THE LATEST.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 136099, 25 April 1908, Page 10

THE LATEST.

(I'RKSS ASSOCIATION" TELEGRAM.)

WESTPOUT, April 24 (10.20 p.m.) The Taviuni has shifted iier position, and ehe is now about 700 yards distant from tho breakwater, with the stern pointing. norUi-eastward. Attempts made to get out cables and anchors to hold her failed.

A preliminary enouiry into tho cause of tho accident was held by tho Collector of Customs to-day. It is understood that tho , captain attributes tho mishap to his failure to pick up tho leading red light at tho breakwater, the weather being somewhat squally at th© time.

Tho local office of tho Union Company received a telegram from Westport yesterday afternoon stating that tho Taviuni had gone still further up on tho beach. At low water tho vessel is practically high and dry, but at high tide thero is about 12ft of water in tho after hold, and 4ft in the- on-gine-.room. Tho position of tho vessel is regarded as very serious. Tho Taviuni is ono of tho best known of the- Union Company's passenger steamere. She was built eighteen years ago, and was launched in 1890 from the- -yards of Messrs Denny Bros., of Dumbarton, the builders of a largo number of tho Union Company's steamers. The Taviuni was built specially for tho company's Pacific Islands trade, in which sho was employed for many years. Sho is a stoel screw steamer of 1405 tons gross and i) 10 tons neb register, her dimensions being:—Length 250 ft, beam 34.2 ft, ► depth of hold 17.0 ft. She is a single screw vessel, with triple-expansion engines of 1000 indicated horse-power. Tho vessel was recently withdrawn from the Island trade, and has since been employed in carrying coal from J West port to various coastal ports, and I also in the Dunedin-Lyttelton-Wcst Coast cargo service. The vessel loaded a quantity of cargo at Lyttelton last week ,and left here on Saturday 'ast for Wellington, Picton, Nelson, Westport, and Greymouth.

Captain Brophy, who recently took command of tho Taviuni, is one of tho oldest and most experienced masters in tho company's service, which he joined many years ago, when the Union Company took .over the steamers of the AVestport Coal Company. He has held command of a number of the company's West Coast traders, including tho Kini, Kittawa, Kamona, Rakanoa, and Corinna, and has had a long experience in working tho bar harbours on the Coast. Ho lias hitherto had a very successful career as a commander, and is well known and exceedingly popular in Lyftelton, and, in fact, in all coastal ports ,and widespread sympathy is felt with him at tho misfortuno which has overtaken him.