S.S. BREEZE STRANDING

Grey River Argus, 19 February 1932, Page 6

S.S. BREEZE STRANDING

WAS LOG ALTERED? QUESTION AT INQUIRY. CHRISTCHURCH. February 18. Further evidence concerning the netting of the course of the Breeze off Gape Campbell, on the night before vhe grounded at Gore Bay on December 18, was given when the former master of the Breeze, Captain McArthur was examined at the Nautica± inquiry. The alterations in the rougn log book were also subject to mueb questioning. Maui ice Michcal McArthur, of Dunedin, said he turned in shortly aftei 9 p.m., before which he had asked the mate what was the lime. At _Cape» Campbell, the ship had been out four points. After witness had turned in. the mate told him that Cape Campbell was abeam. Witness then made a calculation on the time of forty-eigh minutes between bearings and told the mate that the ship would be about six and a-half miles from off the Cape or a little more. Witness told the mate to alter the course, but did not see the mate make an entry in the log. Witness did not notice the alteration in the log book, until thp sitting of the enquiry. He would have the log and also the mate’s book before him when writing the offiei » leg at Lyttelton about two days later, and would not have had reason to refer to the entries in rough log. When at Lyttelton, witness noticed the mistake in the second mate’s log book, which said that the ship was going “slow,” when “full speed’ bad been ordered. Witness would not say that it was usual to change the course at Cape Campbell as a straight course could be steered from Wellington to Lyttelton. The average speed of the Breeze was from eight

1 and a-half to nine knots, but with a northeily set, the speed would be retarded. Crown Solicitor:—Were yon not surprised then that at Cape Campbell. the ship had covered 34i miles in 3J hours? ( Witness:—l was not greatly surprised because the distance is actually 33 miles, and under favourable conditions it could be done. The course on the chart before the Couit, was plotted by witness in Lyttelton, after the accident. The Chairman; Do you know that if you were two and a half miles off Cape Campbell and rook the same bearings you would land in Gore Bay. The suggestion is that after the accident you worked it back on the chart, so that it would show tha r you were six and a-half miles off Cape Campbell. The suggestion is that alteration in the log book was made to give effect to this. Witness:—That is entirely wrong. The Chairman: You swear that you know nothing of the alteration of tho entry in the log book T—l know nothing about it