DOLPHIN TRAGEDY

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 November 1939, Page 2

DOLPHIN TRAGEDY

PROCEEDINGS AT INQUEST. SURVIVOR GIVES EVIDENCE. ■■ .—■— \ ’ [PER PBEBB ASSOCIATION.] • CHRISTCHURCH;- November 1. The inquest concerning the death of Mr. F.'J. Brasell,-owner and-master of the trawler Dolphin, was resumed at Lyttelton before the Coroner- (Mr. F. F. Reid). Brasell met his death on October.-.12>-.when the Dolphin was Port Battery, and was sunk. Brasell received injuries which pfeventeir-llim' from saving -himself,■and he went-dowh irT His companion,. W- ,H. .'yVillman, was rescued. ” Af ‘ ‘ ‘ ~,Cpptain. Jaipes Plowman.- ,l;arbournmsieiC at .Xytteltph/’giving' said JhatThe. ,wa& th?' examination, 1 oWei\ r Two.'. adverti^Tp‘efltX'l l beeH I'inWeft Jh I ,pWrist (newspapers,’ giving iAstructiom's th fishing craft. If the examination-vessel :were, ; no.t jnan-in 'charge of a small boat' should wait for its‘ arrival.' (/-Instructions, had been •''that-The - vessel' was to come No provision hadXbeen'' mad&'"f or ’ i-eTfef when !she was off the'station'. Brasell had /called jiX' &ad been dold what was required, and was fully :awaj'.e,iQf,The,W9 c •uvt'TDD, . .Mr; crqrMi’s^aspiij: ■KiiOwing" ' thkt-’sppie fishermen apprtfApheuTyop.. before the Accident forrinstni'C'tionsj-'Mr. Martin, of. the • Seamen’^rUnion, galled- -a- eting of all fisJierpi’en-jn-porU “The men present said“thaU'.tliey''had .not., asked yw.To.it such instructions before the accident. ■ *(/ / '/i .'.-.oi ’* -j.. . ;..cCaptain .Plowman -replied that .he remembered some fishermen approaching him. SINKING DESCRIBED;-

- : -W'iiiidm 7 'HeniT Willman,’• in his evid’ende; -said that the Dolphin-was fetiffnirig- i6’-LytteTton ■'•’abbut 1(45-’ p.m. ‘?As 'we-'proceeded; down ■the''tha;rbdiir,? atfded-'W-iilmdfi, “-We’AWhre <bh fhe-lobk : (Mitcfta the patrol "boat;ebut/twe* could not see anything of the vesselnwWe decided .to ..towards ; r Battery : Poin’tiCfbi—the.-' purpose -’calling out to those in cha-rge-at the-battery, and to give our .identity, as welljas to in-iffii’ir&'-if wbiild be all-right ••tor to-'pYocefe'd' tlbn .V&'ss'eT-d-was m&t ah’dWS :did not know what signals required tb'-' flyio At :thdt’ tithe, I could clearly see the men at the guns at Batter^'Fx#ifft?’ ! l I" cofild also see that some' of.t£he men. were waving flags, and I .took it.to mean they,.may Rave been : us-.to stop;'■■ We- had been steaming-' : at -’-an 'angle- towards Battery Point, for a distance of about before ’ thete'Nwas- an- explosion: eoir YtOarfly -iWhen : the ■'ekplo-'.si<xK:;'€fccWed-r' wee would' - tßeh be/ap ; proximately 75: ■ T yard'S.c ; off the Point. Fbltowlng/.'dmmeaiatelyeo’n th&<expl6? sloir-,r. Brasell y.sp.uil .round ‘.-and said. ’/They have shot me.htf Hei-then drew ■my- attention.'to-the faet.-that-.tlie port iside had-'-beeii-" shot away ‘amidships.” L Witness said he’ sa.w._that_BraSfilE& ileft ./leg, .3 wasjj- z bleeding;;.L’prpfusely. ivvas sinking fast, asked'-mev-to'flake- my., seq.-boo.ts off. Brasell-added, -‘We;—are—done, '.Shgs.' 'S’iiikhfg byiK the L'ffi'owJ’Ußrasell .themefaintejd. k The launch -sank',-land I/ttad:ioT^rab.' the/.mast. — The- lafet rl> hW/cof ,w;as;#S’.4i&?wasi-Uelng. washed-.--into the engfO , e:r®QiPJ;. ; l‘ came up amongst, then saw.a-'bjiay-,:,t0 ( which,!/ c.lu-ng, until:.!, .xyas,.rescued- ,j>y-.members of/the - crew, of-,t^n>'.examination, vessel, about half •an' lioiirjf iatgr.”.-.j .-A.’ '..During, last; way,, if ythe ex^m :6ipji, b.oat ,was not pres,ent, they ap-_ the-fprtj Willmjari. -told,'-.Mr.-Thomas.’ Braseli .was very -nervous -of being shpt at, , but, had- not said -any-. thing., about’asking Captain Plowman for instructions.. /■*'-A ' CORONER’S VERDICT.

After hearing further evidence the Coroner found that Brassell died at Eyttplto.n from that the. signal;from;the'Battery was seen, .Otit MUtCJinderstood. A warning shot, was-fired 4 / which struck the launbh' ni'the'engine-room, a piece of metal form -the-.engine- striking Bi-asseil. . Tlije Corpner said it liis. .(jut f to, comment'bn ,tfle procedure adopted by’t|i'e' examihation ( whether , .there was. ' any.'..he'gligeiiber. Willman had clone possible for .Brasselln ’ .j ';./ *}/;;