GREYCLIFFE TRAGEDY

Hokitika Guardian, 19 November 1927, Page 2

GREYCLIFFE TRAGEDY

CONFLICTING EVIDENCE.

[Australian & N.Z. Cable Association.]

SYDNEY, Nov. 18. The Greycliffe Inquiry was continued :o-dav.

Leslie Blakeney, master of the tug Bimbi, gave evidence that liefore the collision, he heard two blasts, and saw two puffs of steam at the funnel of the Tahiti, liefore the impact. Witness added that the Tahiti, because of the speed she was travelling, could not have avoided colliding with the Greycliffe had the latter changed her course. Rupert Nixon, seaman on the Manly Ferry steamer Burrahra, said: At the time of the disaster, he was steering the Burrahra. 'lire Burrabrn had t(/travel 13} knots an hour to keep up to schedule. They were behind the Tahiti hut did not gain on her. He was of the opinion that if the Greycliffe had continued without altering her course and the Tahiti had slowed down, there would have been no collision. Arthur Pixley, a passenger on the Burrahra stated that- at the time, of the accident, the Tahiti was about five hundred yards ahead of the Burrahra. Before the collision, the Tahiti appeared to change her course and he heard a blast of her tvhisflo. it was only a matter of moments. Tom King, leading stoker on the destroyer, Success, gave evidence that when he saw the Tahiti passing the pontoon at Garden Island, she was travelling at thirteen knots on a course parallel with the Greycliffe. He saw the Tahiti change her course to starhoard after passing Clark Island. This caused the Tahiti and Greycliffe to be oil converging courses. He could see there was going to bo a smash. The Tahiti changed her course to port a few seconds before the collision. Wit--11 os added, he did not see the Greycliffe change her course. He did not think there was any danger of a collision until the Tahiti ..changed her course.