WAR LORD STRANDING

Northern Advocate, 22 June 1925, Page 4

WAR LORD STRANDING

INSURANCE LIABILITY. " t-i COMPANY \S OPPOSITION. 1;' 7; GISBOKNE, This Day. 1 The stranding of the schooner Wat, Lord at Waikokopu 011 July 7 la|fl and the subsequent refusal of underwriters to reimburse the owneisf to the extent of £2050, for which suitt the v.essel was insured against absolute! loss, was the basis of an action com* nienced in the Supreme Court todays The owner of the ship was Lionel George Clare, with whom the National Bank was joined as plaintiffs. The defendants were the Canton Insurance Company. '# Plaintiffs contend that the vessel was a total loss and therefore they arel entitled to recover the insurance. The defence alleges, firstly, that the? vessel was not properly equipped as required under the terms of the and secondly that the vessel is not an' absolute loss. The allegation is alsoj made that the vessel would not havej been a complete loss had proper stepsf been taken to refloat it after stranding.

Captain .Tolm Lowrv described thei circumstances of the .stranding. He! anchored in the centre of the, bay aj mile off shore. The .starboard anchor, weighing- !(')<> wt„ was put out 011 60* fathoms of chain. Heavy seas were running' and the cable parted. A second bow anchor had had to be unshipped 011 the previous trip and wa3 then 011 the wharf waiting for them. Two kedge anchors lashed together were put over the stern, but th<> schooner grounded on a sandy bottoift' and gradually washed up 011 the' beach. Had the scwt. bower anchor beeS aboard it would not have availed. Mr Justice Ostler: "If you had had two anchors you would have had both! out du-ing the gale." Witness: ■•'•Not necessarily." Witness added that he>,was quite content to proceed to sea with the ship equipped as, she was. The vessel wasbetter equipped than required by thei Marine Department. The case is proceeding.—'Press Assn»