THE VESPER, INQUARY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 67, 19 March 1910, Page 10

THE VESPER, INQUARY.

Iv -A'POHEF FOR THE3IABIKH- -A 5" iy ■• -•■ iMDEPAETMENI. . . ; tH In deciding to cancel- Captain Peter Petersen's certificate, as an-outcome of the- auxiliary ketch VeSper; running on to the rocks -at Whangaparoa, the-chair-man of the Nautical Court '-■ of - Inquiry (Mr C. C. 'Kettle, S-M.) yesterday re- : marked. that the Court; was/unanimously of the t opinion: the casualty "was caused by the wrongful act arid default of the master "in leaving the helm, and going (below - and a falling ' asleep. The .vessel had '. been deft" without anyone on deck, and the damage sustained by her strand-ing-was serious- damageiwithin the meaning of the Act. The ' evidence showed that -Petersen was a man of intemperate habits, and the Court, while regretting that it-should be necessary to take such action, felt it to "be its duty to cancel the master's certificate. The evidence also disclosed breaches of the Shipping and Seamen's. Act, in that the vessel had been allowed to proceed to eea with, an insufficient crew. Another matter in .■which the Court had more than once urged the 7 Government to take action ■was in regard to the- system of allowing .boats .to proceed to sea with only .one man on deck and without a look-out. The man at the wheel might meet with an accident or be seized with a fit, as Petersen declared he was in this case, and the vessel left to drift to destruction. It # was .time, in the Court's. opinion, that a test case was brought forward on this question. Captain Fleming replied that-lie would bring the point in question before the Marine Department, with a view to further action. Mr Kettle added that the Court considered that the owners of the Vesper should stand the costs of the_inquiry.