THE CONDITION OF THE MAILS

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9178, 19 April 1893, Page 6

THE CONDITION OF THE MAILS

Mb. M. Lank feels thab it is unjust that any blame should be thrown on his brother, Captain Lane, of the Mailo, in connection with the loss of the vessel, as having put to sea when the ship was unfit from tho effects of having gone on a reef, and when the sails and rigging were in bad order. VVo have perused several letters sent by Captain Lane to his brother, and we giro from these all the passages relating to the condition of the vessel. The first letter from Bob Islet, where she struck on the reef, says :— " We have just got off the reef when there was every probability of our being stuck till next spring, if we did not become a total wreck in the meantime, for we unfortunately ran aground on the top of high water springs. She was aground fore and afb at low tide, with 12 feet of water on the side sho listed (port); the other side tho rocks were just awash ab low water. . . . As it is, one is leaking badly, about six inches per hour or more, that is, whilo she was rising. We shall remain ab anchor here till to-morrow, till we see how she is. If she does nob take up we shall have to pub in somewhere and lighten or discharge. . . . The boatswain has jusb sounded the pumps and roForbs three inches rise in forty minutes, am sorry to report such bad news, but at the present moment. I feel intensely thankful thab we have gob off ab all, and hope she may take up all well." From Gladstone, on January 17, Captain Lane writes :—" There was a patch [of rock] under the forerigging which she took ab low waber. when she was laying over aboub 45 degrees, which pub a heavy strain on her. Just there, in fact, thoro was a hump in the deck and rail when she came off, which, however, has gone back somewhat since. She was making six inches per hour, bub now has returned to aboub the usual thing. No doubt the copper is off more or less, and the shoe will bo adrift. The bottom must be pretty rough, for it appears bo make quite an hour difference to her. . . . I told Mr. Ellis it had knocked £300 out of her. Of course there will be an inquiry as it is duly entered on the official log, and it may be I shall bo blamed. . . . We must go into dock before loading again. . . . Our mainsail and mizzen are sadly in need of relief. They will carry us bo Auckland if the weather is not too bad, but the canvas will hardly hold the stitches. Tho gaff topsails are the same. The others we have two of each, and can keep thorn in order." Amongst the accounts, there is an item incurred at Gladstone, "survey, £2 Us," bub there is no statement of what that meant. In a letter dated Launceston, February 4th, Captain Lane says : " I wrote you from Gladstone on the 17th ultimo. Since then we have had a fair passage here, but taking us all our time to keep the sails bogebher. We are now putting a reef band across, and diagonals to each corner j of mizzen and mainsail. I shall not try to do anything to her bottom here. She is lying in fresh water all the time, and is making no water to speak of. I i think she will require a couple at least of diagonal iron knees to mako her as strong j as before. The cargo was not damaged to speak of; about twelve tons wet, off which I suppose there will be an allowance of three tons in weight. There is no damage visible to the vessel except that the copper is wrinkled a little on both sides from the fore rigging aft." On this subject, Captain Daldy writes : — " Auckland, April 18, 1893. To tho Editor of the Herald. Sir,— ln your sub-leader of to-day, I think you have unintentionally cast very gravo reflections on Captain I ane, of the Maile. I give you facts. You say, ' The Maile went on a reef at Raino Island.' The Maile was never ashore at' Raine, but on her passage from Rocky to Launcesbon she misled stays and the current put her on a roof, where she lay one tide. She then proceeded to Gladstone, Queensland, was surveyed, and passed to proceed on her voyage to Launceston, with 300 tons of guano, and made very little water on tho passage. ' Neither the hull nor rigging was in a condition to stand a severe strain.' In this you impugn the character of the surveyors at Gladstone— and seven months ago she was tiurveyed and docked in this port— and it is well known there is not a better-found vessel trading out of this port. Re complaint being made by crews to Collector of Customs, I may inform you that the crew's articles expired in Launceston, and they were all free to go. I believe one did leave, or was discharged, for what cause cannot be known. The remainder stopped by the vessel My information re condition of the vessel and her grounding, is from Mr. C. Ellis, agent for J. T. Arundel, the charterer, who was on board at the time, and was frequently travelling on the Maile. With regard to ballast, the charterers had to pay for it, and Captain Lane took what he considered sufficient without cost to the owners. I have known Captain Lane many years, and had many businoss transactions with him, and I fearlessly assert that a moro honourable, competent, and trustworthy man did not sail out of this port." We have certainly no desire to add to the sufferings of Captain Lane's friends by casting any undue blame on him for running an unnecessary risk. But we think that all we said yesterday as to the condition of the vessel and rigging is borne out by the statements made by him in his private letters.