The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1866. INQUIRY INTO THE CAUSE OF THE LOSS OF THE BARQUE JUNO.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume I, Issue 204, 30 October 1866, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1866. INQUIRY INTO THE CAUSE OF THE LOSS OF THE BARQUE JUNO.

Yesterday an inquiry into the cause of the loss of thi* vessel was instituted betore the Resident Magistrate, and Captain Clouston, as Nautical Assessor. Captain Rough represented the Government and examined the witnesses. J. GB. Grant, examined said : I was master of the barque Juno, of Hobarton. I purchased her on ) the I oth. July, but she »as not transferred till some j time after. The purchase money was £2,200 1 took possession on the 1 7th September, when the ship was in goud repair. She was __ years old ; she was not classed at Llo- d's. She was insured for £225.'; when I purchased lier she was insured tor £20.>0 only. The value of the cargo was about £20i> ; it was coals. I know not if they were insured. I had seen the vessel for years. On taking the coals in the ship was not overladen. We sui.ed from Newcastle on the Kith October, at 2 p.m.; she was fully manned at that time, The chronometer was not ratea at Newcastle, ! but the rate was made up at Hobarton on the 22nd September; I hacl only one chronometer. 1 took an observation on the morning previous to the loss, and before losing sight of land at Newcastle, and found the chronometer correct. On the coast of Hobarton we found the chronometer 20 miles faulty. This error was allowed for in all subsequent observations, and when leaving Newcastle. On the passage the wind was strong from the north, but there was no gale or bad weather; the ship made no water, and she was pumped every four hours tor what little there was. VVe made the land at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, the 23rd October, but no one saw it but myself. I had a good sight for latitude and longitude on the 22nd. 1 expected to make land on l'he 23rd, and left orders to be called at 3 o'clock. Tbe land was Cape Farewell, which I had seen two or three dozen times before ; it t.orc E.S.E about 27 or 28 miles at 6a m. 1 then steered east and half north the whole day till 1 o'clock at mid watch. At noon we could not see the cape for a perfect; veil of white clouds. She varied from three to four and a half knots all day. We saw D'Urville Island at noon, but not Cape Farewell. We took no cast ofthe lead; we had run 2(3 miles from the moruiug till noon. The log was hove, and we had sights fer the chronometer at 9 a.m., anda meridian altitude at nfom 1 do not remember the exact bearing of the cape, "hujt the ship's position was to the east by observation, ah'd I steered east halt north without deviation till sun.et. The wind was variable and the ship was going from three and a half to four and a half knots. At sunset we saw D'Urville Island quite plain ; I knew it perfectly. The northern part was bearing east by south. From sunset till 1 p in. of the 2dth 1 steered east half north. At 1 p.m. I was on the gallant-forecastle and saw, as I thought, land to leeward, but it was so thick I could see nothing hardly. I thought I saw the loom of high land to leeward and immediately braced and hauled her two points up, steering E.N.E. continuing nearly an hour steering so . I then kept, the original course till within lo minutes to 4 o'clock, a.m. I then thought I was eight io ten miies to East of Steven's Island. I took no case of the lead duiing the night. It was always at hand, but not hove. We heaved the log after making Capo Farewell. I understand the tides and made allowance for the westerly set of the flood tide on the north coast. I don't remember what allowance, my conviction was that I was outside tbe westerly set ot currents. At 10 minutes to 4 I left the forecastle and came to the lee gangway, and asked the second mate if we were clear

from Stev^h's Island. He said we were clear of that island, l-?*-sjlß miles, he thought. I said I thought so too. t told the man at the wheel to keep her E.S.E. at ten minutes to 4 ; she was going better than 4£ and'rather short of five knots; it was just breaking day,- I and a man were looking out all the time. Tlfe course was given S.E. by E , at 4 o'clock, before the man was relieved at the wheel. The fresh man had not been there five minutes before the ship struck, J immediately called out, put the helm down and .'brace the yards up. I found broken water round the ship ; I clewd up all sails, finding the ship aground, and took tlie chief-mate with me to sound her all round. We found from 15 feet 6 to 16 feet on the inside, and rather over lfi feet on the outside; daylight had not broken at that time. As it came in I saw we were in the broken water which lines the shore all down the spit, although I could not be persuaded that it was the spit. W hen the sails were clewed up, we put the boats out, got a stream anchor and a warp, which I ordered to lay out to windward. The boat had not long shoved off when they returned, saying they could not pull that heavy hawser out. It was the long boat. I took the hawser out of the boat" We could not succeed in laying an anchor out to seaward, from the swell of the sea. We succeeded in laying the anchor out with a smaller warp, and made it as taut as we could, with the double winch, to heave the ships' head off, but without effect. We then furled all sail to prevent the ship driving out. The second warp was a 5 inch one. We then discharged coal, fore and afc, in the hope, as the tide was making, to bring her head to wind. We had not thrown a ton of coals overboard, when she parted the warp and she then fell in broadside on. She had been bumping heavily from the time she first struck. We made no second attempt to get tbe big warp out, the sea made so heavily. The breeze had now amounted to a gale, with the sea breaking over, fore and aft. She was bumping heavily three-quarters of an hour before she made water. 1 thought it was now incumbent on me to preserve the lives of those on board, having done ali in my power to get the vessel olf. I called all hands aft, told them I had done all I could for the ship, and left it to themselves to decide what was best to be done, giving no opinion myself. They all said the only chance there was was to leave in tbe boats. Both officers and men determined to take to the boats to get round the spit. We all left the vessel. It never struck me that steamers were passing that way. I don't think if they luid, they could have assisted me to preserve the ship, or to get it off. There were no passengers on board. All hands were saved. I have been master of a ship 13 years, and mate of a ship 31 years. It was never in a ship that was stranded before. I have no official certificate. It was the whale boat that laid out the anchor, the second time. James Day: I am mate of the Juno, ancl have been six weeks in the ship. I joined her after she was laden. She was then good aud sound, and fully equipped. I assisted the captain in . taking observations. I had no doubt about the chronometer. We had observations before making the land, oa Tuesday. We saw the land on the morning of that day. I had not seen it before and did not know it, nut being acquainted with the coast I had been in Cook Strait. I wus on deck from 8 o'clock till noon, The ship was steered E. iN. all through the day. The log was hove and she was going 4| knots. Tlie weather was very thick; could not see any land at neon: saw the land about sunset, which I supposed to be D'Urville Island. I hud the first watch that night from 8 to 12. Ship was then standing i_. and _U. :-he was carefully steered I observed no tide rip, and did not see the land during my watch. I hove the log every two hours. I did not take casts of the lead during my watch. I went below at 12 o'clock, and was called up again at 4 o'clock. The ship struck just as I came on deck; she struck heavily. Tiie wind freshened as the sl-.ip struck, and the sea was very heavy. We got the longboat out, and afterwards tiie whaleboat, into whichVe put ihe stern anchor and warp. We succeeded in carrying the stern anchor out, but not the first time. A*largcr anchor could not have been carried out by the ship's boats. The warp waa a five-inch one, which we succeeded in carrying out. The warp parted, and the ship went broadside on the lancl. We then hove coals overboard. A steamer could not have got lho ship ofi'. The ship was making water and twisting considerably. I am not acquainted with the set of the tide. I have been mate of a ship .'ibove, 3D years. I have no cei*li!k;*"ie. I hove the log myself to ascertain her rate of ,-::.iiing. John Fuge: "l was second mate of the ship Juno, and have been about six weeks in the ship. The ship was good and not over laden. The boats were large enough for a ship of her size ; she was 337 register. The hawsers and ropes were good ; I had charge of them. I had nothing to do with the navigation of the ship. The crew numbered 13 all told. I remember Tuesday ; I had the morning watch, and had the watch again from noon till 4 o'clock on Tuesdaj'. The ship was then steered cast northerly. It was thick weather; I did not see the land. 1 saw land that night about half past G; it was D'Urvilie's Island; I knew it by the rocky peaks. It seemed about 30 or 40 miles to the eastward. 1 had the watch from 12 p.m. to 4 a.m. on Wednesday morning; the ship was steered east northerly. The log was hove, and the ship was going four and a half knots; she had been going at this rate during the night. It was thick, and 1 could see no land. Did not heave the lead till after the ship struck. The captain was on the forecastle the whole of the watch. I thought the ship was to the eastward of D'Urvilie's Island. Tlie course was changed to east south-east, hy the captain's order just before the ship struck. I did not see anything to indicate broken or shoal water before the ship struck ; the ship struck about five minutes after _ o'clock. I helped to carry an anchor in the whaleboat ; we could not have got a larger one out in the ship's long boat; the anchor we took out weighed about 7 cwfc. The weather was

thick, sea heading over the ship. It is my opinion that it was absolutely necessary to abandon the ship to save life. When we left the ship she was twisting, and the sea was heading over fore and aft. William Huggup: I am an able seaman, and was in the mate's watch. I have been on the coast of New Zealand, but cannot say that I know Cape Farewell; I did not know the land. I was on deck from Bto 12 p.m. on the 23rd inst. I saw no land during the watch. I was at the helm from 10 to 12 pm. steering to the northward of east. The log was hove at 10 by the officer of the watch. I went below at 12 and was called up at 4 a.m. She was then aground. At first she did not strike heavily, but afterwards on getting further on the spit she struck heavily. The sails were at once furled. I assisted in carrying out the anchor and warp. I think we could not have carried out a heavier anchor; the sea was breaking over the ship, but not heavily. The crew all agreed to leave the ship for the preservation of life. I considered we were iv great danger. James Nowlan, able seaman, second mate's watch: I have been in the Juno about eight months. I believe the ship to be good and sound. I have been on this coast before, but do not know much of it. I had the watch from 4 to 8 on Tuesday morning. I did not see any land. I had the watch again from midnight to 4 o'clock on Wednesday morning. I was at the helm from ' 2to 4 ; the ship was steered east northerly. The log was hove at 4. The wind was free, and the ship was going 4 knots. The captain was on deck during the watch, and a good lookout was kept. I saw no signs of broken water. The ship struck about five minutes past 4 o'clock. Warp and anchor were run out, and 1 do not think anything further could have heen than was done to save the ship. The sea was heading over the ship. The opinion of all hands was that our lives would be in danger if we remained longer on the ship. The following is the decision of the court of inquiry : — " That the Juno was lost on Farewell Spit, owing to a wrong estimate of the distance run, the land being at a greater distance when first sighted than was supposed by the master of the Juno. That no sufficient allowance was made by the master for the strong tides known to exist near the Spit. And that considerable neglect has been shown in not having the lead hove in the vicinity of so dangerous a sand, more particularly as the master was not certain as to the position of the vessel at one o'clock a.m. of the morning ofthe wreck."