NAUTICAL INQUIRY

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 99, 23 October 1924, Page 10

NAUTICAL INQUIRY

STRANDING OF THE WAR LORD

CAPTAIN LOWRY GIVES evidence: -

(BI TELEGRAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.)

GISBORNE, 22nd October.

A nautical inquiry was' 'held to-day. before Mr.' E. C. Levvey, S.M., and Captains J: Holmes and A. Miller as assessors, into the stranding •of the schooner War Lord off Waikokopu Harbour, on 9th July. . John Lowry, master of the War Loi-d, said that the vessel left Gisborne for Waikokopuon 2nd July and arrived two days later. On arrival: the wind' shifted and witness made for ths shelter of a small reef, on the. Mahia «ide of the bay. When within onn mile of the Teef a rain squall shut out thi land. Witness was compelled to anchor in. about the centre of the bay, about one mile from the shore. ' Tha vessel remained"'at anchor till 7th July, when the cable parted. Witness had only one bower anchor, the otherbeing on the wharf at Waikokopu, the vessel on the previous -trip having.to slip a cable at WaiUokopu. In " the mean-' time an anchor had been lent to the ship by the Waikokopu Harbour Board. On the night of the stranding witness let two kedge anchors go for the purpose of Keeping tha ship's stern on to the sea, The ship grounded on the sand, gradually working up the beach. To Mr. Burnard, who appeared for the' underwriters, witness said that the regulations required a ship to_have two! bower anchors of at. least scwt. each. That.was in the Marine Department's 'regulations, - but he did not know if it .was .one of Lloyd's regulations. After other evidence had been called by Mr. Nolan (who acted for the Marine, Department), Mr. Ohrisp (counsel for the owners) opened his case. Captain Thomas Christian Thompson, master of the Huanui, and at one time master of the War Lord, said that the anchor on the War Lord had been placed there by him and used by him: Provided the anchor and chain were heavy, he preferred one anchor, to two. Had he been in charge lie would have adopted the: same course as Captain Lowry. Decision is to be given to-morrow.