THE GIARLOCH HERALD COLLISION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7341, 30 May 1885, Page 6

THE GIARLOCH HERALD COLLISION.

NAUTICAL INQUIRY.

THE inquiry into the collision between the steamers Herald and Gairloch, in the Manukau on May 3, before a Nautical consisting of Mr. H. G. Seth Smith, SUI., and Captains Frater and Scott, Naulioal Assessors, commenced yesterday in the R.M. Court Mr. Hudson Williamapn appeared -for the Collector of Customs, and Mr. E. Hesketh for the officer* of the s.s. Gairlooh, and Mr. Theo. Cooper for the officers of the s.s. Herald. All witnesses except the captain and first officers were ordered out of the hearing of the Court. Mr. Williamson, ia opening the proceedings, said they had been taken in consequence of the unsatisfactory account* of the casualty given at the preliminary inquiry. Thomas Hill, Collector of Customs, gave formal evidehoe as to holding the preliminary inquiry. , _. . -' Finlay MoArthnr, master of s.s. Gairloch, produced his certificate of competency, New Zealand, No. 5042. He remembered the morning of May 3, when be was coming up Manukau Harbour from Waitara to the wharf. It was a fine clear moonlight night. His lights were properly fixed, With mast-head lijjht on fore-topmast. Hβ had a topsail set on the foremast. He kept the Waiuku β-de of the channel, that being his proper side, and he was on the flying bridge all the time from where the steamer was steered. Fart of the time he was on the deckhouse. When he law the Herald he went on the flying bridge. Hβ first saw the Herald about a quarter to one a.m., when coming round the Horn. The tide was about high water. The ohannel was properly buoyed, and the buoys were all in position at the time. His red light would be open when the Herald came round the Horn. He altered his course by putting the helm to port, taking him closer to the edge of the bank. When the Herald had rounded the Horn her green light and mast-head light were only visible to him, and he knew she was coming across his bows. She was about three-quarters of a mile away, and appeared to be going about nine knots when he ported his helm. He kept on hie coarse, going up the bank when he saw the Herald did not open her red light. The Gairlooh grounded fore and aft inside the buoy, and her head paid off. He stopped the engines when nhe had grounded. He gave the order "Stand by" through the telegraph, and almost the same instant rang "slow," "stop," "full speed astern." The GairJoch's head paid off into the ohannel to leeward of the buoy towards the Manukau Heads. His red light would be open to tbe Herald when he grounded first, and his green light would be exposed when she ewung round. The collision took place then. The engines of his steamer were going astern then about ten knots. His steamer had no way on, her heel being aground. At no time did he see the green light of the Herald before she struck the Gairloch qa the starboard bow. [The witness indicated with two books the position of the steamers when they collided.] There was conelderable damage done to the Gairloch. At one time he thought about £1000, but it was now estimated at £400. After the collision, both vessels dropped alongside each other. The Herald then steamed round his head, and dropped down the harbour. Hβ did not offer assistance, and he (witness) did not ask for any. The blow of the collision brought his vessel off, and he came on np the harbour. When the steamers were approaching he sent the chief officer to see that the lights were burning, and he reported they were burning brightly.—Cross-examined by Mr. Cooper : The wind was southerly, and blowing a strong breeze. Hβ had his fore-topsail and foresail set, until he rounded the corner buoy, when he olewed np the foresail. From the corner buoy to the middle buoy it was about four cables' length or half a mile. It was not blowing almost a gale of wind at the time. It was blowing pretty fresh outside, but right enough in the harbour. The Herald is twice the size of the Gairloch, and built for carrying, not for speed. The wind was not a head wind for the Herald — well not in this particular reach. He was accustomed to come up the channel with sails set and a strong, breeze blowing. Hβ was aware of a harbour regulation prohibiting him carrying a square foresail. It was not on account of seeing the Herald that he hauled it up, but because he was nearing the wharf. He was then about 15 miles from the Heads, and about three from the wharf. Hβ did not remember telling Captain Savory that he saw the Herald's masthead light shortly after he, left the wharf. |The witness indicated on the chart by means of two small models the position of the vessels at the buoy.| He was on the s.s. Taupo when she oollided with a hulk in Wellington harbour some years ago. Captain Carey was in charge of the steamer. They were not censured at the inquiry. Hβ did not c»U out, " Where are you driving to ?" Captain Savory did not tell him to teep on his own side of the channel at the time of tbe collision. After the Herald was clear of the Gairloch the mate reported that his vessel was making no water, Hβ did not ask the Herald if she required any assistance, as his vessel deceived ' all the damage from the way the Herald struck his vessel.—To Mr. Heaketh : Hβ saw the Herald's green light and masthead light when he first saw her, and he bad jvat rounded the corner buoy. Hβ then st&t the mate forward to the lights, and he reported them all burning brightly. He landed three or four hundred sheep at the wharf before he took down his lights. The masthead light was then burning brightly. No light was put up to his knowledge after the collision. He saw the Herald alter her course when he came to windward, and abreast of the middle (red) buoy. Hβ knew it was the Herald approaching at the time, as he used bis glasses. He had been trading in and out f the Manukau in steamers for the last fifteen years. Hβ bad been in the Charles Edward, Taupo, Oreti, andWainui. For the last foni years had been in the Northern Company's steamers, on the coast. He obthe rule of the road to keep to the at»rboard side of the> channel, and did not deviate from it. He never had an accident himsslf before; be thoroughly understood the channel, and could take vessels down day or night, having been in and oat nearly every day, making three trips a-week sometimes. It was nine or tea minutes before the collision took place that he saw the Herald, and about a minute and a half or two minutes before tney struck that the Gairlooh grounded. He knew that Captain Savory had paid two men about a couple of months ago to guide him down the channel. The Herald and Oretl had been lashed together, and taken down the harbour and had stack. He knew that from Captain Robertson himself.—To Mr. Cooper :He had been told about the Herald being guided by the men themselves. (At the request of Mr. Cooper the statement re-guiding was struck out of the depositions.) The Oreti was coalicg at the time she went down the ohannel With the Herald.—To tbe Bench : He never saw the Herald's red light at all, neither before or after the collision. When she rounded the buoy, and the collison took place, her red light might have been visible. The Gairlooh was about a minute and a-half aground. It did not oectr to him to take his side lights in. : -

Arthur Henry Flintoft, architect and draughtsman, deposed to drawing the plan of the harbour put in evidence from the Government chart. Thomas Wing, harbourmaster for Mannkaa, deposed that he had been harbourmaster for 50 yean. He had buoyed the harbour. Tho Herald, if she ran pretty close to the buoys, would have room to pass inside them. At spring tide there would be aboat ten feet of water on the bank—To Mr. Cooper: The whole of it is dry at half tide. If the Herald had come well inside the buoy and struck the Gairloch on the starboard bow when she was aground, she would have grounded aleo.-To Mr. Hesketh: Hβ thought Captain Savory was dome remarkably well to get through safely with hie vesseL—Cross-examined : At the spot where the collision took place it would be high water about half-past twelve ».m. The ateamers generally left the wharf at the top of high water, , John Robertson, ohief officer e.e. Gairloob, produced hie oerti6oate ol! competency as a first mate, No. 369. It was his watoh on d*qk at the time of the collision, having oome on deck at midnight. Hβ was on top of the saloon bridge at the tim«, half-past twelve a.m., when he saw the muthead light of a veseel, of which he informed the captain. It appeared to be leaving Onehuoga, and the captain said it would be the Herald leaving port. 'The captain ordered him to go forward and examine the lights, which he did, aad found them burning brightly. The niaet-

head light had nothing to interrupt it burning brightly. Upon rounding the Horn he eaw the masthead And green lights of the Herald. They picked up the red buoy, and he reported it to the captaia. The Herald was coming np on a starboard helm, which was her wrong side. He found the Gairloch lose way, and then her head began to pay off. The topsail wai set, with the foresail clewed up. The Herald jast grazed the buoy after the collision, going within eight or ten feet of it. When she was end on and crossed the Gairlooh'a bows, he saw her red light. The masthead light was clear and in good order, burning brightly when the Gairloch reached the wharf. The Herald was close enough when he saw her green light to iee that the Gairloch was inside the red buoy. Hβ hailed the Herald, " Why don't you port yonr helm?" No reply came from her. He went down the hold to see if she was making water, and shouted loud enough for the Herald to hear that she was making water. The Herald was passing the Gairloch'a bows at the time, and did not ask if she required any assistance.— To Mr. Cooper : It was blowing a nice fresh southerly breeze. It was about fifteen minntes, more or less, after he sighted the Herald's lights that the collision occurred. The Gairloch took the ground about her length from the. red buoy to the south, west. The Herald r«,a almost a straight course from the middle tooy to the red buoy. The collision toe- place ineidr ;he buoy. The foresail might have appeared to be set, to an approaching vessel. It was clewed up in the ordinary way. Before the Collector of Customs he stated that the Herald ported her helm when she rounded upon the Gair* loch's bows. He could not say as to the state of the tide at the time His experience of the harbour extended over about four months on the Gairloch.—To Mr. Heaketh : After rounding the red buoy, he knew that the Gairloch was porting her helm. Tbere was nothing wrong with the masthead light when it was taken down, at the wharf.—To the Bench : Both vessels ranged up alongside each other, after the collision. Their bows were almost level with eaoh other. At a quarter-past four p.m. it was decided to adjourn the inquiry to Monday, at halfpast ten a.m.