MISHAP TO OPOURI.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15669, 6 June 1916, Page 9

MISHAP TO OPOURI.

MAGISTERIAL ENQUIRY. At the Magistrate's Court, yesterday afternoon, Mr T. A. B. Bailey, 5.11., with tim Captain Hutchinson and Captain Munay as Assessors, held tn enquiry into tha circumstances attending the steamer Opouri (striking a submerged object oS AVuipapa Point, near tho Clareuco River, between Kaikoura and. Lyttelton, on April 2ith loat. Mr S G. Raymond, K.C.. appeared for tho Marine Department ar.d Mr A. F. Wright for Captain Ralph Pearson., master of the Opouri. Arthur Person, able seaman, said that on April 2-tth last he v.*;is in tho Opouri. trading from Grcymouth to Lyttelion. On the

morning of that; date, about 10 o cloth, ho J v?as r.t the wheel, und under tlio rwjitain'a cireciion. It vras tlownisj half c, tr-no lroia. tho Ko Gteermi," bouth by west half v.eit, when ho suddenly felt, a bucip. 'lhe ship »M 3 about a lniio and .-i h&if from the shore :it thy time. When lie felt bump he put tho heljn hard to Kta.rbo;'.rS, which in-ou'rht the ship's head lacinj: acuward. Ho i-culd not eay whether :'(!•> fluip took in iiny v/nUr. 'lhmaster y.-ao on the ;inti ho under his dircctioii2. To Mr Wright: '\Vitn:63 said lio had been an A.B. for the la«t twelve years, of which ten had been spent in tho coastal trade. He iiiid boon o:i th*3 BrwfEo, the Opouri, the i'elone. and tho Kitfawa. hisd also been on a. ntimbcr of saall sailers trading round the coast, and ho v.'ia now acting second mate of tho Eunice. On the day in question, there tvus a fairly heavy sea, :-.;id coming down the coast ou svich a day it- v..;r, njuivl for small boats to huj< tlio f»horj. The cr.ptain altered the course oi tho ship iui>ro to the southward about every t.-n minutes after witness took the wheel. Shortly before tho bump ho was steering about south, and Waipupa Point v/aa nbout dead ahead. It was a, clear day, and lw did not see either breakers or kelp. Witness h;id traded a cjood deal over tho Greymouth and other bars, and some of tho boats in which ho was ill frequently touched. The bump in question did not feel lit© that of a rock. He liad been in fairly close to tho ahorc on previous occasions. Tho Opouri waa loaded with : timber, and hud a deck cargo lovel with the I rails. With a. head 'sea and a heavy dec!; cargo there was ivlways a certain amcuoi of danger to such a boat any distance away lrom the chore. Alexander "William Bothune. Government Surveyor of Ships at Christchurch, said that on April 27th or 25th last he ir.apocted tho Opouri in doc!: nt Lyttelton. The damage consisted of tho denting to tho whole of its length of No. 3 plate on the starboard side. The ends of tho two adjacent plates were also buckled. One of tho floors in tho way of that plato was fractured and two othcra buckled. Two gussets were buckled and two angles wero bent. The after length of lieel plato was fractured in two places, imd tho keelson in tho way of that plate was aluo bucklod and eix angles slightly buckled. Tho two after garboard etrake plates, ono on each side were torn away from the stern frame. There was also a quantity of cement broken in tho ballast tanks. The injuries altogether were considerable. Tho repairs were effected under \vitneEs'3 supervision. Ho did not think the ship had struck a hard rock. It was probably a spit of some kind. He based his opinion on the appearance of the plate. About three months previously tho 3hip had been sun-eyed and put in first-clasa order. When witness first saw her, she was malting water fairly freely in the engine-room. To Mr Wright, witness said that nobody was able to say that the wholo of the injuries detailed were a. result of the bump, though he assumed they were. During hia experience he had not seen similar injuries resulting from striking a sandspit. He had seen similar damago to a boat after striking a hard rock. I£ a boat struck a sandbank as a rosult of a oil ted-over hull, the injuries would bo similar.

Mr Raymond said that he was not able to call further evidence at present, and suggested an adjournment till Juno 2Gth. This WB3 agreed to by tho Magistrate, the hearing being fixed for Lyttelton at 11 a.m. NEW ZEALAND SHIPPING COMPANY. MOVEMENTS OF FLEET. Tho Waimato is to leave Wellington todav for Nelson, and thence to Waitara. The Remuera. is duo in Lyttelton at the end of this week. The Orari leaves Lyttelton this evening for Dunedin. The Calliope arrived 111 London on Saturday last. SHIPPING AND MAILS. (By Cable.—Press Association. —Copyright.) MELBOURNE. Juno 5. Arrived, Wimmera, from New Zealand. SHIPPING TELEGRAMS. WELLINGTON. June 5. Arrived, -Rum (7.10 a.m.), from Napier; Moeraki (8.50 a.m.), from Sydney. Sailed. Mapourika, (12.40 p.m.), for New Plymouth: Pateena (10.15 p.m.), for' Picton and Nelson; John (4 p.m.), for Wanganui; Maori (7.55 p.m.), for Lyttelton. DUNEDIN. Juno 5. Arrived, Calm (6.10 a.m.l, from Wanganui; Tarawera (8 a.m.),' from Wellington. Sailed, Ngahere (2.50 p.m.), for Weatporb and Grey mouth.