GREYCLIFFE DISASTER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19831, 29 December 1927, Page 9

GREYCLIFFE DISASTER.

JFHE inquiry RESUMED.

MANOEUVRES OF TAHITI.

EVIDENCE BY CAPTAIN.

COURSE OF FERRY BOAT.

«A. MATTER OF SECONDS."

By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. (Received December 28. 11.5 p.m.) I. and N.Z. SYDNEY. Dec. 28. The inquest on the victims of the disaster in the Sydney Harbour on November d, when (lie ferry steamer Greycliffe was sunk by the steamer Tahiti, was resumed to-day, but the hearing was adjourned until to-morrow.

The coroner said it was impossible to continue both the inquest and the judicial inquiries at once, and he indicated that if matsrial witnesses from the Tahiti had not completed their evidence to-morrow he would not allow them to leave Sydney. He added that unless the Union Steam Ship Company gave an assurance that the Tahiti witnesses would be detained in Sydney lie would issue summonses, and they would be detained legally. The judicial inquiry was resumed before JJr. Justice Campbell and two assessors. Captain B. M. Aldwell, of the Tahiti, said the impact of the collision was not felt on the Tahiti, but the Greycliffe appeared to fall to pieces like a barrel. Referring to the speed of the vessel, he said that up to Miller's Point the Tahiti was doing four knots. Full speed was rung when passing Garden Island. After passing Garden Island the Tahiti's course was altered slightly to port, but just before reaching Garden Island the course of the Tahiti had been altered in order to avoid a naval launch.

Witness on Point of Collapse. The Greycliffe was oil a parallel course with the Tahiti after passing Garden Island. He thought the speeds of the Tahiti and Greycliffe were about the same. Just prior to the collision he estimated that the Tahiti was doing about seven and a-half knots. About two cable lengths past Garden Island the pilot put the Tahiti a little to starboard. Counsel then asked Captain Aldwell ■what the Greycliffe did then. Witness .said: "I then saw the Greycliffe —" Then for a moment witness appeared to bo on the point of collapse. After resting he said ho felt upset whenever he thought about the collision. He then resumed. He was looking at the Greycliffe, he said, and saw her swing to port quite hard. The pilot said, " Good Uod!" and immediately gave an order. The Greycliffe had" swung over not less than foui points. The pilot gave 'the following orders: "Hard aport," "stop." " starboard and " full astern." These were all giver practically simultaneously. Witness ;ia\v that they were carried out. Witness added to the helmsman: "Put her hard over."

The Tahiti started to swing, but slowly at first. Captain Aldweil said: "She is always like that, slow to start, but when she gets going she swings like a saucer. A few more moments and the trouble would have been avoided. If the Greycliffe could only have squared up there would have been no collision," Boats Come to the Rescue.

Captai:i Aldwell said he heard the first officer order the Tahiti's boats to be launched, but he saw -plenty of other boats coming up. He thought the risk of the Tahiti's boats overturning would add to the confusion, so lie decided not to launch them. The orders for the Tahiti to change over helm and stop the engines were all given within a minute of the collision, which it was impossible to avoid, as barely half a minute elapsed. It was only a. matter of seconds. If the Greycliffe had not altered her course the Tahiti would have passed the ferry boat at a distance of approximately 100 ft.

Counsel directed witness' attention to a statement attributed to him on reaching New Zealand, where he was represented to have said to the police that the Tahiti was travelling "at a moderate speed, but I cannot say how many knots."

Captain Aldwell, in reply, said lie was very tired when the police interviewed him in Wellington, unci he was taken unawares. He did not intend to tell them how many knots the Tahiti was travelling as he considered they would not understand. When he was interrogated by the police in Wellington he had been navigating through fog for 36 hours continuously, arid he was not in a fit state to make a statement.

Possible Avoidance of Disaster. After cross-examination, Captain Aidveil, in reply to a question by Mr. Justice Campbell, as to the reasons that led to the Tahiti being swung to port, said he thought that was the only thing to do to attempt to avoid the collision. It was hard to tell what the Greycliffe was going to do after she had swung the way she did. Witness said he had often thought since that the Tahiti might have avoided tnc collision if she had kept straight ahead. It would have been a narrow snave but he thought sometimes they might have managed it. But that, again, would have depended upon the course taken by the Greycliffe. Mr. Lawrence McMurrich, chief engincei of the Tahiti, said all the engines and appliances on the Tahiti were in good order. He was unable to give any estimates of speed. It was not possiblo in harbour to judge the speed of a ship from the speed of the engines. On the day of the collision the Tahiti was working with two boilers out of 'commission. 1 lie engines were not warmed up by the time t lie collision occurred, and they would not have been working to their full capacity until the ship was two hours outside the heads. Roderick Macleod, quartermaster at the helm of the Tahiti when the collision occurred, said when he saw the Greycliffe he was steering for Shark Island. fhe Greycliffe was steering a parallel course, and about three minutes before the collision the Greycliffe altered her course to port about six or seven points. lne Uieycliffe was close under the labiti s bows \»lien he i;ot the order for hard to starboard. The course of the ferry boat was so altered that she cut right across the course of the Tahiti. . At the close of the day s evidence, Mr. Justice Campbell offered no objection to an application by counsel that thei ianiti witnesses be allowed to leave with the \vessel to-morrow.