STEAMERS IN COLLISION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 318, 3 October 1908, Page 6

STEAMERS IN COLLISION.

THE CERTIE-PENCUIN MISHAP. MAGISTERIAL INQUIRY. The magisterial inquiry into the circumstances connected with tho collision between the steamers Gertio (Captain Rodgers) and Ponguin (Captain Stewart), off Jackson's Head, Cook Strait, on September 3, was opened at the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning before Dr. W. A. M*Arthur, S.M. (President of the Court), and Captain G. G. Smith (Port Shipping Master at Wellington) and Captain W. G. Gray (formerly of the Customs), nautical assessors. Mr. Bell, K.C., appeared for the Marine Department; Mr. Wilford for Captain Stewart, of the Ponguin; Mr. Buddie for Mr. Campbell, first officer of the Penguin; Mr. Herdman for Captain -Rodgers, of the Gertie; and Mr. Young for the owners of the Gertie, Mr. Bell called Captain Rodgers, master of tho Gertie, a twin-screw steamer of, stated the witness, a maximum speed of 8i knots. On- September 3, about midday, when tho Gertie was passing Stephen's Island, he (witness) set his course about a mile on. the Nelson side of Jackson's Head. The Penguin was first sighted, coming out of the Sound, between 1 and 2 p.m.; the Gertie was then travelling at about 8 knots. Witness altered his course, when about ' two miles from , Jackson's Head, towards that point, on his port side. 1 So far as he could remember, ho was 400 or 000 feet to the north-west of tho beacon whern the vessels struck. Witness was standing at the engineroom telegraph at the time, having beon on the bridge all afternoon. The Penguin was half a ship's length from the Gertie's quarter when lie stopped to the telegraph. He "iihraediatoly stopped tho port engine ; there was no "stand by "signal. The stoppage of tho port engine and the porting of his helm would incline his vessel to port. From his position at tho telegraph, he was unablo, bccause of the deck-house, to see the Penguin. Just before tho vessels struck; witness/stopped tho starboard engine. _■ ■ Tho inclination of tho Gertie to the port side swung her stern round, striking the Penguin on-tho fore-part. Tho'Ponguin went past at full speed; her port quarter struck the Gertie's after davit, and scraped along for about ten 'feet. '

To Mr. Wilford: Ho was aware of tho "rule of tho road," which laid it down that when collision was . apprehended tho . vessel which had the other on. the starboard side —~ 'both' going in tho same direction —should give her tho right-of-way. Ho. did not know which of tho vessels would, at' tho rato at which both were travelling, have passed botwoen tho beacon and the mainland first. He knew that the vessels would- be fairly close, should tho Penguin attempt tho inside passage, but whether that was her intention ho could not say. He knew of the caution, laid down in "Tho N.Z. Pilot," which enjoined commanders of vessels of over 12 feet draught to avoid the inside passage; the Penguin drew more water than that, but ho adhered to his statement that he did not know whether that vessel would, or would not, tako the inside passage, as he had previously seen largo vessels take thati. courso. The Penguin, being tho ''overtaking" ship,; should havo kept out of his way. It was his (witness's) placed to keep .on his course. . By Mr. Herdman: The courso set by him |was a proper one, having regard to the tidal conditions.. ■ Ci A. Pearson, second engineer of -the .Gortio, said that ,at 2.49 p.m. he received an! order to stop the port engine, an order .to stop tho starboard one following half a minute later. At 2.50 p.m. the .vessel-col-lided, and.at 2.52 p.m. ho was ordered to go full speed ahead; The engines auswored at ■once. John W. Watson, chief mato of tho Gertie, said that ho took the 12 —4 p:m. watch on that afternoon. When he first saw'tho Penguin-she was on their starboard quarter. He. went to tho wheel just before the accident, being, called to the bridge ]five or, six minutes beforO tho Penguin overtook them. Sho was then about four or five points abaft their, :starboard beam, and com'.ing'"up ait a great speed. -When lie took the wheel tlfo captain went' to the engine-room •telegraph. Tlio action of tho Penguin master in porting his helm and running between tho beacon-'and the headland was, to his mind, tlio cause of the collision. .Tho man who took tho Gertie's wheel at two o'clock that afternoon, John J. Garrett, said lie did not sco the Penguin -until sho was quite close up. The course was altered and shaped for the heads,when about two miles off. Just about five minutes before the collision tho mato camo (to assist at tho wheel, tho helm, was not put to port-just before the vessels , came together. , . - ' ; •'■ : ' To Mr. Welford.—They had had to port tho helm a "little several times in order, to counteract' the influence of , the tide. ; That would cause the -boat's head to'turn landward. The Gertie's other deiik hand, Thomas Byrne, who was at tho wheel when the vessel passed-Stephen's Island. said he first saw the' Penguin overhauling' tnem a little after two o'clock. He was under the impression when he tho Penguin' coming up, that that vessel wished to "speak" the Gertie. i Frederick Raymond Gamble, second officer of the Penguin, said lie was on the bridge at the time of the collision, at which time the Penguin, at a speed of between 12 and 12} knots, was shaping a course for Clay Point, not Jackson Head, east and a quarter south. At ,2.30 p.m. the courso was altered to north-east and a half east, in the direction of the outer passage. The Penguin was about two miles from the beacon, and about one mile and a half from the Gertie;' twhen witness first rang ,up the captain;-Six minutes elapsed, when ho again summoned tho captain, by which time the distance between the vessels had diminished to about 800 ft. The captain - appeared about a quarter of a minute later, and immediately gave tho order "hard a-port." This was done; 1 t]ie Gortio did tho same. - Mr. Bell: Rather unseamanlike; the one action would counteract tho other?— Yes. Continuing, witness said that the course of each vessel was parallel to the other. The mishap would not have occurred had the Gortio not ported her helm. Sho camo at them almost end-on. There,was no danger until tho Gertie altered her courso. To Mr. Wilford: Had the' captain of. tho Gertie starboarded his'helm, instead of porting it, when he stopped his port engine, she would havo cleared the Penguin. To Mr. Herdman: It appeared to him nothing short of madness for the captain of the Gertie to act as he had done. Tho Gertie came at the Penguin almost at right angles. To Mr. Buddie: The Gertie was not being overtaken by tho Penguin; sho was a "cross-, ing ship," and as such should have kept clear. Had her commander taken bearings when he first sighted tho Penguin, he would have realised that. The usual custom .was to givo the captain a ring when Hearing Jackson's Head. On this occasion the first ring was not answered; it should havo been. The speaking-tube from tho bridge to tho cabin was out of order. Norman Stewart, master of the Penguin (now of tho Pateena), to Mr. Bell, said that it was his regular practice to be notified when nearing Jackson's Head. On every occasion but ono (and that not in the Penguin) 'ho had either been on tho bridge, looking out of his cabin, or standing on tho lee side of tho deck when passing this point. Ho denied that he had not answered tho second officer's first ring, or that the speaking-tubo was out of order. It. had been used successfully both before and sinco tho collision. He heard the second ring as he - stood at tho cabin door looking out on the starboard side, and immediately went on the bridge, his action being accelerated by the presence of a steamer's smoko in proximity to his own vessel. Ho did not consider it his duty to bo on the bridgo when his vessel was passing Jackson's Head, if tho weather was fine and the officer on watch was experienced and reliable, with a knowledge of the coast. His motive in ordering tho helm to bo ported was to avert an end-on impact and reduce the danger to a gliding collision. It would bo difficult to say whether, under similar circumstances, bo himself could have averted the mishap. The Gertie was unmistakably a "crossing ship." After examination by counsel for tho other parties, the hearing was adjourned until 9,45 a.m. to-daj.