THE JESSIE NIGOOL-ROTOMA HANA COLLISION.

Evening Post, Volume LXVII, Issue 132, 4 June 1904, Page 5

THE JESSIE NIGOOL-ROTOMA HANA COLLISION.

SUPREME COURT ACTION. Mr. Justice Cooper and a special jury of twelve this morning resumed in tha Supreme Court the hearing of the civil actiun in which William Cook, of Lyltelton, sues the Union Steam Ship Company for £1532 damages caused by the running down by tin- s.s. Holomuhnna of the hchooner Jessie Niccol when the latter w.is at her moorings in Wellington Harbour on the night of the 19th December last. Mr. My«rs appeared for the plaintiff, and Meters. Gray and Wilford for the defendant, company. Owing to tl»o indisposition of Mr, Justice- Cooper, the hearing of the case had been adjourned on Thursday aft-ernoon, on tho conclusion of the examination of the plaintiff's tiivst witness, Captain Johnson, Harbourmaster On resuming this morning, Mr. Myeni Ciillud William Ferguson, Secretary and Engineer of the Harbour Board, who was examined as to the positions and distances of the buoys in the region of tha anchorage of the Jessie Niccol at the time of the collision. The schooner was in the usual anchorage- for her class of boat. To Mr. Wijf ord : Thought the schooner was anchored in a safe and^proper posi. tion. Kdward Quinlan, signalman and chief officer of the Hurbour Board, said the. schooner was in tho usual position, and, a safe anchorage on tho 19th December; and thew> was sufficient foinvay left between tha sebou/ier and the man-of-war buoy. There was no obstruction between the Jt-fesio Niccol and the Rotomfthona. If a YdMscl was in an improper or unsafe anchorage witness would report it to. the Harbourmaster. Was noftawarethnt the Harbour Board might be to blame for having allowed tlie fcchooner to occupy the berth given her. Did oot think the lamp iwKd on the Je.«»ie Niccol for an anchor lighb was a proper lantern. Had 'never heard complaints from mariners concerning the position of the njon-of-Avar buoy. William Andrew Smith, master of the Jessie Niccol at the time of the collision, eaid that during his thirty-five years at sea he Lad never previously had an accident. Ho had traded frequently to Wellington in tho J<?esio Niccol and larger vessels, nnd had often anchored in the position occupied by the schooner on the night of the collision. Ii was a proper and safe anchorage. A light was burning brightly on the fore rigging on lie night of the collision. Witness was lying down below reading when the collision occurred, and -when he had been taken on board tibe Rotomahana ho saw the lamp still burning brightly. Tho small lamp (called- a "hurricane- lamp") used on the Jes»i© Niccol gave a brighter light in fair and &tormy weather than tho lamp called the "Tom Bowling." He had seen a light from a "hurricane lamp" at a distance of two and a half miles in Lyfctelton. Tested in Wellington in January last, the light was seen clearly one night for a good mile and a half. Tho sunken wreck of the Je&sio Niccol was sold for £80. The schooner, whit* wa« about thirty yeara c-f age, was wojth from £1000 to £1200. Her owner spent a lot of money on her, and she was a good coaster. Her stores were worth £60 or £70. To Mr. ,Gray : Had been master of the Jessio Niccol for six months, had made tho fourth trip on tho day of the collisiou, and had previously anchored exactly in the place used on the 19th December. Kept the watch himself that night, but was in bed just after 9 o'clock, when no ono waa on deck. He did not think it was ueccssary on a fine night in a supposedly safe harbour like Wellington to keep pacing the deck during the anchor watch. He had the watch kept .whenever necessary. Could not have done anything to averts the collision. Might have shouted or have shown a flare had he seen tho Rolomaluina heading for the schooner. Had not noticed the piece of rag wrapped around the bottom, of the glass on tho anchor lamp on the njgbt ol tli© collision. The rag might have been put on to stop the flickering of the light. The rag would not have affected the light of the lanip.. His Honour decided to sit again thia nftornoon, nnd the cross-exoniination wa» resumed at 2 o'clock.