A CRAZY COASTER.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVII, Issue 11189, 10 February 1897, Page 5

A CRAZY COASTER.

The Magisterial inquiry into the loss of the steamer Manaia, which was concluded in Wellington ,yesterday by the suspension of the master’s certificate, has thrown a good deal of light ,upon the manner in which communication is maintained between gome of the North Island ports. It seems that the Manaia was working her way up the west coast from Wellington, when she ran on to the Oeo Beef, somewhere north of Wanganui. Her crew managed to get her off and turn her head to sea, but it was then discovered that she was in a sinking condition, and every One was thankful to return to the rocks and abandon the vessel. The Crew, so far as we can make out from the evidence, consisted of the master, an engineer and an able seaman, who acted as mate. The duties of these gentlemen, as may well be imagined, were of a tolerably varied description. The captain, besides exercising the usual functions of a commander, took charge of the helm, kept a lookout, and “heaved the line;” the engineer divided his time between persuading the rickety engine to drive the screw, and baling out the water that threatened to extinguish the fires, and the able seaman, who modestly observed that ‘‘he took a watch, but forgot particularly when,” was master, engineer and mate by turns. Such a combination of talent deserved a better vessel. The Manaia, when driven at her highest speed under exceptionally favourable circumstances, covered five miles an hour, but as a rule she did not accomplish more than two or three and often slowed down to one. The master never carried a patent log, except when he borrowed one, and even then the instrument was of no use, as the steamer did not go fast enough to make it work. There were no passengers on board at the time of the accident, and probably the master was well within the truth when he told the Court that people who had once travelled by the steamer never did so again, but ill-pro-vided cockle'boats of the Manaia type should never be permitted to go beyond the confines of a shallow harbour.