TARAWERA TOUCHES GROUND.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 750, 24 February 1910, Page 8

TARAWERA TOUCHES GROUND.

' NAVIGATION OE NAPIER. (By Telegraph.-Special' Correspondent.) I ... " • Napier,'' February..23.■ The Tarawera left- the'.Glasgow Wharf last, night- at..- 10.30,• and, '..shortly after,v grounded on'' 'the -'.pastern sido of the Auckland. Bock- shoal, the., depth-;of'. water.-, -on .which tvaries from 16ft. to . 31ft. at . low > .'water. The tide„was, dead out at the time, buf, with the aid'of the rising flood and.the steamer's engines, .the Tarawera . floated .off apparently .undamaged. •: She took in no .■ water jin - the. period of detention—an hour and ,ten minute. ~ -;'

At,the timo/of .the accident the Tarawera was drawing 16ft. forward and. 18ft. Gin. aft. ..' The 'night! was a! bright, one, and there' was.. a clear'' moon nearly at full." The utmost good" order was maintained by. the'passengers,' and, to guard agaiilst any : unforeseen happening, Messrs. : Eichar'dsbn and/* Company's' fleet 'was manned and their vessels in readiness to cast off at any moment to render assistance. None, however, ■ - was needed, and directly the Tarawera floated' off ■ she proceeded to Gisborne. and Auckland.

The'- matter -has -been' reported-. to. the Customs, and a ■ preliminary inquiry '. into the stranding-win,,be. held on Monday., . At last;,meeting of.the Napier harbour Board, Mr. Kinross White raised some question, as to the position-of the buoys in the harbour.- "The --secretary (Mr.. J.. E. ■ Kenny), was in consequence instructed \to . obtain: from .the'.barbour-. master (Captain Lake) ;■ a report thereon. The''following is Captain' Lake's report, written under date February 21:—"The buoys, were, all, over-hauled, cleaned, and painted, and; the, moorings examined by_ the' dredge on November 15, IG, and 17; 1909:—"The buoys have a-thorough'annual overhaul, when defective links are: taken out, and : other, repairs effected as -. required. Thev are frequently, lifted and painted in? the.'interval;,. ana all repairs and overhauling .done to them are' re-ported-by me in" : my:-monthly, report. Also a. special, buos book' is kept' for reference. The -positions of the. buoys at ..present. coincide , with the positions on the chart." ' '-■ • '