WRECK OF THE PENGUIN.

Mataura Ensign, 24 February 1909, Page 3

WRECK OF THE PENGUIN.

INQUIRY CONTINUED. COOK STRAIT CURRENTS. l'l;n UNITED TEESS ASSOCIATION. WELLINGTON, Feb. 24. The magisterial inquiry into the wreck of the steamer Penguin was resumed to-day hefore Dr McArthur, S.M., Captain J. W. Reed, of Auckland, and Captain Charles McArthur, of Wellington. Tho Marino Department was represented by Mr Myers, the Union Company by" Mr Levi (in tho absence through* illness of Mr Wilford), and Captain Navlor and Mr Luke (second engineer) by Mr Herdman. Tho evidence taken yesterday indicated that members of the crew did not take up allotted stations at, particular boats, but assisted generally. The Crown Prosecutor (Mr Myers! said that when an accident happened in Cook Strait i f , was invariably attributed to abnormal currents.

Titos. Eckford, captain of the Opawa, who crossed from Wellington to Blenheim on February 12, said lliiu ho did not notice anything ex(inordinary in tho eurreuts. Ho ran his ship from !. 1 o p.m. (hto time he left Wellington) till 10.30, when ho stopped to take soundings and altered his course two points. One had to anticipate variations in the current in crossing Cook Strait. LAUNCHING THE BOATS. Arthur H. Thomson, purser on the Penguin, said that tho ship's pHpershad been lost. There was no reliable record of the number of passengers carried. Witness went to bed at about 8.30 on the night of the wreck. He wa> aroused by the bump. Witness got ashore on a raft. Sir flyers: That, is what 1 can't make out. You were all supposed tr, have your places at the boats. Witness replied that lie assisted with different boats. The boats on I lie port side were lowered to the rail. The captain's boat, on the starboard side, was lowered with three or four members of the. crew in it to look after it. Witness did not see the boats getting away fro:r tho ship. ' Continuing, witness said that he di'" not see No. 2 boat lowered furthei than the rail. He followed the second mate to No. 1 boat, which was upturned by the waves and tloated awaj with n man hanging on to the keel. H' did not see any boats sent away witl people in them, nor did he know whether all the boats were awav befon be went towards the raft. Tiie chie' officer and witness jumped off the vessel together, and witness saw n raf: ■iml swam to it. He was pulled aboard George P. Farrell, A.8., who was ii charge of the wheel on the Pengui. l until S o'clock on the night of tlt wreck, when he was relieved, said th:i• he was in bed when tho vessel fit ruck On reaching the deck witness could jus' see the land. He could not say wh. the look-out man was. On his reachim the saloon someone told him that tin passengers had let a boat adrift. Wit ness went up to the boat deck am' drove .some passengers down. Tin second officer came up and No. 2 hoa : was lowered as far as the rail. No. was lowered to the rail next. Then calm No. 1, into which the man Hendersoi got. Witness got in also because it wa. his station, and just as he did'so some thing upset the boat and it tiirnei over and floated invay with Hendersoi hanging to it. The only boat witnes saw sent, awayj'rom the ship was No. 5 Die second officer, a donkeyman and : eycaser were in it. to his knowledge The boats were loaded with passenger 1 and the two stewardesses were nls aboard.

Cross-o>:aminod by Mr Ilerdmiiii nit ness said that he joined the Penguin in February 9. Previously he had b<>ei on the Pukaki. Witness was prett well acquainted with tile course usual], steered on the Pieton-Wellingloii run He had never steered sontli-east bcast before. It was a longer run thai that usually taken. The look-out mm was on the bridge when witness h-f duty at 8 o'clock.

Robert Stewart, captain of the Pi: tecna, said that he left Wellington oi February 12 for .Nelson direct at ■: p.m., arriving at 'J p.m. A tttoderat southerly gale was experienced as fa as til' l Brothers., Ho had expected t get the last of the ebb about balf-wa across, but wjien lie reached I lie 1!k. tlicrs he found that he musl have lir i fairlv strong llood tide. He arrive from Pieton on the night of the IMb 'I. was quite exceptional to meet a!normal conditions. In this case ther -'ceilled to lie a marine earthquake o something. Mr Myers: \ou have a case in point Mr Hcrdmau: That is our case—i marine earthquake or something els in point, something unprecedented. Further evidence was given, to-da-regarding the variations of the tidaiid the strong currents in Cook Strai!

Captain Viekerman, master of th<.s. Kennedy, stilted that lip left We! 'ington for Nelson on the night n February 12. When lie reached Hi Brothel's he found that a terrific cur rent was running—at least seven knot: was the speed. AMENDING THE QUESTION'S.

Counsel for the .Marine Repartnicn stated lliat he proposed to let all si: '[Uestious—(l) The seaworthiness of t'.i•■essel and the state of the life-savin: appliances, also their sufficiency an: 'lliek-nev; (2) Whether, considering tin itale of the weather, it was safe am ■roper to sail from l'ic.ton or from tin head of Tory Channel on Kridav <>• whether shelter should not have be t -ought; (3) Wl>:it was the cause of th; casualty? (I) Whether the casual! \ was due to the negligence or defau! if any person or persons on the vessel (o) Could the casualty have been l'ca snnably prevented? (0) After tho casualty were all reasonable and prope; precautions taken to prevent the loss o life? —stand with the exception of No 2. After hearing the evidence he di< :iot suggest that it was not safe to sai from Tory Channel on the night of tin wreck. Accordingly he proposed I' substitute the following: Whether un c'.er existing weather conditions at am time after !).lo p.m. shelter should have been sought or I lie vessel's head put t> sea till morning instead of continuing on her course to Wellington'? The following additional questions would a I:;: be added—<7) Whether under the circumstances shown by the evident - " soundings should have been taken, ami if so after what time? (8) Whether it is necessary or desirable ili»| eoaslinj' vessels should lie fitted with patent sounding gear "AN ACT OF GOD." Captain Post, of the steamer Tula ilekai, called b.v the Court, said li< had had considerable experience o! Cook Strait while cable-laying. Dr. MoArthur: By virtue of thai experience you know something oi tides?

Witness: I reckoned 1 rliii once, but J (lon t notr. The tides should liavf I)t*on one way and 1 frequently found them aliothor. The strength' of the tides, ho added, varied considerably. One day he found the tide ruiiuiiij." seven knots oli Terawhiti and none ;>I all next day. Tin; patent sounding ;i]>naratus was undoubtedy superior (o the lead. It would be of great- use on coasting vessels, but he would not. go the length of saying it was necessary. The course se t by Captain .\ ay lor on tile night of the wreck was under normal conditions a verv safe one. Counsel : To what do vou attribute tln> wreck?

Witness: 1 can only say one thingthe act ot God. Dr. McArtliui': Vou mean bv that answer that you nivo it up? Witness: Yes —it i s something which canno' be accounted for. TWO BODIES WASHED ASHORE. WELLINGTON, Feb. 23. The body of a big mail, dark and fully dressed, except for his coat, boots aud socks, camo ashore at the. Oterangi cuble station to-day. A coat matching the vest on the corpse was washed up yesterday. A second body was. recovered this artcrnoon. From the coat worn the remains appeared to be those of one of the stewards of the Penguin. The bodies will be brought into Wellington overland to-morrow. Neither has been identified so far. A PECULIAR POINT. WELLINGTON", Feb. 23. A peculiar case in connection with the payment- of £6O to a contractor who lives on the shores of Pelorus Sound has arisen in connection with the wreck of the Penguin. Tlio payment was for work done for a local body at Blenheim, and there being no

bank near the contractor's residence the amount, in bank notes, was 'orwarded through the post office by registered letter. The money now les at tho bottom of the sea in one of the Pciiguin'B mail bags. Tho Post Office regulations stipulate that the Da'.-art-ment is not responsible for the loss of money above £2. The questiou lionarises, Who is to bear the loss —the local body, the contractor, or the post office'!