WILTSHIRE WRECK

Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 142, 19 June 1922, Page 8

WILTSHIRE WRECK

OPENING OF INQUIRY

WITNESSES WEATHER-BOUND.

(BI TBLE!!RAPn.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.)

AUCKLAND, This Day.

The. inquiry into the wreck of the Wiltshire opened to-day, before Mr. Cutten, S.M:, and Captains • Reid and Fleming, assessors. Mr. Mays appeared for the Marine Department. He said the only person cited was Captain Hayward. There were three witnesses who could throw a good deal of light on the navigation aspect, and certain important questions of fact, but all these person were weather-bound on the East Coast. It was desirable that these witnesses should be heard before the captain was called. He suggested an adjournment till to-morrow. Mr. Mays added that it was commonly supposed that the ship had run two days at least on dead reckoning, but Captain Hayward's statement to the Collector of Customs removed that altogether. Ho stated that he ascertained his position at midday on 31st May for longitude and 8 a.m. for latitude, and was able to fix his position on the day of the casualty. That fact, if it was a fact, changed the position from a navigation point of view. They had at the last moment to get the best evidence available to establish or refute certain possibilities arising from the fact that he had ascertained his position astronomically eleven and a-half hours before the casualty. There was over £750,000 worth of ship and cargo involved, and 102 lives, besides his own, were jeopardised.

Mr. Meredith, for Captain Hayward, complained that no notification had been given him regarding the witnesses on whose behalf the adjournment was applied for. He asked to be supplied with their names.

Mr. Mays said there was no precedent for giving this information. The defence was not entitled to know what case the Crown was setting up. As a matter of fact, Captain Ha-yward's casualty report did not disclose that he had obtained an astronomical sight on 31st May, although when he was asked if he had come in on dead reckoning, -lie quite frankly stated that he obtained the sight, and the information was written on the paper. He was not prepared to go on to-day, hecause one of the delayed witnesses was to give evidence on the very foundation case.

Mr. Meredith had no objection to the adjournment, as he wished to get some of the officers' books still remaining on the Wiltshire. i

The Court then adjourned until to> inoivrow.