HIMITANGI'S STRANDING

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14972, 20 April 1912, Page 8

HIMITANGI'S STRANDING

• AN INQUIRY HELD, CAPTAIN FREE FROM BLAME. HOW THE MISHAP OCCURRED. ("BY TBLEOKAPff.—PRESS ASSOCIATION,) ' Wellington, Friday. • An inquiry into the circumstances connected with the stranding of the steamer Himitangi at the Chatharas on February 11 was held at the Magistrate's Court this morning. Tho Court consisted of Dr. McArthur, S.M., and Captains Post and Black. Mr. C. E. Nixon represented tho Customs Department, Mr. Dalziel appeared for the Chatham Islands Fishing Company, Limited, and Mr. A. Gray for Captain Cowan, master of the Himitangi. Captain James Cairns Cowan, master mariner, said tho Himitangi was at anchor at Waitangi on tho night of February 11. The weather was calm and the place was well sheltered. After anchoring ho set the usual watch and left instructions to be called if there was any change in tho weather. About 4.40 a.m. lie felt the ship roll. Ho called the officers and crow, and sent a man to the chain locker to get ready to haul in the anchor chain. He rang, " Stand by" on the engines, and did his utmost to keep the vessel from going on the beach. The vessel touched bottom, and therefore the engines wore not of much use. Ho then triod to get tho vessel's bow on to tho beach, and subsequently gave instructions to , the chief engineer to fill the ballast tanks to prevent the Himitangi from going further up the beach. Before she went on the beach he gave instructions to call all hands and got the passengers ashore. The passengers were safely Landed. He put two anchors down with 150 fathoms of ropey but those ropes proved insufficiently strong. He thon put down a rope made of fencing wire, but the gear he had proved of no use. The usual watch for 12 years past on the Himitangi had been to leave a fireman to keep the anchor watch. The fireman's duty below was light. Ho had four hours on and eight hours, off. 1 Under tho circumstances lie did not think it would be better to have an A.B. to keep | watch. The quantity of ground tackle was more than ample and was perfectly satisfactory. Ho attributed tho fact of the gear giving way to the pin of the shackla carrying away. It was an old shackle, but it looked all right. ' ( . To Air. Gray: The cables and gear were inspected in April of each veaj by the Marine Department. Tho ship 'was on the beach altogether for about seven weeks. He made many attempts to get the vessel off with tho gear available, • trArchibald. MclntjjeJ chief officer of the Himitangi, gave,similar evidence to that of the previous witness. He noticed nothing the matter wi£h tho anchor or cable. He shackled the.. cable on the anchor in Weiungtom. --—He thought the pin must have W.°,, of the shackle. Everything was done that could have been done* under the •circumstances. To Mr. Gray: It was the rule on the Hmitangi for firemen to keep the anchor watch. Tha firemen were steady, capable 1 homas Clarkson Sawyers, second officer, or tvS°J?* threo ancho " a month or two before th» stranding. The chain of T times aWay ' 11 had J?Urt€d a number e^ioiS ber ° other itne63es ™e alio vevor .evidence Arthur Calvert (surIffa i • ps an , d inspector of machinery) aid ho inspected tho Himitangi on May dition 'T 1 /- und . the ca , bles in good conbrSin«r nf ft* ° 100 tho re ™ for the Sii'iar ** th "° - J?}}* course of his address Mr. A Grav dliltonTof S^rwl by tho dlai ™*n of airectora of the Chatham Islands Fi*hin» Company to say that the company stillif -S C n aM n< ° lr ? Captain Cowan. ! V. t "^te nt ', abKl '' ed carelessness wliatever ffi 7? m any of opinion that he was oSiM •» Wor9 aj.rn.nt or tho stemeTvZ ~*-S certificate was therefore returned. Tho Court added that the captain in loavinir a * w ? nautical assessors wen* stmnrriw -iSSSSS.^No order was made as to costs. '