THE KAKANUI INQUIRY.

Evening Star, Issue 8506, 4 May 1891, Page 4

THE KAKANUI INQUIRY.

TO THB EDITOR. Sir,—l am sorry that my absence from Dunedin prevented me from being present at the inquiry into the loss of the Kakanui. Noticing that several persons have been giving their " opinions " about the Kakanui's unfitness to go to the Macquarie9, and as to the probable cause of her loss, will you allow me to give my " opinion," and to add some facts gained from actual experience. I was master of the ill-fated steamer from the first day she weut outside for six years running, and have run with her during the heaviest gale that it has been _my lot to witness. On more than one occasion, during exceptionally heavy southerly gales, I have had to stand out to sea on the wind from Ruapuke Island, before keeping away, and so making a fair wind, and during those heavy gales I never saw the Kakanui poop a single sea. I therefore decline to believe the°theory set up by Mr Belcher about the pooping and smashiog of the Kakanui's Bkylight—the supposed "weak spot" in the boat. If Mr Belcher has all the experience that he vaunts, surely he could have put the bung ia (which some other writer has said was out) by putting a tarpaulin oyer the skylight and battening it down, which could have been done in less than ten minutes, and so making it stronger than the afcer-hatoh, seeing that she had about 3ft high combing round the engine room, while an ordinary hatch combing is seldom mere than 15in high. My own opinion is that the Kakanui struck something, perhaps some wreckage, seeing that there have been bo many ships lost lately; cr else that her coal may have shifted hi rounding up to the wind. That is the biggest risk a master has got to run during heavy weather, either in rounding to the wind or in keeping off to run before it. In all probability they filled the bunkers out of the forshold before leaving the island, and so made the c al very apt to shift unless it was well secured. Now, about small boats steaming out. I could mention a good many. The Wakefield, of Laauceaton, steamed out about thirteen years ago. She is ten tonß smaller than the Kakanui. lam told that the Waipara steamed out twenty-six years ago. _ At that time ahe was only about half the si?e of the Kakanui. I could mention a good many more, but I will not take up too much of yonr space. I wili only remind Mr Belcher of the little steamer Gazelle, which steamed down to the Auckland Islands a few years ago to look for the General Grant's gold ; and if I am not mistaken she made more than ons trip to those islands.—l am, etc., C. F. Sundstrom. Wellington, April 30.