COLLISION ENQUIRY.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3081, 12 May 1881, Page 3

COLLISION ENQUIRY.

The enquiry into the collision between the Union Steamship Company's launch Boojum and the steam lighter Sir Donald was commenced this morning before the Resident Magistrate and Captain Dicker, sitting as assessor. His Worship said that, as it was still doubtful as to whether Captain Dicker would be able to remain, Mr Warnes was in attendance to take his place if he had to leave. After a short delay His Worship said that, as Captain Dicker's vessel would be leaving to-day, and would not return for eight or ten days, he would have to leave, as there was no provision for paying his expenses. Mr Lee, on behalf of the Insurance Companies, said that Captain Dicker's expenses would be paid by his clients, also the cost of an additional seaman. Mr Lascelles said he wished to direct the attention of the Court to the fact that the captain of the Annie Hill, schooner, who was an important witness, and had been duly summoned, had left the port. He wished to know if something could not be done to enforce respect for the Court. His Worship said that he would have a summons issued to make the captain show catrse why he had not attended. The Commissioner of Customs conducted the enquiry. Mr Carlile appeared for the owners of the Sir Donald, Mr Lee for the National and other insurance companies, and Mr Lascelles for the' Union S.S. Company. John Quinlan, on his oath, said he was master of the Sir Donald". The Sir Donald is 29 tons burden, 14-horse power, registered at the port of Napier, and owned by John Gibson Kinross. She was insured for £1000. She was a composite vessel, iron frame and kauri planking. He held a certificate of competency issued by the Marine Board. On the 7th May went to the Ringarooma about 11 a.m. It was high water about 12.30 on that day. It took about fifteen minutes to come from the Ringarooma to the entrance to the inner harbor. There was nothing in the way. The current was between 6 and 7 knots, running in. His boat was going full speed. She would be going about 10 knots. They were about raid-channel, a little to the westward if anything. He was at the helm. He was about half way up the channel when he saw the | Boojum leave. When he first saw her she headed across the channel, towards the western side. She would be about 600 feet from the Sir Donald when he first saw her. He was steering. He steadied her helm to port. The Boojum appeared to haul up suddenly and steer directly towards his port side. He put his helm hard a-port, and waited for what was to come. He could see that he could do no more. The Boojum struck him on the port side, abaft the rigging, cutting her in an angular direction towards the starboard quarter. The collision took place to the nor'ward and wostwai'd of the cattle wharf, and as near as he could gitess it was between the eastern boulder bank and the tail of the western boulder bank. The Boojum cut him ten planks down on tho port side to the water's edge. The Sir Donald began to sink immediately. He ran her on the boulder bank to the westward to prevent her from sinking in deep water. He could see if he starboarded his helm ho would run a good chance of running over the Boojum. In the short time he had to judge he thought there was not sufficient time to clear if he starboarded his helm. In the first place he was afraid of running down the Boojum and causing loss of life, and secondly he judged that he had not sufficient room. He was afraid of running on the eastern boulder bank. The Sir Donald was going about ten knots at the time. He did not reverse his engines ; if he had he would have lost the management of his vessel on the strong tide. He kept on full steam thinking to get past. The damage done to the Sir Donald would be £580, No one was injured. All the cargo was wet. The cargo was principally sugar, and some general cargo. It was seriously damaged. (A copy of the harbor regulations was put in.) He had a copy of those regulations. He complied with the regulations in porting the helm; he kept his right side. He would have broken the regulations if he had starboarded his helm. It is not customary to signal when steam launches are entering or leaving the harbour. No signal was made to him that a steamer was coming out. He heard no whistle sound, nor did he sound any, (A plan of the harbour was here put

in, and witness marked the place of collis sion as near as he could guess.)

Examined by Mr Carlile : He saw the Boojum leave and stand across towards the western side. She went to her port side. A strong flood tide was running in, and a strong eddy running out of the pot, against the wharf, and outwards. If he was leaving the wharf he would put a line on his quarter towards midships ; then the eddy, striking the vessel on the starboard side, would set her off bodily, and when sufficientlly far off he would let go the line and go ahead ; by steadying his helm to port he would meet the tide end on. In this way tho clanger might have been avoided. That was the way he left the cattle wharf. He had not seen any others do it. He found it to have the effect he described. He knew the Boojum well. He had always noticed that she answered her helm very badly. He had noticed it every time that he had seen her. He had been in danger from her before. He had handled the starting lever of the Boojum. The motions of tho engine are controlled from the deck aft. He had started the engine and reversed it himself. Ho blew his whistle when coming in at night, never in the daytime. He did not see the captain of the Boojum ; he saw a lot of people on board. He did not see the man at the wheel. The man at the wheel must have seen the Sir Donald. There was a lot of smoke. Examined by Mr Lascelles : The collision was not in mid-channel; it was considerably to the westward. It was to the westward of the navigable channel. The witness was asked to mark the plan at the place from which he first saw the Boojum. Examination continued : At the entrance of the harbour he came in about midchannel. If he had kept straight on he would have run right upon the Boojum, whose starboard was towards him. Wlien the Boojmm was about two hundred yards away she turned directly towards him. Could not say exactly how far he was from the Boojum when she turned. He formed the opinion that there was not time to go to starboard of the Boojum. Could not say how often the Boojum whistled. Could not say that she had a loud whistle. Nobody mentioned to him that the Boojum blew her whistle. Tho eddy has an effect about fifty yards down the wharf, but he did not think it passed the boulder bank. He had steered the Boojum, but never had charge of her. He had steered her twice. It was out in the open he steered her. The reason he gave the order to let go tho anchor after the collision was to prevent her going into deep water. He countermanded the order because he thought -he could get to the boulder bank. The Boojum seemed to be slewing all the time towards the eastward. He was a little to the westward of her. By Mr Lee : The navigable distance between the piers is two hundred feet at high tide. After entering the channel he kept in the middle of the navigable channel the whole way up to the collision. It was not good seamanship to leave the cattle wharf when another vessel was coming in. From the time he saw the Boojum leave the cattle wharf to the collision it was about a minute. This concluded Captain Quinlan's examination. The enquiry, which promises to be a long one, had not concluded when our report left