THE ELINGAMITE ENQUIRY.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 14223, 11 December 1911, Page 4

THE ELINGAMITE ENQUIRY.

ItE-OPENED IN WELLINGTON. . (PfiESS ASSOCIATION TELBORAM.) WELLINGTON. Itecember 9. The enquiry into tho loss of tho Elingamite oft the Three Kings in 1902 was reopened to-day before tha Chiet Justice and Captains Smith and. Chrisp. In opening tho case, the SolicitorGeneral; who appeared- for. tJbe Marine Department, sa.d that there could be no real doubt that the vessel wae carried northward by a current when the captain ivas steering wbat__he ■'considered was a safe course, no was in i reality travelling directly towards the West" King. The finding of the original Court was that Captam! Atwood was guilty of gross negligence in driving full speed through a fog up to 10 a.m. on Sunday, when ho must bare known that he was near land. He did not toko soundings before or j after 10 a.m., and he altered the vessel's course -without" sufficient reason. The Solicitor-General said that his duty was somewhat repugnant, but he had' gone carefully into the matter, and came to the "that an error in tho charting was irrelevant in judging Captain Atwood's conduct. ~ The Chief Justice remarked that the point was if the captain had known of the correct position of the islands, would ho- not have allowed more sea Counsel for Captain Atwood: "That is the position in a nutshell." Captain A. W. Blackburne, nautical adviser to the 'Marine Department, gave evidenco for tho Department as to marking on certain charts. - The most recently determined positions of the Thrco 'Kings, as taken Terra Nova and by H.M.S. Cambrian, showed the islands to be a niilo and a half to the south and a third of a- mile to tho oast of the position shown."on the chart• that Captain Atwood was probably usrpg on the Elingamite. The course steered by Captam Atwocd would in the ordinary circumstances have carried him eight milee- to the south of tho islands. The deviation was probably duo to a set in tho cmrrent, which in tho ordinary course in 23 hours would have carried tho vessol seven miles to ; the north. This was not.an unusual circumstance, and .should have boon taken into consideration by a careful navigator. Soundings were so few in tho locality of tho Throe Kings that they would not have been of much use in establishing Captain Atwood's position. Thay might possibly "have shown that ho was getting nearer the land on one side or the other. To Mr Wilford: The true position of tho Three Kings was not known to Captain Atwood at the time of tho wreck, and thero was no possible way for him to find it out untij the rccharting. Witness had no idea that tho charts being givfm ■ out by tho Marine Department contained erroneous information. Tho course set by Captain Atwood before the .change, that was north 80 B. magnetic, was such aa a f-rudent mariner would have taken. Mr Wilford: "I put it to you that soundings were of no use?" Witness agreed that they were practically useless. .Mr Wilford: "I want you to sSy worse than that. I want you to say they were misleading." Witness would not go so far as that. The hearing, was adjourned, until Monday at 10 a.m.