GREYCLIFFE DISASTER.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 7 January 1928, Page 5

GREYCLIFFE DISASTER.

COUNSELS’ CONCLUDING ADDRESSES. ' JUDGMENT TO BE”GJVFIN TO-DAY BY GABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT SYDNEY, Jan. 6.

Counsels’ addresses at the Grey cliff a inquiry have been concluded and judgment! a® to the causes of the collision will be delivered to-morrow.

Mr. W. A. Holman, counsel for the Commonwealth Director of Navigation addressing the Court said the evidence of the Tahiti’s personnel tended to show that the Greyeliffe was almost in contact with the larger vessel when the double. ring to stop was given to the Tahiti’s engine room. The Greyeliffe must have been under the liner’s bows within fifteen seconds of any change of course.

An analysis of the facts showed that the Tahiti was already in dangerous proximity to the ferry before the latter made a turn if any vva® made. If the story- of a change of course were to he accepted it must bei accounted for in one of two ways. * One was that there was some, change of course by Captain Barnes l of the Greyeliffe for some reason the other was that there must have been an. involuntary change of course caused by the bow wave of the Tahiti. The only other hypothesis was that the Tahiti deliberately ran the Greyeliffe down.

In reply to a submission by Mr. Hoiman that the pilot on the Tahiti had determined to take the risk of a close shave or to take the risk of getting through by the narrowest markin, Air. Justice Campbell interrupted and said there was no question of any deliberate intention to> take such a risk. So far as he saw the situation there tv as no position of a deliberate choice between a dangerous course and a safe one. He saw no reason to think that this had come into the matter at all.

Mr. Holman concluded by submitting that the Court should find that the Tahiti was travelling at an excessive speed but that proper steps were taken on the liner after the-collision.