HARBOUR COLLISION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13724, 14 April 1908, Page 6

HARBOUR COLLISION.

QUESTION OF THE WHJh | A BODY IDENTIFIED -' V j ■ ' - The roartne inquiry into the rireoa of the collision between the' st«aater rtma and (ho ketch Moonah '"as yesterday before, Mr. C. ('. K-fttl* gj» ***&"• f »n<i Captains \ damson and sessors,.- Mr, Mays appeared for U« torn- Department, Mr. M cY»afch' >- m e | # fj Union Steam Ship Company, Mr. 1 jf for Captain Robinson and tin- nth., of the Wairuna. and Mr, M. o»re<,i>r "i#|ll§i Captain de Siiva, of the Moonah. , -P| Captain de Silva. continuing his »tfc f :; .Sj dence, described how lie and Stirling .•'••. fe ((unci their injuries, and de eased •Snnlljtj Ki disappearance. Smith could not ►*iji || far as he knew. fl| Mr. Mays: Have yon ever I'cq proached by the harbourmaster on the <& 'T j| ject of going to sea without ha-, i-u yoar M ship properly manned * if Witness : Oh. yes. | |g| j| Mr. Kettle said he did not tls-.rk trs.jjj Iff question' could be gone into. B Mr, .'lays intimated to he court thn a prosecution would probably h»l{»m. $*; Witness, in answer to Mr. Kettle, s«4 that by arrangement the owner* of tj^ I vessel paid him £47 per month, and 1 found the men and paid their v;iw. etc. ' " f Mr. Kettle: Captain Robinson says ho J 1 gave two short sharp blasts of hif- whists; I I before lie collision. \ Witness: I only heard one. My heating 9 j is pretty good. _ Captain Robinson, recalled, said he «i - £ his course by the compass when west .'s£■'■ m the Iris. This was the usual thing to ifc, £ and the man at the wheel must he pre? \ I something to steer by. • || Wm. Stirling, an A.B. in the ',j'B during the voyage, described the vessels ' M progress to opposite the Iris, where the - B collision took place. He heard one blast of 3 f| the steamer's whistle when she wan about » 8 three of her own lengths distant. 1 the smash occurred he was aloft, and «>hfa • 0 the mailt gave way he jumped tor the 1 steamer's rail. Witness thought he g&y ~ *• the Wairuna's green light. Her masthead.' ■' S and port, lights wore plainly visible, The| steamer, lie thought, was travelling at p seven knots when she struck she ketch,...., g| and she buried her nose up to the smaller !| vessel's centreboard. . -* fi The Magistrate said he would Ul;*-i' | have heard the evidence of the quarter* •' • ffl master of the Iris, on watch, who should j. jjj have a note of the occurrence. He should - |1 have been secured before the cabin steamer |; left for Brisbane. "'Slf® Mr. Banna: There was nothing hi the v;g log of the Iris. || Mr. Mays: The quartermaster of the 8 Iris heard no whistles. His evidence ah. B ; solutely negatives that of the others. Mr. Kettle: Well, ho should he her# ,; 1 | to say so. The case may hinge, on tit? "II question of the whistles. We ••• ill have i to adjourn the inquiry until wi> hear his 1 version. The men on the his should be 1 able to give this evidence. It they can- 1| 1 not, then they have not been keeping &■ 1 proper watch. * '.1 Mr. Hana: That is the inference. 1 They have not noted the collision in the; 1 log." ■ , -ft George Edward Holt, cook on the ketch, 7/'| said he came on deck when the ship was. .. | coming round the North He..:!. He re-* 1 membcred hearing the captain say shortlyJ before the collision —" Which wav is that| boat going, Fred in or out?" litis was 1 followed by an axel at ion: " Look out, :; fj boys!" and theu the steamer was right | into them, and''witness was precipitated -■ I into the water. ;■>>.. \ p|| | The question of the identification of a § body recently found in the harbour, ands||| not recognised as that of Smith, came up 1 -1 during the examination of this witne»;,pl Holt said he had not seen the body re- ? ferred to at the morgue, but . Sergeant; 1 % Ramsay had shown him the clothes taken - fc off it. He knew Smith's coat, havnjg ;/ I worn it for five days. It had a long i-"~' 'I on the right arm, so had .the coat thk. ji was shown him. Smith had purchased a j' new pair of trousers before leaving port,' I | and the pair he saw in the morgue adso; .<j corresponded with, this article tof apparel. fj Mr. Kettle: This is a matter for the , 5 Coroner. ; 'SfS* I Mr. Mays: It was not gone into. ' | Mr. Kettle: Well, it should have been, 3 Witness, continuing, said a black pipe v - ,1 that had also been shown him at the \ 1 morgue was previously Smith's property. •' I Win. George Crowse, seaman on board *f ] the ketch, was the next witness. He said {] he reckoned that the steamer was travel- /' j ling between six and eight knots when she 1 : Jc came towards the ketch. He judged thisV< by the foam that was rising from her | bows. He thought that if the Wairuna's \ ; rudder had been put hard-a-port in good . , time the steamer would have cleared the _ 1 Moonah safely. She was 200 yds away ' - when he heard the whistle. . . This witness' evidence was not conclud- >~.f ed when adjourned until the i morning. . /•fftlfei