ENQUIRY INTO THE COLLISION IN LYTTELTON HARBOUR

Lyttelton Times, Volume LI, Issue 5715, 20 June 1879, Page 3

ENQUIRY INTO THE COLLISION IN LYTTELTON HARBOUR

A preliminary enquiry into the collision between the hopper .barge Sumner and the barque Bialto was held at the Custom-house, Lyttelton, yesterday morning, before the Oolleotorof Customs.

Captains Peek and Bowie were present as Nautical Assessors. Mr C. H. Williams, Secretary of the Harbour Board, was present to watch the proceedings on behalf of the Harbour Board. Captain Galbraith, pilot, and Captain J. Wood, master of the barge Sumner, were also present. John Charles Williamson, master of the barque Bialto, of London, official No. 58992, 1166 tons register, owned by the Merchant Shipping Company, London, deposed: the number of my master’s certificate is 96287, Board of Trade, London On June 161 arrived from Newcastle with a cargo of 1600 tons of. coal. Arrived off the Heads at 2 a.m., and was boarded by Pilot Galbraith. Anchored at the Heads on account of there being no wind, and soon after daylight the tug Lyttelton came up and took us in tow, and.we proceeded up the harbour. When attempting to enter the basin the vessel touched on the bank, the tide being two hours’ flood, the vessel drawing 19ft 6in forward and 19ft loin aft. While towing astern to clear the bank I saw the steam barge Sumner approaching the ship’s port side stem on. I hailed him thrice saying, “ Where are you coming to?” The third time he answered, “I cannot help it,” and immediately afterwards the barge struck (hephipon the port side nearly amidships and rebounded from the ship. When I first hailed the barge she was only about her own length and a-half from the vessel. I ordered the chief officer to lower himself over the side, and he fotlhd the first submerged plate damaged the whole width, so as to admit the insertion of the end of an iron bolt. I immedi? ately reported the damage to the pilot; sounded the pumps, and found one inch more water in the ship than is always in the well. Manned the pumps and lowered a boat, sending hands into her to stuff oakum into the leak as far below the water as' they could reach. Half an hour after starting the pumps I sounded them again, and found 11 inches of water in the snip; one hour afterwards, 14J inches of water. In the meanwhile, Captain M'Lellan, the Harbourmaster, had come on board, and summoned the barque Heathcote to assist in towing the ship alongside the wharf. He also supplied a gang of men to work the pumps while the ship’s crew were mooring the ship under his instructions. On sounding tne pumps again I found that the pumps were just keeping the ship free, as we had succeeded in getting a considerable quantity of oakum into the leak. When I hailed the Sumner I was standing by the wheel, owing to having six hands laid up. The ship was going astern at the time; we were just outside the entrance to the Basin, and nearer the Naval Point Breakwater than tiie Officer’s Point Breakwater when the ship touched the bank. 1 hand in copy of entry in official log. By Captain Wood: The vessel was on the bank about five minutes. After the Sumner struck the vessel she offered asssistance immediately, which was refused by the pilot. I did not know at the time what the intention of the pilot was. At the time the ship touched on the Bank I presume it was his intention to wait until the tide flowed a little more.

Oaptain Galbraith had no question to ask. Charles A. Johnson, chief officer of the Bialto corroborated the captain’s evidence, which was read over to him. The witness indicated on a plan the position of the vessel with regard to the breakwaters when the collision took place. The vessel he said was heading slightly outside the Officer’s Point Breakwater, ana her stern was about 150 ft from the Naval Point Breakwater water-line when the collision took place. By Oaptain Wood: I cannot say how long the vessel was aground, as she had very little way on her previous to the accident. J. W. Clark, master of the steam tug Lyttelton, and certificated pilot for Lyttelton Harbour, stated: I was towing the Bialto in on June 16. When towing I am subject to the directions of the pilot, who is in charge of the vessel being towed. The Bialto slightly stuck on the mud bank. She was there perhaps 10 minutes, not longer. When I say she stuck on the mud bank, I mean that she merely hung in the mud, and was not absolutely aground. I was not in a position to say whether the vessel absolutely stopped or not, as my bearings on board the tug were continuously changing. Ido not think there would be any risk in bringing in a vessel drawing 19ft lOin at the time, as the tide was then making, and there were two bout*’ flood. The depth of water at low water at (he onentrance to the basin is said to have been dredged to 22ft in the channel. I cannot say exactly how the Bislto was lying when the collision took place, baring had to attend to my own duties at the time. By Oaptain Wood: The reason the vessel got into the position as pointed out on the plan was that the vessel was being taken out into the stream again to anchor. The vessel was hanging in the mud slightly in turning, but never lost steerage way. The tug had command of her the whole time.

By the Collector: Pilot Heed brought the order to take the vessel out to an anchorage. The Rialto at the time was not inside the moles, but was some distance off. Pilot Beid came off in the pilot boat with orders from the Harbour Master to Pilot Galbraith, and Pilot Galbraith gave me orders to tow the Rialto out into the stream. . The hawser was on the starboard bow the whole time. Wo always tow in with the hawser on the starboard side.

By Captain Galbraith: When I saw Pilot Reid coming off I informed Pilot Galbraith, who instructed me to slacken speed. 'By the Collector: I hold a certificate as ?ilot for Lyttelton from the Harbour Board, have also held a general pilotage exemption certificate from 1871. I have been ten years as master in M‘Meokan and Blackwood’s service out of Melbourne.

Captain Wood: Have you ever noticed

whether a steamer turned quicker with an ebb tide or a flood tide" in going out from the inner harbour, or whether either of the tides affected a steamer’s steering. Captain Clark: X have not noticed such a fact, and as I have commanded large steamers under such circumstances I should more easily have perceived it than in a small one. Alexander Reid, Harbour Pilot, sworn: deposed to being a certificated pilot. I received orders from Captain M‘ljellan to go off and Jell the pilot not to bring the Bialto in, but to run no risk in taking her out. If Captain Galbraith thought there would he any risk in taking her oat, I was to make her fast to the transporting buoy. I wont on board the Bialto, and she was then on tho mud —she waa stopped, *>., her headway was stopped. In my opinion there wae no risk in taking her back to an anchorage in tho stream, and Pilot Galbraith at once ordered the tug to take the ship out. Tho vessel, owing to the fresh wind blowing out between the gap and the action of the tug, was earned astern. Just about the time the vessel bad gone out fat enough astern, she wae struck by the hopper barge. The tug was going ahead, but hod not entirelj checked the barge’s stern* way. 1 suppose the Bialto was heading in about a Hue with the lighthouse at the end of the eastern mole. Tbs stem of tho Bialto was at the time of the collision to the westward of mid-channel. I did not see the barge until she was close to the ship. They were putting a cork fender out when I saw her. She was perhaps Some thirty feet distant then. I was on noard the Bialto about fifteen minutes before tbe collision took place. The order to take the vessel out had nothing to do with her setting on the mud. She would have touched any way, owing to the aotion of the wind smd tide. I think the average depth of water at low tide is between! 1 18 and 19 feet, but in places is deeper. This is at the entrance, and just outside it is much deeper. At low water (springs) Jthe rise and fall is from 5 to 7 feet, so that at two hours’ flood there should be two feet more water, or 21 feet.

By Captain Wood; As pilot, I never bring * Teasel into the inner harbour unless I have received orders from the Harbour-master, that is, from the present Harbour-master, Captain Ml/ellan. I have no remembrsne# of a vessel of the size of the Bialto haring been brought to the entrance of the bay and then to be ordered away. Vessels hare come right in and shackled at the transporting buoy. By the Collector : I don’t know whether, even had Captain M'Lellan’s authority been asked to bring the Bialto in, his consent would hare been siren. By Captain Galbraith: There was sufficient room under the stem of the Bialto for the hopper to hare passed. From the time 1 saw the barge coming, there was not time to avoid the collision by steering her. By the Collector: There was no sudden movement of the Bialto to cause the collision. There was plenty of room between the western breakwater and the stem of the barque for the hopper to have passed, even though the barque was muring astern, and allowing for the drift Of the (aide and wind. I have been in the pilot service fifteen years. Henry Zachray Nichols, mate of the barge Sumner, deposed: I hold a certificate si master mariner. I remember the collision. Captain Wood was steering the Sumner at the time. I was on the look-out some time before the collision. The reason why we collided was because we were sharing her too close ; her course was shaped too close to go round the stem of the barque ; that is to say, that we did not give her a wide enough berth. There was any amount of room between the Bialto and the western breakwater to pass. I should think between 800 and 900 ft. The ship' was outside the breakwater, and about opposite the middle of the entrance. If the master of the barge had had his eye on the head of the huge, he would hare seen that the Bialto was shifting her position. I could see she was, and had I been in charge 1 should have given her a wider berth. The Bialto was not like a vessel at anchor; she was shifting all the time more or lees. Had the barge not been checked about a minute before she struck by reversing the engines, the two vessels would have collided heavily on the quarters. It was the action of the engines going astern tint brought the barge’s stem into the ship. It was barely a minute before the collision when Captain Wood gave the order to go astern. By Captain Peek: Hoppers, when loaded, and checked by the engines going astern, sometimes throw their heads one way and sometimes the opposite. By the Collector: Had the order to go astern not been given, I don’t thinfr (he would have knocked a hole in the Bialto. Some of the Bialto’s boats might have been smashed, 'and we might have done some other damage, but I feel sure no hole would have been knocked in her.

By Captain Wood: When the barge has headway on her and the engines are then reverted, her head is as likely to go one way as the other. There is no dependence on which way her head will cant.

By the Collector: As the barge was going from the dredge, a waterman’s boat belonging to George Agar passed her, and when it was under the stern of the barge Captain Wood spoke to some one in it, thus taking his attention off the head of the barge. At this Hm« the barge was coining to, and .1 sang out, “ Look out! see, we lure coming very close.” Captain Wood obserred me, and put the helm hard-a-port. By that time the barge' was in such a position that the collision was inevitable. There was no danger to the waterman’s boat. It did not cause any embarrassment to Captain Wood in my opinion. Bobert Brown, engineer on the hopper, deposed : have a first-class certificate. I remember the collision. Soon after leaving the dredge I received an order suddenly to go a»tera- It was about three-quarters of a minute before the collision occurred. lat once obeyed the order, and the way on the vessel was partly checked. There was not enough time for the vessel's headway to bo completely stopped. I have been on deck when the engines have been reversed the way they were at the time referred to, and the head of the barge by so doing has invariably canted to starboard. This is caused by having a right-handed propeller. Hugh M'Lellan, Harbourmaster, deposed: At the time of the oolluuon between the Bialto end the barge Sumner I waa on No. 2 intermediate jetty. I saw the hopper dose to the ship with a cork fender over her stem. I did not see the Sumner leave the dredge. She was backing astern from the barque. I did not know they had collided. The tide was then about two hours and a half flood. The wind was north-east. I should think that the vessel lying at the entrance would cause an eddy or tide rip round her bow and stern, I have no doubt the tide was checked hy the veesel to a degree. I don’t think that the eddjr was of such power as to affect the tide setting in in the inner harbour. There was plenty of room for the barge to have passed the Bialto astern. The ship’s head from where I stood, appeared to be towards the lighthouse, or 1 could not have seen the fonder put out on the Sumner. I have had experience with screw steamers, and I know there is an amount of uncertainty as to which way the head of a screw steamer will cant when the engines are reversed suddenly. With the helm hard a-port, going at full speed ahead, and the engines then stopped and put at full speed astern, the vessel should cant to port, but it is uncertain 5 it is generally expected they will cant that way? it greatly depends when the helm is moved amidships and to the amount of way the vessel has on her.

In reply os to why the Rialto was brought in when she was, Captain M'Lellan said that for two weeks previous the wharves had been bore of shipping, and he had notified Captain Galbraith that if any colliers arrived, and several were overdue, he might bring them right in from sea. And he had also informed him that the Rialto, when she arrived, might bo taken to the berth occupied some time an by the Stad Haarlem at No. 4 whs* iG night before the Rialto arrived, several smaller vessels had come in, some of which were put at the wharf named, and it was for that reason that he sent word off not to brine the Rialto in, 6 The inquiry lasted from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., en a( ij °urned until this morning at 11 o clock, when further evidence will be taken.