SHIPS COLLIDE,

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 24 March 1922, Page 7

SHIPS COLLIDE,

EVIDENCE AT THE INQUIRY,

(BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION ) WELLINGTON, March. 24. An inquiry into the collision between the Maori and the schooner Zita was h held yesterday. Captain Hans Johansen, master of the Zita, said that he 1 was called at 4.10 a.m. in a hurry, and rnj. — tue steamer was crossing his bow on the port sack. The steamer carrieu away her bowsprit, figurehead, part of the starboard bulwarks, the might heads on the port side, and the port light from nightheeads to the port rigging, and also smashed seven staunchions. He examined the Zita, and decided to proceed to Wellington, but eventually had to put back to Lyttelton. t John Williamson, mate of the Zfta, said that at 3.45 he picked up the steamer's lights two points to port, and about five or six miles away. At four ! a.m., the steamer was still on the Zita's i port bow. She kept on till she was on ! the Zita's starboard bow, and then al- j tered her course to starboard. Witness gave the order "hard to starboard" when he saw that a collision was likely, but his vessel had such little way on that she was slow in answering the helm. The Maori was steaming at about fif-( teen knots, her usual speed. Had the respective courses been followed thero would have been no collision. Witness had been an officer on the Maori for ( nine months. After passing Cook ; Strait, the Maori had no necessity to I alter her course. The Maori first altered her course three points and then made a half circle before colliding with the Zita. He heard no signal from the ■' Maori jnhen she was approaching. Captain Irwin, of the Maori, said that be was ©ailed at 4.12 a.m. on Sunday. The chief officer told him that the Maori had just collided with a schooner. Witness got back to the schooner as quickly as possible, but when informed she was all right, proceeded to Lyttelton. On examining the ship there he found that the vessel appeared to have been strtfbk fairly heavily on the port quarter, bat there were no dents.

Robert George Coyle, second officer of the Maori said he was on duty from twelve to four. The weather was clear. At four a.m. he had a good look round with h's glasses but could see nothing. The Board of Trace lights were supposed to be seen at two miles. At 2.8 a.m. he heard the Wahine sounding fog signals. There were patches o^ fog inshore.

| George Brotherton Morgan, chief of- : ficer of the Maori, deposed that he went lon duty at>4 a.m. About 4.10 witness sighted a red light a point and a half lon the starboard bow. He gave the order "port," then "port good," then "hard a-port." The positions were so 'close that witness could no nothing but ' keep the Maori on trie port helm and try to get across the Zita's bow. Had he altered the helm he would have rammed the Zita. Witness only saw the vessel about two minutes before^ the collision. Cross-examined ' witness said that he gave way in a correct manner to avoid a ! collision. H both vessel had kept the • course there would have been fifty feet j between them. He did not see the Zita j because she was in a fringe of'a fog j bank, and she could see further out of it than he could see into it. After the evidence of the look-out and helmsman of the Maori had been heard the Court held that neither captain was blameworthy,, and returned their certificates. The Court was asked to take into consideration whether the action of j either captain had contributed towards j the collision. Decision was reserved.