THE WILTSHIRE

Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 145, 22 June 1922, Page 8

THE WILTSHIRE

CONTINUATION OF INQUIRY QUESTIONS ABOUT OCEAN SETS. (•I TELEGRAPH. —PKESS ASSOCIATION.) AUCKLAND, This Day. At tho Wiltshire wreck inquiry to-day Captain Huyward stated that the ship struck at 11.24 p.m., ship's time. It •was about 11.13 p.m. when he gave the ■order to go slow. j. Mr. Mays-:—"Why did you order the engines to go slow ten minutes before striking?"— "Because the third officer said it was doubtful if they had got bottom at the' 11 o'clock sounding, and it is possible to get better Bounding .■when the ship is going slow. I myself rang 'Slow' on to the engine-room tele- ( graph. I had . previously consulted the chart, and I did not leave the bridge. I did not expect 'to .get any bottom at that time, because I didn't think the 6hip was so far to westward. I expected to be then about ten miles north-east of Ouvier." Ifc didn't occur to witness then that he was close to the Barrier or Cape Colville. He was" aware that the Barrier and Cape Colville were the two grave dangers there. 'The reason why he did not turn round was that he doubted whether the mate had touched the bottom \vith the cast. The conditions of visibility were not sufficiently bad to warrant him eoinjr slow lone before.