THE S.S. WAIKATO.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11367, 9 May 1900, Page 6

THE S.S. WAIKATO.

GREAT SALVAGE CASE. fFROM OUR OWN eORRESrOXDBST.I

LONPOS, April 7. On Saturday last the case of the 8,8, WaiWo, which broko down in September last, vhile on her voyago from London to New Zealand, and drifted about helplessly for 102 days before being rescued, came before Sir Francis Jeune, sitting as President of tho Admiralty Division of the High Court with Trinity Masters.

The action was brought by tho owners, master, and crew of tho steamship Asloun.to reeovei salvage remuneration for services rendered to the defendants' steamship % kato and her cargo in the Indian Ocean, between September 15 and October 8, 18& The Asloun is a steel screw steamship of 2828 tons gross register, manned by a ere* of 30 hands, and fitted with engines working up to 1200 horse-power effective. On Aug*l 3, 1899, she left London with a valuable cargo, bound for Australia, via ft? Cape of Good Hope, calling at Las Palm" for coals. She rounded the Cape of Good Hope on September 4, and afterwards, meet-, ing with boisterous weather, her course n» altered more to the northward than W usual track of vessels for Australia, and into an unfrequented portion of the ocean. Sow after noon on September 15, when in ««' tudue 39 degrees 31 minutes south, and '° n tudo 64 degress 40 minutes east, sho fell J" with the Waikato flying urgent signal* « *; tress.

I need not recapitulate the oft-told story of the Waikato's remarkable c.xpenei* while adrift, and even after she was I ** up by the Asloun. Suffice it to say .thatinj Asloun towed the Waikato altogether abom 2600 miles. By the services the Asloun attained serious'injuries to her mast. fun* rudder, and propeller, was delayed 16 or \ clays, and was nut to considerable "I*, The value of the Asloun was £24,000; of J* cargo, £82,500, and of her freight at m £S29—in all £106,829. The value of the knto was £42,975, and of her cargo WW -in all £131,060, there being no freight';. risk. ' , - Mr. Robson, Q.C., .Mr. Aspinall, Q&f, Mr. Lewis Noad, appeared for the plain™ - and Mr. Laing, Q.C., and Mr. Batten for < M . defendants. IV Tho President, in giving judgment, #,j that all tho elements of salvage «PP«"J. ' in this enso in a verv high degree. It J™ J be regretted that the accident *» K [ > happened to the Waikato, namely, the or* . ing of her shaft, 1 was one of such frog; occurrence, and ho wondered why ]^ : which were sent on such long voyage* ' . not more often fitted with twin screw, 011 j , Waikato, when sho broko down, d"" 1 ; of the track of steamers, and her prow. * ran short, though it could not be saw her crew were ever in any danger 01* „ fr : tion. Still, her crow were liable ,0 , " j,k'.-. heartened, and there was always tn . that they might have abandoned tneir, ■.. and savod their lives on board one or , of the passing sailing ships, in ffn ' c "]J ; - the Waikato would cither havo been «"? , or have become a dorclict. This w«J W j, I risk to which" tho Waikato was esM^'

• [ |; ,__ I i i§*V '", hs silrags tho Asloun ran conI! fl^f* Of collision, - fouling her pro--1 i fMti&ffiotherwise/' He thought, in par-, 1 ' operation, of coaling .tat 1... oilrage attended .with special $faf ri.k of collision, fouling her proit* A otherwise. He thought, in parJler, •J.", the operation of coaling at W**'.j m Islnnd'was attended with Bpecial $ ! jlpsterdam s i oun . The Asloun actually, I i &&2 /erious damage, and .was considerS!BWESstti towed the Waikato in Ij m i SC, over a distance of 2600 miles. " i all for ,i, w was sometimes severe, and once . iPOtf "Igg exceptionally so. It was a ,or t,r ' c j difficult service rendered in comI IftiS unknown seas, in latitudes where I! Xw*W y Met is often experienced, and in ■ ? fee involving danger difficulty, I SPffiPSrPto the salvors. The values ■ ~t J *S and in all the circumstances H <* rcTf ff ward the sum of £16,500, giving ilftfg^tbi"owners, £1300 to the master, &) to the crew.