GREYCLIFFE DISASTER

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 8 February 1928, Page 5

GREYCLIFFE DISASTER

THE CORONER’S FINDING. DEATHS DUE TO ACCIDENT. NEGLIGENCE ON BOTH SIDES. b» cable press association— cor Yiiiotn SYDNEY. Feb. 7. The con oner’s inquest into, the death of the viiobmvsi of the Greyeliffe-Tahlti collision, 'which has lasted over 25 days, has concluded, the- coroner returning a verdict of accidental death. The finding said there was negligence on the part of those responsible lor the careful and proper navigation of the Tahiti in exceeding the speed limit allowed by law and in not, as the overtaking vessel talcing the required necessary precaution to keep out of the way of a vessel being overtaken. There was contributory negligence by the officer navigating the Greycliffe in not. taking the required necessary precaution to ascertain, before altering the course, or at the moment when he discovered his vessel’s course was alter, ing, a,si the case may foe, whether or not he was being overtaken by another Vessel. These acts did not, in law, amount under the whole circumstances to criminal negligence. The coroner then referred to the uu Satisfactory nature of the evidence given Iby the captain of the Tahiti, and commented on the act that, the Tahiti left tohe harbour without giving any information to the police- of such a- proposal.

CORONER'S CONCLUSIONS. The coroner added that he had- conic to the following conclusions : That a*, the time of the collision the Tahiti had attained a speed of about 12 knots an hour. 'Starboarding her helm and reversing her port engine when she discovered the Greycliffe was altering her course to port .probably' made no substantial change in the course or the speed of the Tahiti up to the moment of the collision.

The Greycliffe took substantially her usual course when leaving Garden island, steering for approximately the same point that the Tahiti was heading for and attaining a speed of about nine knots per hour, when her course was altered to port to the extent of from a point toi a point anil a half at a mom - ent when the Tahiti was about 300 feet astern of her, and when their courses were about 200 feet apart. Whether the Greycliffe’s alteration of-course was due to a voluntary act of the ferry’s helmsman or was performed by him unconsciously through a habit developed by years of practice the coroner was uliable to say. If the chains of the steering of the ferry were so slack as to allow such a decided falling away in her course, which he doubted, greater care should be exercised in seeing ’ they were kept satisfactorily adjusted. If the boa wave repulsion created by the Tahiti influenced the Greycliffe's movements at all, it was not until the stage had been reached when a collision was unavoidable. Although the Tahiti followed approximately the propel - course for an outward bound sea-going vessel she at the time o-f the collision was. considerably exceeding the speed limit allo-wcd by the Sydney .Harbour Trust regulations, namely, eight knots an hour. Those whose duty it was safely to navigate the Tahiti failed to detect the close proximity of the Greyclitfe. Although their courses were only slightly converging, they would on a comparatively slight alteration of the course of either, lead to an unavoidable collision owing to their relative position and speeds as the scene of disaster was approaching. 'The Greycliffe’s navigating officer was apparently content that while all was clear ahead there was- no necessity for him to ascertain, when he noticed his vessel alter her course .slightly to port, whether he was .being overtaken by another vessel, and, probably not anticipating such a contingency in view ol the speed it which, his own vessel was travelling, he failed to exercise the precaution .required by the regulations foa .preventing a collision at sea to keep a, proper look-out, and thus a position was created which those navigating the Tahiti had failed, as .an overtaking vessel, to guard against.

TAHITI CAPTAIN'S STORY To complete the unfortunate set 01 circumstances that led to the disaster it appeared that the ferry altered h'ei course to port at .an earlier stage than usual, whereas, if the alteration had been delayed for a further minute 01 minute and a half, the Tahiti wouio probably have come into view on her port side. This fact, however, if one of contributing cau.se.si of the collision, did l not absolve the officers from responsibility. Further than that, the pilot in charge, who was no doubt well acquainted with the usiial movements of ferry steamers plying between Garden Island and Nielsen Park, may not have .anticipated that the Greyclilfe’s course would alter until a later stage of her journey. The coroner added that other matters which he felt should in the public interest be mentioned were the unsatisfactory nature o.f the evidence given by the master of the Tahiti, more particularly his attempt to lead the Court to believe that the statement taken from him by the New Zealand police was obtained by threats and made under compulsion, which, in view of the circumstances under which the statement was taken, the coroner regretted to say he could not believe and was unable to attribute to unconscious bias. The coroner continued that he shout! mention also the fact that while the work of rescue and recovery of the bodies was still in progress and the attention of the police was fully occupied with that work, the Tahiti left the. harbour in continuation of her voyage to New Zealand without inquiry beilie made ais to whether in the interests of justice the police wished to obtain ■statements from those aboard her, and without any intimation to the police that she was then leaving. ,

The sea and harbour pilots have written the State Superintendent of Navigation desiring that the high esteem in which Pilot Oarson was held by every member of the service should lie placed on record and brought' to the notice o! the Treasurer.