THE BLENHEIM BOATING DISASTER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13304, 10 October 1906, Page 7

THE BLENHEIM BOATING DISASTER.

INQUEST AND [VERDICT. HOW THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. |f ■ . - ■ .- \ MEN STRUGGLING IN THE WATER. THE EFFORTS OF THE RESCUERS. • [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Blenheim, Tuesday. The adjourned inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Sunday's boating fatality in the Opawa River was held this morning. The first witness was George Patchett, owner of the oil launch Maritana, under the five-ton limit, and unregistered. He said' lie had owned the boat- for 12 months. It was unnecessary to register a vessel of that tonnage under he Shipping and Seamen Act. There was no obligation for a person plying such boats to have certificates of any kind. Such a boat could pl\ for hire without a/ license. He had made numerous trips to the bar in the Maiitana. carrying passengers, and had never, until Sunday, met with a mishap. He considered lie was well acquainted with the river, and thoroughly competent to take the vessel down to the bar and back. One or more of his sous usually accompanied him, and tbey had a fair knowledge of steering and driving. On Sunday last, about a quarterpast ten, the Maritana deft/ the concrete steps a.t Alfred-street bridge, with 25 or 26 passengers, about half of whom weie children. The passengers left Captain Fisk's jetty, Wairau estuary, about a quarter-past three p.m. Chant was steering, and witness hud charge of the oil engine. The tide at Blenheim was at low water. When about opposite the end of torn housestreet ho felt the vessel going over something. He jumped up the steps, and the launch gave a sudden tilt over to the port side. He thought the boat was going right over. There was a splash, and she bounded up again instantly. PASSENGERS IX THE WATER. On turning he saw people bobbing up and down in the water. Rescue work was immediately commenced. The width of the river was about 25 or 30 yards. Directly after the vessel righted herself he stopped the engine, and the steerer put the launch into the bank. He could not say exactly where she struck. He did not know of the existence of any snag at that point. He had full confidence in the steerer (Chant), who had a certificate for inner harbour navigation up to 75 tons. He did not think the object the launch struck was visible. No life-saving apparatus was usually carried, except' when going over the bar. Ho had never seen any necessity for carrying such. No limit was fixed in regard to the number of passengers. He thought if the launch were licenced she would be allowed to carry 40. Portions of the iron railing broken away by the weight of the fulling passengers were produced. THE STEERER'S STATEMENT. William Thus. Chant, seaman, said ho had charge of the «?team trawler Paiako (10 tons) for eight years, and was the holder of a certificate of service. He had often navigated the river, in his own steamer. On .Sunday he went down to the bar on the , v" Maritana for a trip. He reckoned up. all -told, from 30 to- 34 passenger*, -including, children. He steered throughout the trip. Four passengers .were left behind at the bar. On the return trip, when opposite the site of Sinclair's old wharf, he altered the course of the launch from the centre of the river to within about. 13ft of the starboard bank, a perpendicular line. He had not gone far when . the starboard bilge ran upon something in, the water. She lurched , heavily to port, and all the passengers aft went a port, carried the rail away, and fell overboard., The launch having "righted" he and others' leapt ashore and endeavoured ? to render assistance. It was generally the rule to steer into a steep bank, as it always indicated deep water. He ha.d never before heard of a "snag"' at the spot, although lie had passed the place repeatedly, night and day. He had a good view of the river ahead from the steering place. The launch was travelling at the rate of five and a-half to six knots. The intended landing-place was about 250 yds further up the river. He examined the spot immediately after the accident, and found that the launch had slid up on a stump covered by about Ift of water. It was surrounded by deep water. At high tide it would not have been touched. He had been on the Challenger, another oil launch, for nine weeks. She also carried no life-saving apparatus. This was the first launch mishap to his knowledge on the river. He did not think tho Maritana would have righted again if the rail had not given way. If lie owned the vessel lie would not have rails as light as the portions which were produced. He did not know \Vhat amount of ballast the Maritana was carrying, but la tons would render her safe with 10 passengers on deck. His object in steering into the north bank was to enable a curve to be made to beach the launch at the sand pit. The vessel would be drawing 3ft 6in aft. The difference between the tides at departure and return would be from 2ft 6in to 3ft. A RESCUER'S ACCOUNT. William Milton Gamble stated that on Sunday afternoon he, William Hod son, and George Hudson were sitting on the south bank of the Opawa River. The launch Maritana passed upwards at about- a-quar-ter to five. Just after passing out of sight, a crash was heard, and it was soon evident that people were struggling in the water. Win. Hod son launched a boat which was handy, whilst George Hodson '■ went in search of rowlocks and oars. Win. Byford and witness then got into the boat and pulled towards the scene. They passed what was thought at the moment to be a- bundle of clothes, but which afterwards proved to be Mrs. Baldwin, and three boats' lengths farther 011 picked up four children. Proceeding another three boats' lengths, they saw four men grasped together in the' water. Thinking one of the children was going to die they took him ashore. They put the one child ashore, and to save time left the other three in the boat, and returned to the men. On ncaring them witness was apprehensive from the way they were struggling that they might capsize the boat and drown the children. They then took the children ashore, and went back to the scene of the mishap. The men had by this time disappeared. New|>ort also got a boat out at)d picked up Mrs. Baldwin. He noticed W. Osgood struggling with ■ McKiriley in the -river, and saw him take him ashore. Doctors were present. With--1 j» in five minutes of the ocurrence, one of a 'p.' party on the bank remarked that he ' thought Chant was taking the launch a bit fife®;® ! close in shore. Witness thought so too. ? He saw both Chant and Patchett after the .$;/• ' accident. Both were quite sober, ana 4 ,v very much upset. The aft passengers were sitting with their backs to the railH < - ing. He had often seen oil launches go Y, i|| as close to the bank as Chant steered the H'Srff [Maritana 011 Sunday. The launch was on jSB>ST an even keel when passing. He did not iffv' think the launch itself could have render"d any service at ' the time. It would be ■j'o: insufficiently manned. It would be about -six or seven minutes from the moment of the . crash till the disappearance of' the felt • men. If life-saving apparatus had been carried probably more would have been saved. CHILDREN PICKED UP. Win. Hudson said that' while Gamble and Byfoid set out in the boat, he and his brother inn along the. bank in order to i - *<ive some children floating into the southern ' • ' ife','.

bank- By the time he had his coat "off, ; however, the children had been picked up | by a boat. . He had made the remark that; the launch was "cutting the corner rather; fiUC " A PASSENGER'S STORY. Win, Henry Osgood, a passenger by the launch Maritana, said ho knew something ■ of Chant's steering, and considered him safe, but thought they : were too close to* the bank at the time of the accident, the bow keel of the launch being just about- on a level with the stump. The stern of tho launch rose almost out of tho water upon the vessel riding over it. She then went over to port, and the aft passengers, with the sudden lurch backwards, fell against . the railing, which gave way and let them into the water. Witness was standing nearer the bow. The rail was safe enough for any ordinary purpose. The boat ran in shore about 30yds above the stump. Witness jumped ashore, and with Tetley, another passenger, ran down the bank to where the people were struggling in the water. Chant immediately followed. He thought he should have remained aboard, being in charge. Chant threw a rope down the bank, which witness caught hold of, threw one end to Tetley, and went in after McKinley, who would be 20ft from the bank. McKinley was exhausted. Witness succeeded in securing him. The whole occurrence could not have occupied more than 2£ minutes. After rescuing MeKinlev, no one else could be seen, the current having taken them over to the other side, or they had disappeared. He saw three men together near the middle of the river before he reached McKinley. He thought if the launch could have been put astern at once more could have been saved. Patchett could not manage the launch by himself. In two minutes much might have been clone with a launch. A CONSTABLE'S EVIDENCE. Constable Carmody said he arrived on the scene of the accident a few minutes past five. Everyone appeared to be in a state of panic, and it was impossible to learn whether anyone was in the river or not. Chant wa's very mucn excited, and fainted. Dragging operations were commenced without loss of time, witness and Newport taking one boat, and Constable Bird and somebody else another. After a little time witness was successful in recovering tin- body of H. O. Berry, and then the bodies of Nash and Highman. Doctors Nairn and Walker examined the bodies as they were brought ashore, and did everything possible. THE SNAG. Henry Fisk, master mariner, pilot at Wairau" Bar, said he had traded between Wellington and Blenheim in charge of sailers and steamers, for 38 years. There had been a willow stump at the spot for many years. When he was trading, the stump was close to the steep bank, and well tut of the fairway. There was deep water close to it. Steamers always kept to the centre of the channel, any other course being impracticable. He fancied he saw the stump that day from aboard the Waihi, coming up the river. It was high water at the time. The point of land appeared to have receded from the stump somewhat siuco his trading days. There were hundreds of such stumps up and down the river banks, although the channel was" clear. 5 The stump he thought he saw from the Waihi appeared to be about Bft from the h.nk. In his time the distance would about 3ft. Had he been in charge of the Montana he would have kept in the middle of i the river. Steamers always kept off tl e points, though they did go close in shore in ; the bights. If the stump was syds iiom the bank at that point, it would not be a danger to navigation, because steamers 1 kept in the centre. Smaller boats would ! nut nearer the point. : Tho jury brought in the following verdiet:— That the deceased persons met their death by drowning through the launch Maritana striking a- submerged snag in the Opawa River; no blame whatever was attached to those in charge of tho launch." ' A rider was added that tho authorities who ! have jurisdiction over the river be requested to remove immediately the «nag which caused the disaster, such snag being very dangerous to river traffic; and that in "future all launches plying for iiire be compelled to cany.life-saving appliances. \