MISHAP TO THE ECHO.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20729, 14 December 1932, Page 18

MISHAP TO THE ECHO.

VERDICT OP MISADVENTURE. (PBISB assoclitiok' t>lbg*am.) WELLINGTON, December 13. The Marine Court finding in the case concerning the scow Echo is as follows: "In our opinion this casualty was due to a combination of circumstances for which the master cannot be held to blame. The casualty was, we think, due to misadventure and was not contributed to by any act or default on the part oi the master and crew." The judgment states that as the vessel was Hearing a point at which the leading lights of the harbour should have become visible, a particularly heavy rain squall obliterated the surroundings and made it difficult to estimate the distance tLo vessel was from the Pencarrow light. No sign could be seen of any light inside Wellington Harbour. In a normally powered steamer a prudent master would, under such circumstances, have headed out to sea until visibility improved, but as this vessel was a scow, with low-powered engines, and as there was a moderate gale blowing and a heavy sea running, such a manoeuvre was and the master was compelled to make the entrance. The fact that the vessel was of such a type as to ho unable in the weather prevailing to turn and make to windward, and was thus compelled to carry on, and the fact that at a critical time the whole of the harbour lights were obscured by a squall of blinding rain, combined to make the master's position one of extreme difficulty. It was necessary for him to carry on sufficiently tar to clear Barrett's Reef, and the absence of any lights, other than Pencarrow. made it difficult for him to estimate exactly when he had done this. When he finally gave the order for a change of course, the vessel was Hearing the shore on the Pencarrow side, and the difficulty in the wind and weather existing in bringing her round to this course was the final circumstance which led to her striking