I custom throughout the world was to pump down the dock when it was found that the previous ship had unduly strained the block or when it was necessary to get at the keel of the ship or a plate or if there were any signs that the blocks would be displaced in the floating of a ship. In theis particular case, because they stood under the Kaikoura without a flaw. Witness, when commanding a, s-hip, had had experience of the docking of ships elsewhere, and had stood outside of Duke's Dock, Melbourne, waiting his turn. It was not uncommon for a number of ships to go in one after the other. It was not the custom to pump I down if the blocks were all right wheii the other boat left there. The height of the blocks used for the Mamari was Uft. 10in. The base block was fift. Gin. i long, lllin. deep, and loin, broad. That jtras surmounted by wedges Sin. thick at j the thick end. All the blocks were of pohutukawa, which were not of iarvah. The cradle was placed on top oi the wedges. The cradle and the wedges, as set up together, were 13in. to 14in. high, and the same breadth as the other blocks, pius lain. Other pieces were. 4ft. Gin. lcajr by a breadth of loin, and a depth of 14in. That was surmounted by two pieces of jarrah. The height of the blocks, witness said, was no source of insecurity in the manner they were fastened and secure;]. They should not be described as temporarj- blocks. They had all the characteristics of permanent blocks. He remembered the docking of the Niwaru and the Buteshire. H.e identified a steTeoscopic photograph of tbe 3tern of the Niwaru in Calliope dock, and said he vessel's keel was well over on the right hand side of the blocks. The vessel had 1000 tons of lead bullion, tSOO tons of cargo, saturated with water, übout 1700 tons of coal, and the two lower after holds full of water. Tbe vessrl 'would weigh then, roughly, from 12.000 Oo 13,000 tons. Raised blocka, 4ft. 6in. high were used for the Niwaru, the raised part being kauri. They were secured in the same manner as the Kaikoura's block;. The Niwaru rested approximately on 84 blocks. She was over seven weeks in the dock. The blocks were examined after she was taken, and the water pumped out. He found the stern of the ship over one side of the blocks, and the bow over the other, and some of the kauri blocking was cracking. the Pohutukawa was all in good order and showed no signs of straining. There was no diagonal bracing for the blocks when the Niwaru went in, but soma (were put in just before she was floaLerl j off to secure the extra loose sets of blocks put in after she wai docked. The : Niwaru needed repairs necessitating n 'good number of the keel blocks. The j Buteshire came into dock with two propeller blades broken. She was almost full of cargo, and rested on from 78 to 80 blocks. Her weight would be about 13,000 tons. On that occasion the blocks were not raised. They were braced on that occasion by four wooden battens only, two on ea-ch side. No dogs were used or iron straps. The water was not all pumped out on that occasion, übout lift, over the blocks was left in. Since that time (1896), the additional bracjing had been introduced. It was the

docking of the Buteshire that brought about the additions to the fastenings of the blocks. There was no opportunity oF observing the condition of the blocks when the vessel was in. owing to the dock not being pumped dry. After she wen-t out the dock was pumped out, and he found six sets of blocks lying in the bottom of the dock with the fastenings off them. On examining the blocks he could not find them crushed or strained in any way, only the fastenings bad suffered. Occasionally the Admiralty docked ships in Calliope dock. The ships' officers on those occasions took the vessels in and out. The blocks were arranged by the ship's contractor for docking. (Continued on page 5.)