CYRENA ENQUIRY

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 June 1925, Page 6

CYRENA ENQUIRY

HARBOUR MASTER’S EVIDENCE.

(Per Press Association.)

WANGANUI, June 15. A nautical inquiry into the wreck of the Cyrena commenced this morning -before JMEr Barton vaptains Edwin and Barron, assessors. The evidence of the Harbourmaster Captain Mclntyre, occupied six hours. This was the only evidence taken. Captain Mclntyre stated that when he boaraed the Cyrena, for the purpose of piloting her in, Captain i atterson informed him that tne steamer was drawing 16ft. Gin. fore and ait His (Mclntyre’s) soundings antl measurements indicated that heie should be 18ft bin of water at high tide. He also informed Captain Patterson that the bar was composed of mud. Captain Patterson and tne pilot were quite satisfied that, witi 2ft. under the Cyrena’s bottom, it was perfectly safe to take the bar, eon sidering that the sea was smooth. At 10.20 a.m., the Cyrena headed for the entrance, keeping the beacons open slightly. It was smooth, with no lilt at all upon the vessel. I' lQ Cyrena grounded gently at 10.4 U. There was no jar, just a gradual pullin" up, as would be expected on a mud bottom. There was a slight lift of the bows. On grounding the engine room telegraph was at lull speed ahead, in accordance with the pilot’s instructions, and he estimated; that the pace immediately prior to grounding was about 7 knots, as she had time to gather full speed, whi«n would be about or 10 knots. After grounding, she appeared to be afloat forward, for about two-thirds of her length, and fast from there aft. There was, however, no noticeable cant on the vessel. Coming in the Q.M. was in the chains, but as soon as she grounded, the second officer, who was on the bridge took the lead line from him, and went to the bleak of the forecastle head, heaved the lead, and reported 18ft. He then walked along aft, dragging the lead, feeling the bottom all the way, and reported less than 17ft., just forward of the main mast- (That would be just abaft the bridge), and 12ft at the poop. He took soundings on both sides of the vessel, with the same result. The distance from the peak of the. forecastle head to the poop was approximately 180 feet. Soundings were taken in the vessel and it was found that she was making no water. Endeavours were made for some one and a half hours aitei grounding to work her off with the engines, but with no result. A kedge anchor, with a wire rope, was go ready to run out astern, but it was eventually decided not to do so, and a message was sent ashore for lighteis. The hatches were taken off, the derricks got ready, and measures were also taken to lift the stern by pumping 19 tons of water into the fore peak, filling it up, and shifting 37 tons of fuel oil from the after to the forward copper dam, and pumping all the boiler water overboard from the after peak. The Captain estimated that this would lift the stern by about a foot. Captain Mclntyre continued that, with a falling tide, a heavy swell came in from the south. At 3 P- ir '- the agent came off and reported that it was too rough for lighters to come alongside with the swell and the incoming tide, which would be high at 11.26 p.m. The vessel commenced bumping badly, and at 8.22 it was decided to start the engines and endeavour to work her off the bank- At 8.30 it was found that the vessel was making water fast in the after hold, although the engine room was dry; and the ship’s pumps were unable to cope with the inflow. From 8.22 the engines were working in an endeavour to shift the vessel, but sho did not move until about 9.6. At 9.46 she began dragging towards the north 'mole, and had 14ft of water in the after hold and 10ft in the forward hold.. An indication of th© damage she had sustained by 9 p.m. was a bent sounding pipe under the bridge, and in the alter hold this pipe goes through the double bottom to within a foot of the bottom of the ship, and is fastened by flanges to the inner bottom. It was found impossible to get the souding rod down a instance ui more than about eight feet, from the top, which is in the captain’s outer cabin, thereby indicating that the bottom had been forced up at least about a foot, and caused a bend in the sounding pipe. An endeavour was made to get the steamer in between the moles, but as she was bumping and dragging all the time, and the wind and seas were forcing her towards the north mole, it was decided to beach her north of the north mole. This manoeuvre was eventually carried out, and the captain succeeded in squaring the vessel up before she took the bottom more firmly by the stern, about a quarter of a mile to the northward of the north mole. At 9.59 p.m. heavy were breaking over the stem. The after part of the vessel was working. An examination next morning showed that plates were buckled on either side of the vessel at the waterline, just forward of the mainmast, and abaft the watertight bulk head, between No 1’ and "No 2 hold ,and there was a crack on either side of the ship extending to the rail. The stanchions in •No 2 hold for a distance of about 20 feet, and just about opposite the cracks in the vessel’s side, were found to be bent, as if forced up from below. The vessel has since, on June 11, parted in two at the line of the cracks, every endeavour being made Tn the meantime to bring her into port. It would appear that Khe vessel was* badly damaged on the bar and that the damage was sustained about 8.30 p.m. on Sunday, the 24th., as it was then found that she was rapidly making water. She was practicik'ly undamaged from the time she got off the bar. Soundings were, after the casualty, taken on the bar, and an obstruction was found on the position where the vessel had grounded. This obstruction was buoyed, and examined by means of a spear. It was thought to be. a log of wood lying on the bottom. A southerly came up later and covered the obstruction with sand, and the dredge in an endeavour to remove the sand, fouled the buoy and carried it away, and the obstruction has not since located.