SHIPPING NEWS

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 April 1910, Page 2

SHIPPING NEWS

THE WRECK OF THE PERICLES. I THE ADMIRALTY ENQUIRY. [PER PRESS ASSOCIATION —COPYRIGHT.] PERTH, April 7. The Admiralty Court has commenced an inquiry into the wreck of the Pericles. Counsel appeared for Captain Simpson and also for 31 passengers, who had made charges against the’ officers of neglecting the third-class passengers. Captain Simpson, in his evidence, said that the angles had been taken at every point along the shore. He had employed a new standard compass and it had very little deviation. The Pericles was drawing 28ft when she struck, and travelling at the rate of thirteen knots. It took 12 minutes to stop the Isteamer after she struck, and she travelled a mile to a mile and a-half. She was on the usual fine weather course at the time of the disas-

t( Thp assistant lighthouse-keeper at Cape T.eeuwin deposed that the Pericles was el'dit miles away when first noticed that she appeared to he flying two flags, Put she was too far off to make out their meaning. Afterwards she drifted four miles Her course was hist the same as other vessels coming in the same direction. She was not unusually close to the shore, was outside the dangerous run. The third officer of the Pericles deposed ithe usual course, six to seven miles off Cape l.eciiwiu. was kept. The second officer, who checked the hearings, had been round Cape Lecuwm thirteen times. The Pericles was no nearer land than previously. The enquiry was adorned till Monp ;1 quantities of cargo are reported to be'floating in flic vicinity of the wreck. Six hundred boxes of miller 1,, V e been beached at Flinders Bay.