NAUTICAL INQUIRY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 67, 19 March 1917, Page 6

NAUTICAL INQUIRY.

GISBORNE COLLISION. FOURTH DAY. i Mr. C. C. Kettle, S.M., and Captains ; McKenzio and Reed to-day took the i fourth day's hearing of evidence regardi ing the collision of the Arahura with a ' Home Jincr at Gisborne roadstead ou 1 March 1. . I Captain Goddard, of the liner, recalled, I said -he wished to correct any impression , "he had made regarding the position ot , ihis ship. She did not (leave lier anchori age at all just before the collision. ; Captain Dryden, of the Arahura, was '' also recalled. He said when he went to _ sea that night the red light of the liner . was burning, not the green. He could . not say what he would have done if he ..had known the liner was under way , the same time as the Arahura was. As _ he got the green light he felt it was undoubtedly the liner's duty to keep out of his way. Mr. Shera, replacing Mr. Mays for the Marine Department, said ihe wished to - bring evidence at a later stage. Mr. McGregor, for Captain Goddard, called Howard Towne Foil, chief officer of the liner. He took the bearings ol • tho ship's position' at the anchorage twice a day, and the position never altered further than the swing. Tlie next ship to the liner was the Wimmcra, and ■they could just see the Arahura astern of her. He did not see the Arahura 9 after it got dark. He could not see*her lat 7.30. At 10 pm. he reported to the c master that loading was completed and '. received orders from him to go to sta--8 tions and heave in to the 45-fathow j r shackle. ' They started blowing the ] i. Whistle for the tug about 9.30 or 9.45 ,- .p.m. They blew every five minutes till the anchor was sihort, and then every, minute till the tug appeared. A little repair was being done to the port light between 8 and 10 pxn. It was not correct that the liner's green light was l " burning during the evening. It was out at 8 and at 10. Witness saw the lamv trimmer test the starboard light at 10 • p.m. It was about 10.45 when the tug' '• arrived. When the ropes of the lighter. were cast off the captain ordered j "heave right oip." At this time there I was a strain ou the cable, and witness | considered it was due to the effect of | the tide on the ship. As soon as hcre-| ported "anchor-a-weig-i" the lights were j all switched on. When he felt the j steamer vibrate he thought it was caused ; 9 Iby the engines going astern, and then j f he saw a steamer making towards tha : : liner. She was heading towards the liner though well clear of the bow, and it struck witness that she was coming very close, though'tie could not tell -how close. He saw the vessel was not going from three to four knots ahead from fc&a '• time of up-anchor to the collision. He " took it the other vessel was porting because her quarter was coming more towards the liner than was her bow. It "• was not till tlie two vessels were very close together that he was certain II there would be a collision. When the Arafhura got about halfway past the liner she struck the stern a glancing _ Wow. Witness was certain the liner had f no headway on 'her. There was only one bump, the next wa* merely a contact. g To Mr Moody: Had the liner gone y astern a good way the Arahura would never have touched her. It would be a couple of minutes -after the anchor was a home that the collision occurred. •