IN THICK WEATHER

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 12, 15 January 1929, Page 10

IN THICK WEATHER

STEAMER HITS REEF

EVIDENCE OF STRONG SET

INVERCARGILL MISHAP

The grounding of the coastal steamer Invcrcargill (223 tons) on Ohau Point early *on the morning of 9th December, while on her way from Wanganui to ■Wellington, was the subject of a nautical inquiry at tho Magistrate's Court to-day.

Mr. E. Page, S.M., presided, and had with him as assessors Captain' S. G. Stringer and Captain E. Cartner. Mr. J. Prendeville appeared for the Marine Department, Mr. E. Parry for the master of the ship, Captain J. J. Smith, and Mr. J. F. B. Stevenson for the owners, the Coastal Shipping Com-

pany

Evidence- was given by Captain Smith, who said the Invercargill loft Wanganui on Bth December for Wellington with five tons of general cargo stowed in the forehold. .He crossed tho Wanganui bar about 7.30" p.m., and set a course south, J east. There was a very light southerly wind; it was hazy, and there was a smooth sea. Tho ship was doing about 8J knots. Witness left the bridge about 8 p.m., and left orders to bo called if tho weather became thick or worse.. He was called at 11 p.m., when he found, the weather thick,. but not thick •enough to slow down. It was still fine, and ho went back to his cabin. Later, the wind shifted to a light northerly at midnight, when he went on duty again. He made an allowance of a mile an hour for six hours on account of the tide. His course would take him 3J miles clear Ohau Point. Tho ship struck at 3.10 a.m. He had mad© 211 trips on that route, and his practice was not to run more than eight hours from the Wanganui bar in thick weather. Ho would then make for the open sea, and would' never enter Cook Strait till he could see the Brothers Light. The. ship drew 3ft t3in forward and Bft Oiu aft. There was no hurry; to make port, as the ship did not have, to reach Wellington till 8 a.m. on Monday. He had consulted the chart sinco the mishap and found that his deadreckoning was a mile per hour out. He agreed that that was a ■ considerable error. Ho did not take soundings because he did not think he was out of deep water, judging by his experience, the speed of the ship, and the. tide. Ha admitted that if he had taken soundings he would have had to call men below, which would have meant trouble and extra expense.

A QUICK TRIP.

To Mr. Parry: He had never had any-thing-in the nature of an accident previously. Once he had reached Ohau Point from' the Wanganui Bar in nine hours, but the run usually took about ten hours. He never ran more than, eight hours in thick weather, and if the wind or sea was with him he put back sooner. He always put back one hour before he calculated he would reach. Ohau Point. The average time taken, from Wanganui was fourteen hours, and the ship had done it once in 12 j hours. The grounding delayed him three-quarters of an hour. After tlie ship backed off the reef and the daylight came he saw where he was, and then continued the journey, arriving in Wellington within twelve hours, his actual running time being eleven hours ten 'minutes. In spite of the' delay on the reef the ship did the trip from the bar to Wellington in twelve hours. He remained on the bridge from midnight. He first saw a dark patch loom up about two points on the port bow. Tho! .engines were not put astern immediately, and the ship was carried on the reef gradually as she swung to starboard, carried by her own momentum. He attributed the stranding to an ab« normal set, which took him to Ohau Point an hour and ten minutes sooner than he had'ever done even on a good trip. The engines were put astern, about a minute and a naif after he rang, and the ship backed off steadily. The engines were put astern just after the ship grounded.

To Captain Stringer: Nothing would prevent him from calling all the hands on the ship to take soundings or to do anything else if he . thought it .was necessary for the safety of. the ship.

To Mr. Parry: He saw the land sooa ouough to take some way ofi the ship and put her round to starboard. Ha" saw the land as soon as it could havej been seen.

To Mr. Prendeville: Vary little damago was done'to the ship, only a dent, and no water was made immediately* Four inches of water was found on the Monday morning.

To Mr. Page: The set was an 'abnormal set which he had never experienced before.

Mr. Parry remarked that it ,was a] coincidence that another steamer had stranded on tho same coast the same: night owing to an abnormal set.

Iv answer to Mr. Page, Mr. Parry; said he did not think a record, was kept of abnormal tides.

Questioned by Mr. Page, the witness agreed that Cook Strait tides were very difficult. A strong tide would sweep a little vessel through the Strait if the tide was with it, and if the tide was against her, the ship could not get through. On the night of the mishap he calculated that the tide ,was against him for -the last hour and a half. The mate, Eichard Hart, said that the shortest time in which the ship had done the trip in recent months was twelve hours. He had never seen tho log used on ships between Wacganui and Wellington, though he had been on, the run twenty years. He had never seen soundings taken either. It usually took nine hours to cover the distance between the Bar and "Wellington, though on the night of the,mishap the ship did it in 7 hours 40 minutes. Ho agreed there must have been an I abnormal sot. To Mr. Prendeville: The ship carried a log, but it was never streamed. To Mr. Page: There were no meteorological conditions that would givo warning of an abnormal set. He did not think the streaming the log would have helped. ENGINEER'S EVIDENCE. Evidence was also given by James Dalziel, the engineer, who said that the engines were running at slightly under full speed on tho run from the Bar. Tho speed was SJ knots till after tho mishap, when it was increased to SJ knots. The trip was an exceptionally quick one. To Mr. Parry: As soon as tho ship grounded the fireman stopped the engines. When witness arrived at the telegraph it was at "Stop." Later the engines wore put astern. William Henry George Bennett, the owners' representative, said the shilp was insured for £2000, total loss only. The damage done through the- stranding was very small, and would coet less than £100. To Mr. Parry: He had every confidence in the master, Captain Smith. Boeallod upon the question of givnng telegraph signals, Captain Smith saidl he first rung "Full astern," tfceii "Stop," and then "Full astern." • That concluded' tho evidence. The Court intimated that its djpcK sion would'be delivered at 10 aim.l|'w I morrows : .-•'..