THE ACCIDENT TO THE WAINUL

Evening Post, Volume LIV, Issue 21, 24 July 1897, Page 2

THE ACCIDENT TO THE WAINUL

» . .. CAPTAIN LAMBERT COMPLETELY EXONERATED. THE DANGERS OF THE FRENCH PASS. SUGGESTIONS FOR THEIR REDUCTION. *

An enquiry into the circumstances surrounding thfi striking of the Union Company's s.s. Wainui on the Piege Rocks, near the French Pass, on the 12th instant, was opened in the Magistrate's Court yesterday afternoon. Mr. H. Eyre-Kenny, S.M., presided, and was assisted by Captains Gibbons and Yon Schoen as Nautical Advisors. Mr. Gully appeared for Mr. D. M'Kellar, Collector of Customs j Captain Lambert, of the Wainui, was represented by Mr. Skerrett, and Mr. Wilford watched the case on behalf of the Union S S. Co. In opening the enquiry, Mr. Gully asked the Court to consider the question whether another light was not needed in the locality of the accident, or whether vessels navigating the Pass should not be compelled to slacken speed. There was no question of personal negligence on the part of the captain or .of his officers, and the accident was probably due to au error of judgment made in estimatiug the vessel's distance from the land. Any recommendation from the Court suggesting means by which the' navigation from Nelson to Picton could be made safer would no doubt receiv^due attention and be Acted upon. The course was a very dangerous one, and captains often had to go through the Pass by night. Captain Lambert said that he had been navigating on the coast on which the accident focourredjfor 13 years,; and since October he tyid passed through the Pass four times a week. - His practice was always to atop on the bridge going through the Pass until the \uio was clear. On. the occasion in question •' night mA dirty, with occasional rainlalls and a N.E. wind. At Cape Soucis took four-point bearings. The land was partially obscured, but he had no $oubt as to the vessel's distance off «hore. He assumed from the bearing that pc was a mile and a half off shore. His course thence was N.E. half N. by compass— the deviation would be three-quarters of a joint E. The standard compos was tested Jsst October., .That was his usual course and took him inside the Pie'ge Rocks, but depeuded on the distance which he was off Cape Souois. See'n.ib the light of the accident, the distance might have been incorrectly judged. There was no other reason which he could suggest unless the boat was. set out by the current. Tfs wind had in the meantime become more northerly. A proper look-out whs kept. Witness,.who was on the bridge all the time, could see the land, and thought that the vessel was the proper distance off. After running seven miles from Cape Soucis he altered his course inwards. The sea was smooth. The ship struck on the Piege Rocks, or Beef Barrels, at 10.15 p.m. These rocks were covered at high water, bttt visible at low water. His proper course would take him half a mile inside the Pie'ge Rocks. If he was half a mile seaward of bis supposed position at Cape Soucis, that would account for his striking the Beef Barrels. He saw the beacon light immediately after he struok. At the time he struck, and shortly before, a heavy squall was passing just ahead, obscuring the light. There was nothing to prevent him going full speed under such circumstances. The weather was not sufficiently thiok for him to slow down. The tide, was half-ebb. She struck twice. The boat-gear .was all in good order ; he had tested it only two days before with the ordinary boat drill. He gave orders that the bo^ats should be half lowered, and made ready for launching. This was done, but by some misunderstanding one of the boats was lowered into the waterj whereupon he

ordered it to be hauled up again. , That was the explanation of the passenger's cora- ) plaint published in the press. Ho made for | Waikawa Bay, but had to beach her at i the 'entrance, because she was making I ' water rapidly, and be did not think she could be kept afloat till she got to the head of the bay. The place was not the best spot for beaching, but he put her there to ensure the safety of passengers and ship. Every proper means was afterwards taken to float the ship and bring her to - Wellington. The passengers and orew could not have behaved better. The , Beef Barrels were a very dangerous locality, and witness had no doubt that many captains had passed the rocks at night very muoh closer than they thought. He would suggest that a bell buoy should be placed on the position of the present ordinary buoy. There was more swell at this point than there was where the Nelson bell .buoy was situated. A more powerful light should be placed at the Pass. The present one could be seen only six miles on a clear night. Witness' did not think now that he" should have slowed down, and he did not think that the Corinna slowed down when she came through' that night. To Mr. Wilford— lt was left entirely to the captains, as to the, time in which they should make their passages. George Crawford, third officer of the Wainui, whose watch it was when the vessel struck, corroborated the evidence of the last witness, and attributed the acoident to the same cause. Captain P. Nordstrom was called by the Court as an expert in reference to the "navigation of the French Pass. He had no decided opinion as to the tide setting seawards, and did not think a bell-buoy would be of mnch use. Captain Wm. Tinney, called for the same purpose, said that he had noticed a tide setting northward. He suggested that a concrete beacon vfild be preferable to a bell-buoy. AXA X light, on the norfli-west end of D'Urville's Island would be very useful. He did not think that Captain Lambert should have slowed down on the night of the accident. Charles M'Curdy, second engineer of the Wainui, who. was on duty at the moment the vessel struck, said that he imagined by the revolutions that she was going 10} knots all the way. * . Edward Shaw, chief officer, corroborated the previous,' witnesses' statements that good order prevailed on board, and that every effort was made to save the vessel and her passengers. The usual practice was to go full speed between Cape Soucis and the French Pass. A light on the island nearest the Piege Rocks] would be effectual in preventing any danger of a vessel going ashore there. ' Reginald Harding, A.8., said the night was thick 1 at intervals. He took the wheel at 10 o'clock, and could then see the land on the starboard side, though the outlines. of the hills- were not clear. _ When the Wainui struck a very heavy squall was on. - Nicholas Bolick, A.8., deposed that he' went on watch as look-out on the forecastlehead at 9 p.m. He was watching for, but up to the time of the vessel striking had not seen, the French Pass lights. Land was only visible on the starboard beam. He did not notice the rocks when she struck. ' The first time he saw them was when they 1 lowered a boat. The rocks were then about 3ft or 4ft out of water. This closed the evidence, Mr. - Gully remarking that there was no question of the ship being well found. That was admitted. It was also admitted that all the usual precautions had been taken and well carried out. Mr. Skerrett, in addressing the Court, said he agreed that any recommendation of the Court for the improvement of the navigation of this dangerous and frequently used passage would, be ' wel1 corned by shipmasters. It had not been suggested that .there was any negligence on Captain Lambert's part. If an error of judgment was made, it was one that any 1 man was liable to make. It was not an

error of judgment in - the ordinary sense, but rather an error of observa- , tion, probably due to atmospherical I conditions. It must be a pure conjecture on the part of the Court whether. Captain Lambert's observations had been correct or not. It was possible that the current referred to had affected the position of the vessel. After the accident Captain Lambert had shown the utmost skill, the utmost promptitude and resource, and had eventually saved his vessel by beaching her in a cafe place. Mr. Wilford said the Union Co. would render every assistance in any attempt to improve the" navigation of the passage. The Court, after a brief consultation, delivered its decision through its President, Mr. Kenny, without retiring. There were two matters for the Court to deal with, Mr. Kenny said. The first was in reference to the conduct of the captain and third officer, and the second as to suggestions regarding the navigation of the Pass. Upon the first question they saw no reason for reserving their decision. They had made up their miuds upon it. In regard to the second matter, there was no necessity for them giving.any public decision. It would merely be a matter of forwarding to the Government any recommendation that they might think desirable. He had great pleasure in giving his decision — in which decision he had the concurrence of both the nautical /assessors — that the Court attributed no blame to either Captain Lambert or his ♦hird officer.- They were of opinion that Captain Lambert was not guilty of neglect of duty or any misconduct whatever. Further, the conduct of the captain and his officers and crew after the striking of the vessel was most praiseworthy. The Court therefore directed that the certificates of the captain and third officer be returned. No order would bs made as to costs.