THE ROTOMAHANA-KESTREL COLLISION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CV, Issue 12426, 15 February 1901, Page 7

THE ROTOMAHANA-KESTREL COLLISION.

MAGISTERIAL INQUIRY. A magisterial inquiry into the collision Ketweeu. the -s.s. Rotomahana ami the ketch Kestrel "‘was held ‘at the Lyttelton •Magistrate’s Court; yesterday morning, before Mr R. Beetham, S.M., and Captains ■tM’Lellan and Murray, nautical assessors. ■. Mr Wright appeared’ on behalf of the {Collector of Customs, Mr Beswick for the .: Union Steamship’ Company and the master iof the Rotomahana, Mr Harper for the isecond officer of the Rotomahana, audl Mr |T. S. Weston for the master and owners of ■the Kestrel. Mr Wright opened, and. called the following evidence:— . ■ ’ Patrick Darragh, master of the Kestrel, deposed -that -Ms vessel left JKaiapol for, Ocdlingivood .at 6 p.m. on, Jaiu 22. Theca ■was a moderate breeze from the N.E. Beaded W.N.E. and made about a polnr, land a half lee way. Witness remained m charge till midnight, when, he handed over 'control to the mate, Andstrom, • and told ihim that, as the vessel lay north, he was {to let her go,' as the wind, whidh was then {about W.N.W., was very light. ’ Also told -the mat© to look to the south, where jtiiere was a bank of clouds, and if tluey 'rose to call witness at once, or, Or© wanted witness for anything else. The piate called) witness at half-past one, and iwifcnesS: went on deck, and the mate said a ■Steamer ■ was running into them. Witness said, “Why didn't yon call me before l’ ■The mate'said that he had seen the steamer's green light up to a minute before, and he had called witness directly ha '»aw the red light. When witness went on • deck the steamer was about half her own v -length from tne ■ • ketch. Witness had no time to make any signal. The steamer struck the Kestrel on the starboard quarter, broke the stern, and carried away all the spars except the main- • boom. The 'port bow of the Rotomahana, a few feet froth the stem, struck the •ketch. The steamer’s anchor, witness believed, caught the rigging. The steamer proved to be the Rotomahana, bound from Lyttelton tqWellington. The steamer sent a boat, and asked if the ketch wanted any assistance. Witness replied he wanted to be towed back. The Rotomahana took the ketch in tow, and took her to near ■Lyttelton ■ Heads, where the h.s. Moura picked her up and brought her into harbour. He found the, stern of the Kestrel was injured, some planks were started, and the vessel was making a little water. The leak was not serious. Both side lights were placed in position oh the Kestrel at ten minutes to eight. They- were both burning when witness turned in at five minutes past twelve. 'Saw the starboard light on the deck burning after the collision, and the port light was burning at daylight. The mate said that he had. seen the steamer’s mast-lieud light about a quarter of aofiiour before he called \vitness. It was astern, coming up on' the Kestrel’s quarter. A flare-up, lamp, to be shown from the stern, in case; of a vessel coming near,, was kept trimmed in the cabin, and witness had,' two or three days before, called the mate’s attention to it. Had the flare-up light been on deck; there Would have been no time to .light, it after witness came on deck. The Kestrel was going practically on the same ‘course as the Kotomakkna. Witness bad nevdr had occasion- to . use the flare-up since he had had the Kestrel, about four months. The. mate was"perfectly sober. The Rotoiinahana must .have altered her course ’to ‘have caused .the accident. It was -possible .that the Kestrel-might have altered her .course. . • ■ To Mr Beswick : There was only one man, the mate, on deck. They usually had two, but could not get a cook and able seaman. There were three men on board besides himeelf. The man they,gut was a cook only, and was. no use on deck. As a. rule, the .cook before had keph.a 'watch. .The mat©, {was at the wheel, where there was nothing to prevent him from seeing all round. The mate did not leave the wheel to call witnesa. He could not have got the flare-up without leaving the wheel. There was no stern light, but there was a bright light in the il-abin. Lighted the flare-up about three ©r four minutes after the collision. ‘ To Mr Harper: The binnacle light was The Kestrel’s complement consisted of four all told. The cook waa not ■ supposed to be competent to go on vvaten. The* Kestrel was twenty-six or twenty-seven miles from Kuiapoi when the collision occurred., The’wind had taken him a l’t further, out than his usual course. Ihe cab’n and binnacle were lighted bv the same lamp. . The compass was in the coffin, and •the baht reflected down upon it. The ketch Was sailing full knd -by at the time of the accident. , ' To Mr Weston: There were four or five jteps down to the cabin floor, and the binnacle light was above the deok.p When witness was called he had only Ins boots and ■'jacket off.: It would have been as easy for ■him to light the flashlight on being called as for’ a man to go down to the cabin to light it. The night wa,ri clear but dark ; Ithere was no moon. Believed the b.nnacle Tight, hr that from the ’cabin door, could ihave been seen from the ■ Rotomahana s bridge. The Rotomahana gave no signal oy her whistle. ’ . ~ , To Mr Beetham : The mate should have called witness when he saw the steamer s green light. To Captain Murray: Witness was aware ;fhat a steamer left Lyttelton every uignt for Wellington. To Captain M’Lellan; Tire Rotomahana was probably four miles off when the mate saw the mast-head light. Tver Andstrom, mate of the Kestrel, deposed that he held no certificate. When he 'went on watch-at midnight, the masher told Iwitnessjito call him if he .wanted him, Abom a quarter-past one witness-' saw a white light ‘ -astern,.-:a* little .oni the starboard quarter. ■Rive or six minutes afterwards, l|e-.saw a green light. He thought the ketch was Clear, so did not show a flare light. He had been eight or nine days on the Kestrel, and iknew where the flare light was. He taw the xed light'just before the accident, and called the capmiu at once. The Kestrel was ■goin" sometimes north, sometimes north-bv-east, and’had a light .wind. When be teaw the red light, the Rotomahana Artis di-, rectly‘astern, • ’ - y . , To Mr Beswick: He kept watching the ■light astern, and had to look at the compass fend the sails. He was steering by the wind [The course was to the north, and the wind (was not steady. To Mr Weston: The uight was clear eakiugh to enable the Kestrel to be seen u baarter of a mile oft. He the Rotoknahana altered her course when she showed Mia red light. The Kestrel was keeping Steady. ’ Joseph R. M. Morley, second officer ot 'the Rotomahana, deposed that he had been ’on watch from midnight to 4 a.m. on Jan. g 3. A man named Dunn was at the wheel, Stevens on the rail, and M Laughlin on [deck. The steamer’s course was north 19 {east; and the speed about 14 i knots tin Lour. The look-out man, about 1.23 a.in., ■reported a sail right ahead. \V ilm-xs start|cd to look fur the vessel, and picked her up jin a minute or a minute and.a hail- He din not see the. vessel, but .saw a sail otet ti*e steamer's jibboom, He imiTU-Jiureiv gave ’the Older, " Hard a-port, and stopped tne 'engines. The engines were stopped at 1.26 ■a.m. The ketch was under the jibboom. About live seconds after the engines were stopped, the steamer struck the ketch. Could not possibly hive avoided her. Witness could not see a light anywhere on her. ;The Rutomaliami’s course was not altered after twelve o’clock. ■ To Mr Beswick: The wind was NAV. That wind was very unsteady, ihe Kestrel if sailing full-and-by, would not steer a ’straight cotuse if the wind was unsteady. To" 1 Mr Weston : The night was dark and 'clear. A vessel could hot have been seen half a mile a vvay, on account of a dark cloud. {. vesseftt quarter of a mile distant -iinguf ave been Seen, ft would then have’taken im all his time to have avoided a Collision, put: lie though he could have managed it. aouid have uuni nothing mure than he

did. He had not seen the ketch in time. He was keeping a sharp look-out. He intended to bring the Rotomahana to starboard when he put the helm a-port, so as to pass the Kestrel to the starboard. The helm was put a-port a minute and a half after the vessel had been reported. It took him that time to pick her up. He had his glasses in his hand. The steamer would travel over a quarter of a mile in the minute and a half. He heard Stevens call out once, but Stevens afterwards said lie bad called out twice. Stopped the engines, but did not reverse them, because someone called for, help; and ho did nob know whether the cry was from the water or from the deck. He was walking about on the port side. He had used his glasses half-a-dozen times before the collision. Had don© so a quarter of a minute before the vessel was reported. Under the rules, the look-out man on the forecastle had, to be alone. If the people on the Kestrel saw the steamer’s green light, they might have thought she was keeping clear of them. They could see the steamer’s green light about four miles olf. He could have seen, the ketch a quarter of a mile away only, if she had been crossing the steamer’s bows.

To Mr Harper; From the bridge, witness could see further than the look-out on the forecastle, but could not see so well down on the water. A very good look-out was kept on the Rotomahana. It was his duty not to do anything till he had seen the vessel, for by stopping or reversing the engines before he saw her, he might have been taking a greater risk than he did. as the steamer might not- have’answered her helm, and might have run over the other vessel.

Ernest Stevens, A.B. on the s.s. Rotomahana, .deposed that he had been on the lookout on the forecastle at the time of the collision. The Kestrel was right ahead when he sighted -hsr, and she was not quirt a mile away when lie first sighted her. He could not see a light of any kind. He immediately,reported a vessel ahead. The mate ahswered’him immediately. Witness called out a second time, when they were just on the vessel, saying, “ Hard a-port.” That would be about two minutes after he first reported. The Kestrel was a little on the port bow when he called out “ Hard a-port,” To Mr Weston : Witness had been seventeen years at sea, and had been on sailers as well as steamers. He had not reported the vessel twice.

To Mr Beswiok: Everything that could have been done to avoid a collision was done.

To Mr Beetham: The steamer might have been paying-off when he called out ’• Hard-a-port.” dames Dunn, A.B. on the s.s. Rotomahana, deposed that he was steering at the time of the collision. The steamer was steering north by east, three-quarters east-. The course was not altered.

To 'Mr Weston: Witness, ported the helm when the second officer gave him the order. He did not hear the -man on, me forecastle call out ’“Hard-a-port.” To .Mr Beswick: Witness could have seen a light ahead, had one been there. To Mr Beetham; The Rotomahana answered her helm well.

Charles M’Langhlm, A.B, on theHßotomahaim, deposed that he saw the Kestrel about three ships’ lengths away when the look-cut man reported her.. He was on watch at the time, and saw no lights. Walter Manning, captain of the Rotomahana, attributed the accident to the fact of the Kestrel, having no lights visible. He heard the shout of the people on the Kestrel. and was on deck immediately after the collision. He saw no lights on the Kestrel. .

To. Mr Weston; On such a night he couki not sec a vessel without lights till life was right on top of her. To Mr Beetham: The Rotomahana steered beautifully.

. Mr Weston called Henry Fcatherstone., who deposed that he was a master mariner, and had been in command of’.the -Kestrel for between twq and three years. Her binnacle-light was not very powerful. He had seen it fully liaff-a-mile distant, at an elevation of ten or fifteen feet on, a, dark, clear night, and thought the Rotomahana’s people should have° sem it a quarter of a mile distant. The look-out man on the forecastle would have the best ohanee of seeing it. did net think that the people on the Kestrel, so long as they had the Rotomiahana’s grren light in view, need have put out their

flash-light. ■ 'Phis concluded the evidence. .■ • • _ The Court retired, and returned alter an absence of twenty minutes, when Mr Beetham read the following decision; .The decision of the Court, in which Until the assessors’ concur, is—(1) That the master of the ketch Kestrel, Patrick Darragh, '.s blameable, inasmuch as he 'left the_ vessel in charge of one man, an rareertifloated mate, during a night-watch, when another man, who could have acted 1 as a lock-out, was , available. (2) That the mate of the Kestrel, Tver Audrtrom, should have called tbs master when he saw the green bght of the steamer following. (3) That the collision was due to the fact that a bright or flare-light was not displayed by the Kestrel from the time the green light oMhe Rqrtmohana vats seen by the mate c,i the Kestrel. (4) That the” second officer of the Rotomahana, J. E. M. Me.iiey. exercised a sound -judgment in - not porting his helm before he had picked up the Kestrel, that he did his best to avoid a collision, and is in no wise to Kamo. (5) That the costs of this inquiry shall be borne by Patrick Darragh, the master of the Kestrel. (6) That all the certificates shall be returned to their owners.”