BROKEN LINES

Evening Post, Issue 17, 20 July 1936, Page 10

BROKEN LINES

OMANA AND KIWITEA

The loss of the Abel Tasman has much in common with the mishap to the Union Company's steamers Omana and Kiwitea, which broke away during a flood on June 9 of last year. The only'previous instance of a breakaway was on July 16, 1900, when the steamer Taupo was swept to the bar, becoming a total loss.

' In ■ the case of the Omana and the Kiwitea, the river had been steadily I rising for two hours, and the vessels were putting out extra lines. Men were working forward on the Omana at the winches with two chain cables out ,;Vd also several 4in hemp ropes, I when suddenly a rope broke. Then the shackle of one cable gave way, while the other lines jumped under the strain. ■ The cause of the mishap to the shackle was that the brake on the windlass carried away, and the shackle which was faulty, failed to stand the strain. In the meantime the windlass allowed the. other cable to pay itself out. The vessel drifted downstream, fouling the moorings of the Kiwitea, one of whose chain cables broke, while her other one was slipped.

The Omana's second chsin cable remained connected after the vessel's bow swung out, and her stern also swung out. The vessel then stranded on the gravel on the north bank, heading upstream, about a hundred yards below where she had been moored.

The Kiwitea in the meantime had moved away from the wharf but dropped an anchor, eventually pulling up on the north bank, also in gravel, about three hundred yards below the Omana and facing upstream also.

The Kiwitea was later refloated without any cargo having to be removed, but the Omana remained fast until, a quantity of timber had been unloaded from her. : Neither vessel suffered serious damage..