IN HEAVY SQUALL

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 68, 13 December 1932, Page 10

IN HEAVY SQUALL

Accident to Scow Echo POOR VISIBILITY How Rock Was Struck MARINE COURT OF INQUIRY Master and mate of the auxiliary scow Echo blame a heavy prolonged rain squall for the accident which befell the vessel near the entrance of the harbour on the night of November 26. So heavy was the rain and so bad the visibility they told the Marine Court of Inquiry yesterday, that they were unable to gauge their position sufficiently to steer clear of the rock which the vessel struck. The circumstances of the_ accident having been fully described, the Court will give its finding to-day. The president of the court was MrE. Page, S.M., who had with him as assessors Captain G. Wilkinson and Captain F. Dewhurst. Mr. J. Prendeville appeared for the Marine Department; Mr. N, A. Foden for the master of the Echo; Mr. J. F. B. Stevenson, with him Mr. C. E. Purchase, for the Wellington Harbour Board; and Mr. S. J- Castle for the owners of the Echo, the Eckford Company. Captain Jarman’s Story. William Oscar Jarman, master mariner, and captain of the Echo, said that the vessel was built of wood, schooner rigged, with auxiliary oil engines. It had been constructed in 1905 and was of 126 tons gross register. The ship had left Blenheim, he said, at 1 p.m. on November 25, with about 00 or 80 tons of general cargo, consisting mostly of chaff, wool, butter, and cheese. The deck cargo was of wool, butter, and empty drums. At the time of departure the draught forward was 4ft. 2in„ and aft sfin. 3in. There was it light southerly and the sea was smooth. From 4.30 p.m., when they cleared the bar, until 8.30 p.m., they remained on a course east by north. The wind had freshened, and at 8.30 p.m. the course was altered to north-east by east. Half an hour previously, at 8 ; p.m.. the mainsail had been taken in, according to usual practice when the ship was approaching the entrance. . The engine was running, as was also tlie practice. When the course was . altered the effect was to put Pencarrow light half a point on the port bow. , Mr. Prendeville: You continued on ' that course until when? —“Until just ' before striking.” ' How long would that be?—“About ’ an hour. We struck at half-past nine." • Between half-past eight, and half-past nine was there any change in the weather conditions?—“Oh yes, . . . the < weather was increasing all the time. There were longer squalls. Just before ■ striking there was one for about a • quarter of an hour.” When did you pick up the lower light at Pencarrow? —“I never looked at the time, but approximately a quarter of an hour after we picked up the main light-” Captain Jarman said he had both the mate and the look-out on the watch for harbour lights. Just before striking he altered the course to north. Turned and Struck. Mr. Page: What do you mean by “just before striking”?—“Well, we no : sooner turned than we struck.” Did you alter the course, seeing something ahead? —“Seeing nothing ahead. Just going by the big light and trying to judge. The big light was very nearly overhead. I was trying to get my distance.” The moment you had turned you struck? —“Yes.” The lower light was bearing approximately south-south-east when the course had been altered. Before this Pencarrow had been bearing east. The point at which they struck was about a mile north of Pencarrow inside the harbour. Questioned by the magistrate, Captain Jarman thought they must have struck Pillar Rock, which was considerably less than a mile from Pencarrow. Mr. Prendeville: Did the vessel stick when you struck?—“lt stuck for about five or ten minutes.” Where did it seem to catch the vessel?—“Forward.” Was there much of a sea at the time? —“I suppose it was moderate to

heavy.” Did the vessel bump much?—“Yes, it pounded for a while.” And then she floated off?—“Yes.” After she floated off, what then? — “She slewed off by the head. We still had the sail on her and the engines going. We tried to steer her, but couldn’t get the tiller to work.” The vessel made up the harbour, Captain Jarman said, and he thought she would drive on to the Steeples. •So he dropped anchor, and from this position the mate sent three SOS signals by morse-lamp, and later at 10.30 p.m. asked for a tug. They had floated off the rocks at about 9.45 p.m., and dropjied anchor at about 10.30 p.m. By this time, as the vessel was making water, there was “a very heavy list to port, and four feet of water in the hold. /' Under the circumstances he got out the lifeboat and fastened it alongside. The Echo was making water all the time and settling down. They prepared to abandon ship at 12.20 a.m., when the vessel was well down by the head, with a heavy list to port, water a foot deep in the galley, and apparently pounding on something forward. Echo Well Found. Mr. Prendeville: How was the vessel found?—“She was found well in everything. You only had to ask for anything to get it.” Y'on were not tied to time to get in? —“No, we had all Sunday to do it in.” Compared with your usual run, what were things like that night?—“lt was a first-class run, everything going good.” How do you explain w-hat happened, then?—"There was heavy rain across the entrance when we were expecting to pick up the lights.” The heavy rain cut out all the inside lights?—“Yes, and blurred the big light as well.” Causing you to misjudge your distance? —“Yes.” Mr. Foden: How long have you been on that run?—“For eight years continuously.” And how long as master?—“For two or three years.” Captain Jarman read some of the reports from the log-books of other ships on the weather on the night of the accident. The rain was "coming down in a sheet,” he said, and the southerly was increasing all the time. The prolonged squall experienced just before striking was more severe than those which had been experienced before. William Anderson, chief engineer of the Echo, said there were very heavy rain squalls after 8 p.m.

Frank Edward Puddick, signalman at Beacon Hill, who was on duty from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on the night of the accident, said that at 0.30 p.m, he had seen the Echo about a mile outside the Heads. It came into the Heads about 10 minutes later. At 10.35 p.m., w’hen witness’s “relief” had arrived, they got a message by morse lamp saying that the vessel was sinking, and giving her name. To Mr. Purchase, witness said that he had had 16 years’ experience as signalman, and knew the harbour entrance fairly well. It. seemed to him that the ship must have struck on Pillar Rock.

Leonard Whiteman, the signalman who relieved Mr. Puddick at 10 p.m., corroborated his evidence. When the message “We are sinking” was sent, the vessel seemed to be stationary, just outside the main Steeples rock. John Moar, leading A.B. in the Echo, and Edward Alfred Rate, mate of the vessel, also gave evidence. Mr. Rate said that every precaution had been taken in connection with the lookout. The Fatal Squall. Mr. Foden (to Mr. Rate) : Do you remember that squall just before the vessel struck?—“Yes, quite well. It that squall had come 10 minutes earlier or 10 minutes later we wouldn’t be here to-day.” Even when they struck they could not see the land. The rainsquall made it difficult to judge distances. Charles Alexander Eckford, managing director of T. Eckford and Co., Ltd., owners of the Echo, said that the vessel was not insured. Of the cargo, however, the wool, butter, cheese and barley were insured by the owners. The estimated cost of the repairs to the hull would be about £6OO, Mr. Eckford said. To Mr. Foden, he said that he had never had any doubt of Captain Jarman’s ability as a master. He himself had been on board the scow on several occasions. Robert D. Anderson, an A.B. in the Echo, also gave evidence. He corroborated the evidence of the master and other members of the crew on the subject of the weather conditions which had prevailed on the night of the accident. Stafford Thomas William Adams, another A.B. in the Echo, who had gone on watch at 8 p.m., gave, details ot the courses that were set. The steering, he said, was very heavy. Questions for Court. This concluded the evidence, and Mr. Prendeville submitted the two following questions to the Court: — (a) What was the cause of the accident? (b) Was any blame attachable to the master? Addressing the Court, Mr. Foden said that the explanation of the accident was the nature of the weather and the fact that a squall had come just at the moment it had. It was clear, he said, that a particularly good look-out had been kept, and the very fact that not one of the men had been able to estimate the ship’s position suggested that there was a simple explanation. If any one of the inner or outer lights had been picked up, the master could have altered his course suitably. In making sure that he would clear Barrett’s Reef, the master had kept rather long on a course which took him to the other side of the entrance. If a light could have been seen all would have been well. His error, Mr. Foden suggested, had been one of over-caution. Considerable Experience. He had had considerable experience of entering the harbour, having -done it at least 200 times, or twice a week. His only course was to rely on his own judgment, which had to be based on his own observations and those of his crew. It was clear that everything possible had been done under the circumstances to make the entrance. But the night was one that was out of the ordinary. Whatever might be said the whole thing seemed to depend on the fact that the heavy squalls had so obscured the visibility that the W’hereabouts of the vessel could not be estimated. He submitted that the incident might reasonably be put down to misadventure. From the evidence there was nothing which showed the master in a bad light. The magistrate said that the decision of the Court would be given at 10 a.m. to-day.