LOSS OF THE TAHITI

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 245, 11 September 1930, Page 7

LOSS OF THE TAHITI

INQUIRY INTO DISASTER.

EVIDENCE OF CAPTAIN.

SCENE IN THE ENGINE ROOM. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Sept. 11. The nautical inquiry into the loss of the Tahiti opened to-day. The Court consisted of Mr E. Page, S.M., with Captain Worrall (nautical assessor), Mr A. Parker (engineer assessor), and Mr J. Huntley (naval architect). Mr J. Prendeville appeared for the Marine Department, Mr E. K. Kirkcaldie, with him Mr E. Parry, for the master, Captain Toten, and the deck officers, Mr E. P. Hay for the engineers, and Mr C. G. White for the Union Steam Ship Company.

Mr Prendeville said he did not think it necessary to say anything by way of an opening address. He at once called Robert Livingstone Gillies, assistant superintendent engineer to the Marine Department, who produced for the Court certain plans in connection with the lost vessel.

Captain Toten produced the official log book of the, snip. The ship left Auckland for San Francisco on August 12 with a crew of 149 and, he thought, 103 passengers. On leaving they experienced moderate to fresh northerly winds up to August 15 (western, time). Everything was all right that morning. He was asleep in his cabin under the bridge and he woke up hearing a loud noise and feeling the violent shaking of the ship. The second officer came down from the bridge at the same time and informed him that the starboard engine had stopped. At the same time a messenger arrived the engine-room telling them tli'St the starboard shaft had apparently broken and the tunnel was full of water and the engine-room flooded.

From the time he was wakened by the vibration up to this stage was not more than two or three minutes. Witness at once ordered all hands to be called and proceeded to the en-gine-room himself to ascertain the extent of the damage. He saw the engine-room bulkhead door was shut, but water was spurting out all round the flank of the door. The ship was rolling a little and the water was washing up to the men’s waists. The engineers and the carpenter were busy at work at the door trying to stop the water. Witness returned on deck and gave instructions to send all the material and whatever the engineers required to help them in shoring up the bulkhead. He then sent wireless messages to the Union Company, and later returned to the bridge and sent the second and third officers to prepare the boats. When the engines stopped the ship lost steerage way and as he had no steam or steering gear the ship got into the trough of the sea and rolled about considerably. The position was serious and he sent further wireless messages. At 5.37 a wireless message was sent reporting that Np. 4 hold and the engine-room were filling and that the position was getting bad. At 6.16 a message was sent that the port engines had stopped, the dynamos were flooded and useless and that the water was rapidly gaining in the engine-room and Nos. 3 and 4 holds. The passengers were all called at that stage and ordered to assemble in the lounge with their lifebelts. MAIN WIRELESS DISORDERED. Tiro boats were then being prepared and the stewards were ordered to equip them with extra provisions. Meantime the wireless officers were told to try and raise any station on the emergency set. Mr Page: The main wireless was then out of commission?

Captain Toten: Yes. Asked if they knew of any vessel in close vicinity, witness said they knew an unknown steamer had passed them between midnight and 1 a.m. on the loth, but they knew of nothing nearer. It was soon found, he continued, that the holds were filling and they got ready to bail them. The pumps were all concentrated on the engine-room and the hand pumps had been working since 6 a.m. pumping. The bailing was kept going continuously. The passengers were asembled on deck and allotted to the boats. There was a crisis every now and again and it was necessary to assemble the passengers by the boats at different times. A successful wireless message was got away by the use of the dynamo. This was to the effect that it might be necessary to abandon the ship. CALL TO THE PENYBRYN. Witness spoke of the possibility of receiving assistance from the Penybryn and of messages being sent to attract her attention. The position remained the same in the evening. There was a crisis aboj.it 1 a.m. and the passengers were again made ready. At 4.30 on the 16th water came m at the freezer platform on the lower decks. The lower hold was full and the water was up between the lower deck and the mam decks. The water was right up in No. 3 hold and therefore above the men working at the bulkhead door. Just before 7 p.m. rockets were sent up for the Penybryn. She arrived at 10.10 p.m. and came to within a mile. The Ventura was expected at 10 a.m. the following day and the Tofua was due the following night or earlier. Steam had somehow been raised on the steering gear and the vessel was •making 2.7 miles an hour. This enabled her to be kept steady. the final crisis. On the morning of the 17th, at 7.15, the position again became serious and at 9.30 the engineer reported that he hoped to control the water for about one hour. On that report witness decided to abandon the ship. The Penybryn was to the windward and came nearer upon receiving the abandonment signal. The Ventura was in sight. After the passengers had gone, the bailing was stopped and the mails and luggage were collected. The Ventura arrived about 10.15. There were then about six boats in the water. Witness abandoned the Tahiti at 135 but went back on a Ventura boat for a final inspection in order to ascertain how long the Tahiti would float as the Ventura was anxious to continue her voyage. He thought she might go down immediately and called off those on board. About fifteen minutes later she sank, at 2.34 p.m. No lives were lost. THEORY AS TO CAUSE. in reply to a question as to whether he had any theory as to the cause of the loss of the ship, he said be knew that something very unusual had happened to make the ship shake as she dfd If the tail end of the shaft broke with a scarf break, it was possible that the loose end would fly round and gave details of his surmises to support his belief. There were

fractures into Nos. 3 and 4 holds. Besides the danger of fouling the port propeller by lines in looking for damage over the stern, witness said the engineers and the crew were too busv keeping the vessel afloat to investigate over the stern.