WRECK OF THE JANE DOUGLAS

Grey River Argus, 20 January 1912, Page 1

WRECK OF THE JANE DOUGLAS

MAGISTERIAL INQUIRY

' The following-, account of the .above; enquiry appeared; in;.thp Nelson.Colonist of January 15th »—. '. ; ' - A magisterial enquiry" in,to . tho. oii'cumstances of the wreck -of the Jane Douglas, which occurred in the passage between Stephens'.'aiid" D' tJr-, •ville'^i Islands in *he\eai;ly . hpur's .of Wednesday; morning last, was held at .the ' Courthouse ■•• on, Saturday;, by - Mr.-; J S. JEyans, S.M., 'arid! '.-■-Captains- H. Machab and -W. jGrray (assessors). .Mr.- T.'M; Cullen (Collector- of Cus■tpms) represented the -Marine JDepartiheht, and Mi v : A l . T. Maginuity; instructed: by the Merchant '■'?.. Service Guild, appeared- for Captain -yehdore and Mr. . W. Ingram, this <JnieiE-. officer of the vessel. . ' '■■•'".., '/ . The Collector of Customs, in opening, said" the questions for- the Court to", decide were.: ■ (1) vWhetlieirj under tho circumstances the course r steered wais a proper, and prudent^ one ; :(2) Wliether that part of thevcoast is danjgerous,. and^ whether and lppkrout was kept, and (3) Whether - the .casualty was due to the, improper act or de- t fault of the master. Mr. - 'Maginiiity stated ; that •Captain Veridore's cei-titicate had -gone.; down with^the"--Jan^e/-Douglas,v.-and T that"Miv Ingi'ain's was on' "the i West^Coast, stud -had been -sen,t. for. . ,' ":'. ; . : . The Collector of Customs called ;the following ; evidence :— . • Captain" J. 6. Watsonj. "master: of the' Pateena, stated that he had / 12 years' knowledge of the locality; of : the wreck.. He : left Eictpn at .2 .a.nj.., -oh W.ednesda"y ; , -for;. Wefiingtbn, ■ liaving delayed, his departure owing tp a wire from Cape Campbell that" there, wasf a. heavy southerly wind and" increasing sea in the Straits-. When 'he got-- into tho Stvaits he found the sea moderate' The use of the. passage between; Stephens' and B'Urville Islands was"prohibited 1 by "'..:"■ the :Uhipn Steam Ship" Company. He believed a general warning had been issued . by i'the ; TNlarine Department about nine j*ears ' " .ago, against the 'use of this paissage, owing to -the 'erratic- '.tides*. •;'.- Thev-^estport Coal Company's "vessels were 'not- allowed.to. use : this passage, but the Blackball Company's- steamers "sttlk go thiough it; For r a small steamer like thb Jane Douglas it would be quit 6 safe to "woi'k the : passage^ on!-ar clear night. With : a- south-eas,t wind/.and at ebb tide there would be! a nasty rip outside- Stephens'-^ Island. - He. wou.ld not consider it necessary! to -'take soundings.-6n going through "the .'Stephens' Island passage- at night. " If : ra master ■ could not -scte . . -.the' ' mainlaust sufficiently clear to judge' his . distance he should .go outside. thevMand..' Ina small- boat he did not think nt would be necessaivy ■ toi keep ■"a -look, out,; as the man on the ■ bridge,/ bdiiig hightji"; up, could see -as Tnuch ; as the llook-p tit;'By Mr. Maginnity: The Blackball Company's steamers yVperhrtps »1000 ; ton * vessels, . Avent through the

while .the Jane Dbuglas was only 75 tons. '■^ It; .would;- be for &. man: to' use -the passage -if he was used .10---it, on the. :10th. ■ -Ehe "cif eet of the south easter against the. ; ebb "tide t w6uld setr ii]): a spray and; obsexu'e-the rocks If; the .weather ;'\Vas/j clear: 'and the laud - cputd -bo seent-h& clid not ' cbnsidelv Captain _yendpl;e_Ayas taking any. uu-. due .risk in' : going through tho-passags. When he" came down thei Sounds _en} ;Wedi£esday. mpriiing the was clpar enoughj-to 'see.the- land, although overcast, and, there "was : a .'m6ph, =' wh^ch : wa£ :'. occasiojtiaily : : ob soured by : driftingr- clouds-. ' " / . - ' ';■''].'.' ■ < .f Captain Charles y&ndore,- -master of | ■tlip ■ Jane *Dougla?s for- -4^ years, : stated ' ..th'at ihp w4s ) a-- : native of ; NeJsqiji,. anjd } all .his.- experience, had - ; been ■ in ;. i y>velh"ngton-^Y«st " Coast trade. He wa -\i !fpr V- time, mas^e^ 'of the Waii'auj; Slid. : lia^-'beea "mat^T cm^^e^^Aiiclviyr I^ % ob7fc-; pany?s steamers. : Wlien" mv the- Aiir-hpr. vessels lie had been ■ through the St«plurri's Inland , passage. . ;-35ven-in badAyeather, ', so" Jong as he ■• could ••" see the land', he would take the passage in preference, to "going outside. In Uiegp.--tiating.i'ihe, passage: the steamer . was only" in the tide rip, about two. minutes while outside the island' the rip might continue foi" a . cpiiple "of hours. Th) tide rip wpuld-have an effect on a-'had. steering vesselj but the Jan o Douglas was a. : good •' steering vessel,; and "the rip .had; no.: effect on. her. ; - .The ,Jaiw-.' Douglas; (which was not:, insured) carried nine, hands ; (including himself) . On :Monday evening, at 5^15, the Jane Dduglas . left"- Wellington ", for Hokitkia ij'itji . general, cargo ; She was drawing . f feet' (3 inches aft and ;4 feet '2 inches j. forward . . She. was v a* well f o'uhd "yesse. 1: : lii the Straits there Ava's li'-f reslr soutlieaster. blowing, '•: \vith a ■ moderate .sea. Witness' described the course .he.steereded viintil tha passage ..was When, off J;ag; Rocks, he changed his coui-se.to N4V. VW- 'The 'Tqwer Rock; on -'■ which the , vessel , struck at .;.12:l-3 _ a.m., -vvasiN. Wv 'J N: froni- the "point* lie" cliahged4iis course. The course he sfeered' sKpiild' have' cai'ried -.him' ) clear of : the i'ddk . - . -:, When^ he changed > liis coiuise after 11 p.m., he was 7 miles off Cape ' Stephens and- ; 3£ niiles off liangitoto , Tlie weatliSr was overcast_ but .the/nioon"; Avas up. When he changed'his course he "could see Cape.Step: hens' and J Rangitoto Head. • It 'was blc wing hard /south eaat %yith- cousiderab'le sea. Tower Rock was half ; a^ mile from -the .mainland.: When entering the passage * the mairila'iid' could bo made :out-. quite easily... He could >not tell from, his view' of ' the mainland , tljat i he .was too, far out; '• •; he judged" 'fchput : h6 was on a safe' course. 'He did> not sice tlip rock -before' the stearrtor struck; owing to the -'seas /breaking ."over it ih' the rip. The tid.e was ebbing to".{h«»-. eastward, -and spt the. rip. fui'tlier out ; towards Stephen's Island: -He -'usually-' .s"feered along" the edge of the rip. When the ..vessel- struck he kept', the .engines "going to keep .her 'on_ the. rbck^She was .then travelling about. B knots, but lier speed AvaS 9-J knots. He told the crew to get the . port' ' boat ready. The engineer then informed him that' the sliaft had broken, and v he stopped the engines.- The vessel "slipped round, broadteide on. , The boat on tho . weather side was got ready, . and also th^" lifeboat' on the lee side.- Just as'; she ! was ; in the davits^ the vessel slipped' off the rock and paid- off into 4<he .sea.. He .then, instructed the crew to. go to the boat that \vW got i'eady first. Tlie crew must have got into tlie boat just before the vessel sank. He went' down witbT the' ship and when he, came to' the surface- the crew picked him- -up.. : .'./:.Tlie^V;tbVen;p.iilied_.tQ.-Cape/ Stephehs and tried to make' Port Hardy but ttip txd'e^ was : top ' strong to allow-, them' tp : get round. At claybreak they pTtlled iin. and landed on to • the' beacli. . Ho. attributed ther pauge; of. tlip' . vessel striking to misjudging . the , distance from the land and being deceived '-by the rip.', He" reckoned that ...he Avas ,-tho usual distaiice: off the land. Tlie vessel i compass had heen.; adjusted twice since last February, tue. last {rime about, six jn6nth's..agp'.vHe.'' I tpbk-b'earihgs at Jack- ' "sdri'' s' 'Bay-: about ! three weeks.- ago and the compass proved' correct". ; Ho kept a compass' error b6ok but.< did not make entries .in it,, but; put: them down on a deviation ipard.'When ; the vessel struck tha ,was not- in -the engine roqm.. Tlie > fireman, was on watch but might . hbt v fiav-6 been 'in ••the - engineroom: He* did not cbiisider the passago daiigerpus', and did not have a man Ipri thk look': out; "'•• ■•':;: .- - "..; \.'_ .;/;<< ' -. '-.' ■'.:'. liie :enquiry;;was ;.-"■, then adjpurnpd to vtha following. -.morning.' " '•'. ; !