SYDNEY FERRY DISASTER

Evening Star, Issue 19758, 7 January 1928, Page 5

SYDNEY FERRY DISASTER

THE JUDICIAL INQUIRY FINDING TO BE GIVEN TO-DAY. Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. SYDNEY, January (3. Counsel’s addresses at the Greycliffo inquiry have been concluded, and the finding as to the causes of the collision will be delivered to-morrow. Mr Holman, counsel for live Commonwealth Director of Navigation, addressing the court, said that the evidence of the Tahiti’s personnel tended to show that the Groycliffo was almost in contact with the larger vessel when the double ring to stop was given to the Tahii’s engine room. The Groycliffo must have'been under the liner’s bows within 15sec of any change of course. An analysis of the facts showed that the Tahiti was already in dangerous proximity to the ferry before the latter made the turn (it any). If the story of the change of course wero to bo accepted, it must bo accounted for in one of two ways. One was that there was some change of course by Captain Barnes for some reason; the other was that there must have been an involuntary change of course caused by the bow wave of the Tahiti. The only other hypothesis was that tho Tahiti deliberately ran the Greyclifl'e down. In regard to a submission by Mr Holman that the pilot on the Tahiti determined to take tho risk of a close shave and to take the risk of geting through by tho narrowest of margins, Mr Justice Campbell interrupted, and said that there was no question of deliberate intention to take a risk. So far as ho saw the situation there was no position of deliberate choice between a dangerous course and a safe one. He saw no reason to think that had come into the matter at all. Mr Holman concluded by submitting that tho court should find that the Tahiti was travelling at an excessive speed, but that proper steps were taken on tho liner after the collision.