THE ELINGAMITE ENQUIRY.

Evening Post, Volume LXIV, Issue 149, 20 December 1902, Page 5

THE ELINGAMITE ENQUIRY.

EVIDENCE OF MR. WETHEP.ILT. . [BI TEttfOBAPR — mass 4SSOdIATtOIi.I * AUCKLAND, 19th Dae. ' Henry Wetheriit, Inspector of Machinery afc Auckland, who was one of the survivors picked up on the raft, continued hia evidence before the Commission ab Rotorua to-day. Witness oaid that drill on board simply consisted in running out the fire-hose and tho men going to their places. They then mustered nt the boats, ar.d answered to their names. The email boats wero put out to the rail, and men were then dismissed. This impressed him as being -unsatisfactory. At the time of the casualty a number of rr.en were not at rheir places, some of the boats having an insufficient number of seamen aboaid. It was generally understood that the boats should tow or stand by the rafts. The commotion in the engine-.'oom, witness said, was just such as would havo been caused by the engines refusing tp answer. If the engineers said that the hammering was caused by one spanner striking another, witness would not j-ay they were telling a falsehood, but he would maintain his own opinion. A tremendous blow would bo necessary to injure the screw-tube sufficiently to prevent tho revolution of the propeller. Witness did not ask- the purser to look for land and then return to thp raft. Ho was positive that there was room for the stewardess in the purser's boat. His opinion was that there vas a jam in the engine-room. It was r.ot the propeller that was held outside. There were a number of causes winch might prevent the engines going astern. It was not improper for the engineers to insert a wedge in the engines, Lut en getting orders to slow down, they shouM prepare for an emergency and remove it. AUCKLAND, This Day. Lord Ranfurly yesterday made a presentation at the Harbour Board offices to Captain W. D. Reid on behalf of tho New Zealand and Australian Natives' Association in recognition of his conduct at the wreck of the Elingamite. Mr. W. F. Shortt inserts in our auction columns a preliminary announcement setting forlh particulars of tho forthcoming sale to be held early in January, of that portion of Miramar well-kuown as containing tho residence Of Messrs. A. and C. Crawford. This property has now been surveyed and subdivided into sections of a quarter of an acre and upwerds. Every section will faco a wellformed 66ft road. The views to bo obtained from this portion of the estate are claimed to bo unsurpassed by any other portion of Miramar. Tho attention of those anxious to sccura sections in this suburb are particularly drawn by the auctioneers to this block, which they stats is sheltered from both winds, and in the event of Iho elective tram running to Miramar, will bo tho closest of tho whelo estate to lown, either by tram or steamei. The attention is called to the display of ladies' and gent's Christmas footwear now being made at Pearce's Boot Arcade, Cuba-street.