WRECK OF.THE S.S. PELHAM.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7545, 16 August 1886, Page 2

WRECK OF. THE S.S. PELHAM.

,• iNVERCARQiLI,, Saturday.- „ The inquiry into- the .'wreck of tlies;s.i v Pelham is now proceeding before Mr R. M'Culloch, and Captains,' Whybbm "'. aud Priest, nautical assessors. ' Captain Gregor, after detailing" the voyage from Greynibuth, said that the Pelliam arrived off Dog Island at 1.35 a.m. on the Bth,' Ho stopped the engines, till 6 a.m., when' he went slowly, towards -the . Bluff. He^ was then about three mile 9 off theUiarboi 1 in a southerly direction. It 'was'-getting light, and ho could make rinfc clearly. He steamed on,,'; and -'within a quarter -of a mile off the land between the red buoy ■ and the shoije stopped the engines to wait for the pilot. .The vessel drifted slowly, up ,tho harbor on the last quarter flood. Therewas alight easterly wind. Ho whistled six or seven tinies for the pilot^andwas watching the semaphore for .signals; but '' . hone were' given. - Meantime the, pilot-, boat appeared, but gave no signals.- It .-< . pulled out from the shore' in a direction' across the channel, . and remained .still for :. - • a time. He "whistled again, and riot seeing";;, the boat, coming towards him .he .went ' dead slow ahead, pointing,, if anything,, a ;.,-■ little' outside of -the boat, keeping -it on-U the' port ,bow, and, watching. for .signals, from the semaphore, but none were given. ' Immediately after that the ve.«sel. struck., . Put the helm' hard a-por.t,. went -half :: speed ahead, and immediately/ after 1 . full speed ahead,- and blew the -' whistle, the vessel' meanwhile striking heavily. Thj^ p pilot-boat came alongside - x immediately after! The. vessel was. still/, '* steaming full speed ahead, but did 'not " move. He was on the upper bridge froma quarter to 6 a.m. . Captain Tyson, har- .•■ bormaster, came to him on .the bridge, and' witness asked; ".Why could you lie there still, and see me go ashore?" Captain- -:- Tyson replied, "I'm not going outtobe swamped; see, I'ni wet now." He added . that he had only two men in the boat, and- ■.' . ' could not come out. Witness asked How ~L he could come then, and Captain" Tyson answered that less said easiest mended. . ;<" . -Witness asked why a signal -was not. made from the boat, and Captain Tyson said that he did so. Witness ' replied; •>:. " Yes ; after I struck." , T .-,-- - ■■'•■' ~ ' .. ' .'" • ' Later. ' Charles Williamson,, first officer, pro- ; v duced the log-book 'with' entry, "6.45. ; : a.m. In harbor struck orrroek- close to pilot station arid remained! Pilot boarded. -.- ship shortly after."' The .witness said it. * had turnect" 6.45 j ■ it was ■' then jt\vilight, ' ■ and- the vessel had struck, . .Captain ■ : Whyborn pointed out that there was no ■'■ \ . ■ entry of sounding with 1 the lead, ft was •' the captain's duty to. see. that the mate -i entered the soundings., The captain.! . stated that the man ■ who! used the lead • ■; on the day tlie Pelham .was wrecked was ,:""-.-. . ' Henry Hays. Tho. second, officer.' gavo '• evidence ad to - the position 'of the vessel ■-■;■ during the afternoon. . He called tbe'eap-,' '•'' tain at 6 o'clockj'and the .captain gave the ,:;. order to put the helni hard-a-porfc and .- steam slowly' towards, the- harbor. ■ JHe '•., saw the red buoy after they, had passed it, ; :j -* . . but could not make out its color, then steaTried towards the point before they . came to Howell's rock, leaving the point — .a little on the port bow._. The witness was engaged making ready for going to the wharf, and did not. see anyone take a cost:6f the lead, but it might -have been- V» done without ms knowledge. The pilot ' did not show any signal till after the vessel ha'dstruck, when lio lield'up a fed flag'in his boat. The whistle was sounded at intervals. Witness heard a conversation between, the. harbor - master r and. ; ..the captain. 1 The latter asked wiiy r ' the pilot did not come .off when he saw the 1 ship ; - '-'■ in danger.' The harbor-master replied that he was not going to. come off and. ; get swamped. 1 He also' said' he had oiily j two ' men in the boat. . It was 7 o'clock : .~A by witness's ; watch when the ■■ steamer . struck.- The harbor-master-produced his"" watch, and showed it was 6.45. by it. Witness took no bearings' after the i captain' ■•'■•'■ took cliarge. When the ship struck she was heading to. the north', . .. The pilot boat .could, have come alongside quite ... safely.!' He saw. the boat a 'quarter of-.a~ Tl!---mile off, .and conldhave seen.it half a, .. = mile. 'He' could not say whether the red _- light Jit the pilot station was'on' the port ■ |J " or starboard side of the boat when she,'..,;-; passed the red buoy, as h'e'did not' see the' ' light at ■ all." Thomas Hope,x\vho was at ■ i; ' lthe: wheel, deposed that he. saw the red .. r buoy after the vessel struck. ' x He did not "' see anyone heave the lead. He; could ; ••, ■ have heard the captain'give'su'cKan'order. 1 "". . He : steered by the laud, , the course.being '• ,- " about N.E. -by. $f. : Hesaw the red-light fat the pilot station before, the ship sfruck. ; ; ' It was about a point onthoport bow. ; 'He , ;, , ; saw the pilot boat lying' still, the vaehin: -, a her doing nothing.!. He also'sawa red flag waved after the steamer had struck., , v lf - :- ---signalshdd been made from the semaphore . > " they could have been seen in time to avoid ■ '-^ : danger. The captain-w ould have'' seen .., ' any sigual from the boat five minutes V.'. , before the vessel struck. ,' There was no, thiii£ in the weather to. prevent the boat coming to the steamer. ' He did not hear the harbor master ask the captain why, T : they came in while it was dark." fCaptain' Gregor, recalled, in answer to the assessor said he could not make out the leading . . !,. lights after passing the red' buoy; that was the reason ; why he -stopped and ""•' whistled.- It was scarcely light enough, . - to see the leading- rocks. A few minutes' ,-'.. " made a great difte'rence in the light. He east the lead about a dozen times. W. J. , Schollar, carpenter, stated that he'heard I.'1 .' •„ the captain give orders for a.n'ian to heave the lead. He thought tho ship . struck" : ' : about 7. 15. •■ J. Hamilton, ' engineer, said the engines were going dead slow from 6. o'clock till the ship" struck at T by tho ' engine-room clock. The engines were stopped a little at 6.30., There might . .. have been another' stoppage, -but he did v f. not remember it. The -enquiry, at this. v stago was adjourned till Monday." ; : - ". •■> ' ■ . BLVFF, Sunday.; ■;. The s.s. Pelham bwke in two yesterday : ' .' ; afternoon, owing to" a; fresh wind and ..- swell having sprang up from- the eastward on 'Friday afternoon, .which- still con.- -' I<J tinucs. The break is just about the main hatch. The forward part of the steamer- ••■ has turned slightly seaward, and in the ■-'•"■'- ln'gli tide slie bumps. heavily.'. The after •.,-. ■ part, in which the enginesare, has slipped ; J ; astern three or fourfeet into deeper water, ■ t and the stern vail is on a level'with r tlie - water. The waves atlmlf tide' break over. ": " ■ the whole of the -wreck, nn'd if tlje spa, ;: -i „i increases much more a short time will '* complete the break up of the steamer. At ' ■ present little or no wreckage has drifted „ ashore.. The wreck will be sold" tQ- . '.. morrow. ... . ■ . • ti \- ',[•'."'"' "•