THE WAIRARAPA DISASTER.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1189, 14 December 1894, Page 11

THE WAIRARAPA DISASTER.

THE FINDING OF THE COURT.

RESULT OF THE WAIRARAPA ENQUIRY. CAPTAIN MCINTOSH TO BLAME. OFFICERS CENSURED. THE CHIEF OFFICER SEVERELY CONDEMNED. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, December 10. The judgment of the Court of Enquiry into the Wairarapa disaster was delivered this morning. The Court blamed Captain Mclntosh for negligent navigation, severely censured the chief officer, commended the third mate, praised the engineers, eulogised the heroic conduct of the stewardesses, commended several passengers, and described the boatdrill as a farce. No certificates are suspended. " ' THE JUDGMENT. Mr Northeroft, S.M., in delivering judgment, said lie thought that the captain and two'officers saw apparent signs of the fog coming, and from their own showing* ought to have expected the current. No bearing was taken at the Three Kings to ascertain the true position of the ship. The chief officer, at 8 p.m., by dead reckoning, placed the ship on the chart in his cabin. He waited up to see the Poor Knights, whereas, by the course he pricked on the chart in Court, they could never have been less than 9* miles distant. How he expected to see them in such a fog as he described he (the Magistrate) could not conceive. There was no doubt that the ship overran her distance. It was quite clear the captain expected to see the Mokohinau light on the port bow, whereas he must have passed it eight miles off on the starboard. Again, when asked by Mr Moyes where the ship was when she struck, he said, “ On the Hen,” wheieas he was fully 29 miles E., and the course marked in Court by the second and third officers put the ship at Mokohinau Island. NEGLIGENT NAVIGATION. He was of opinion that the Wairarapa was lost through Captain Mclntosh and the fii-st and second officers not taking a correct point of departure at the Three Kings, and not allowing for the current which, by the first and second officers’ evidence, they should have been aware was running to the east and south-east. Why accurate bearings were not taken at the Three Kings, and carefully compared with the four-point bearing taken off Cape Maria Yan Diemen, and the ship’s course positively fixed, seemed inexplicable j instead of which there was no doubt the bearing taken off Cape Maria was incorrect, as shown on the chart by the officer who took it, THE SIGNS OF DANGER.

There were at 8 a.m, no signs wanting to make a prudent navigator take every precaution for safely navigating the ship down the coast, An apparent current was then running, and subsequently there was wind from the north and north-east, with a heavy easterly swell. As the first officer said, “ There must have been a current to raise such a sea.” Knowing that they had to allow for the current, with the easterly swell, with the wind from the north and north-east —still nothing w T as done, but the ship was driven at full speed through a fog so dense that at times they could not see more than two ships’ lengths ahead, till she struck, though they did not know where they were; and to use their own words, felt anxious. THE RESPONSIBILITY TO REST WITH THE CAPTAIN. Mr Northeroft then went on to say:— But, as the captain waa in charge the whole time, never leaving the dock or the bridge, he alone was to blame for the loss of the vessel, and though there was neglect shown, in my opinion, by the chief officer subsequent to the wreck in not utilising the available boats at his disposal, still, I do not think thero is that degree of negligence to entitle the Court to cancel or suspend his certificate or those of any of the other officers. But had the captain not been drowned there is no doubt liis certificate would have been cancelled. Ido not think there is any suspicion to justify doubt of the accuracy of the compasses.

THE BOAT DRILL A MERE FARCE. There was plenty of time to have got the boats out had the orders been given and obeyed promptly, and if the ship's company had known their places. From the evidence I am of opinion that they did not, so valuable time was lost. The so-called boat drill is a mere farce, as described by the first officer. Evidently each member of the crew did not know what was required when called upon in an emergency, because one of the passengers was trying to knock away the chocks of No. 2 boat with a capstan bar. Had the boat's crew been in their places, the boats would have been lifted clear of the chocks before the passengers' could have reached that deck. THE CREW DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO. This and other instances prove that the crew did pot know what to do to get out the boats in the most expeditious manner* It could hardly be expected to be otherwise, they not having had even this farcical boat drill for six months. None of the crew went to No. 6 boat until all chance of lowering it safely had passed. It was mainly owing to this want of efficient knowledge in handling the boats that so many valuable lives were lost. After the mismanagement in regard to the boats there was no longer any hope of saving the passengers by the boats. “ EVERYBODY FOR HIMSELF.'' The ship's company remaining on board did not do what they might have done, and what we always expect of British seamen worthy of that name when there are women and children and passengers in peril.

There should have been plenty of time for l the ship’s company remaining on the vessel to have got the remaining- women and ■ children to the rigging. It has been sug- ! gested that it was impossible to get them to the rigging, which we think is totally disproved when it is considered that from deck to rail it was only four feet, and from rail to ratlin only three feet. But no effort was made, as is clearly proved by Miss Buckleton and others having got there unaided at a much later period. The only two children who were saved were boys—one by Johnston in a water-logged boat, and young West, so bravely rescued by French. They were in a far more exposed position than any part of the forerigging. The whole matter is summed up in the words of Peter H. Thomson, cax-penter, who thought the ship was going down —“ My impression was that it seemed to be everybody for himself.” This was at the time Johnson’s boat got away, and the women and children were left to themselves, and most of them drowned. It was a great error of judgment No. 3 boat not keeping nearer the wreck. She was capable of holding more persons than she contained. Had this been done, many people would no doubt have been saved.

SEVERE CENSURE UPON THE CHIEF OFFICER. As to the chief officer’s conduct in connection with the raft he saw floating towards the Needles with about 20 people on it, no censure we can pass is severe enough. From Monday night he knew there were two serviceable ship’s boats and sufficient hands to man them at Whangapoua, yet he made no effort, gave no instructions for these boats to be sent to see what had become of the raft or look for people floating about on wreckage or washed to any of the ledges of rock on the coast. There is little doubt that the raft afterwards picked up with a capful of oranges was the one he saw. It must have contained people who gathered these oranges after daylight and who were washed off, fell off from exhaustion, or were drowned in attempting to reach the shore—who probably would have been saved had the before-mentioned precautions been taken. HIS CONDUCT INHUMAN. No examination was made of the coast from the wreck to Whangapoua till late on Wednesday afternoon—nearly three days after—nor any attempt made to use the boats to pick up dead bodies until Thursday. His conduct seems inhuman—unexplainable. It was the chief officer’s duty to remam on the island with what available men he had for boats’ crews, to attempt to recover the mails, and to have done what he could to recover the bodies of the drowned, sent one of the other officers to Auckland to report the loss of the ship, and awaited instructions from the company’s agent. THE SECOND OFFICER. The second officer's oonduot seems of a negative character, and nothing can be said. He would not be called upon to take any prominent part while the chief officer was there unless directed. THE ONLY NAVIGATING} OFFICER WHO ROSE TO THE OCCASION. Mr Johnson, third officer, appears to have been the only one of the navigating officers who rose to the occasion. He certainly, after he got his boat away, did all he could, and he deserves to be highly commended for his prompt and utter disregard of self. The fourth officer appears to have done all he could while on board towards getting the boats out. COMMENDATION FOR THE ENGINEERS AND STEWARDS. The engineers deserve great commendation for the way they behaved—the chief engineer and Mr Dunlop particularly so. All we can say about Mr Fenwick, the purser, is that he saved himself. The stewards * appear to have done their duty well, and assisted passengers all they could. THE HEROISM OF THE STEWARDESSES. I do not think we can say too much of those noble, heroic women, the stewardesses of the ill-fated vessel. They preferred death to neglect of duty and dishonour. The conduct of these noble, self-sacrificing ' women is beyond human praise. THE CREW. Of the crew, with a few exceptions, very little can be said. It has not been explained to my satisfaction how so many of them came to be in the only two boats that got away safely. If they were washed overboard as averred, they wero very fortunate in being picked up when so many were in the water. Harding states that there were six of the ship’s company in No. 1 boat with him when she swamped—that they were in before the boat left the ship’s side. THE PASSENGERS. There are many of the passengers who deserve to be commended for their behaviour, both on the wreck and afterwards. Messrs French, Jolly, Corrie, Roberts, Pipe, Chapman and Leighton and others who assisted in holding a rope in their bare feet on the jagged rocks—and of the ship’s company, Dunlop, Kendall, Baker, Fraser, Jenkins and Middlebrook. THE CURRENT. The current which seems to have assisted in this dreadful catastrophe had been experienced before by the first and second officers, It appears to be caused by winds and storms occurring on and near our own coasts, when water is backed up, causing high tides and currents according to the wind. When the wind is from the north and east the water would escape to the south and west, causing a current more or less strong down the coast, but such a current ought to be expected by navigators knowing their business, from the direction of wind, and the state of sea and allowed for. WHAT THE WRECK HAS PROVED. The wreck has clearly shown that all boats ought to be uncovered, lifted, and swung out-board during a fog, otherwise in a collision if the vessel goes down no one can be saved, there not being time to get the boat? out. The rafts in the Wairarapa

could not be launched until the two after boats were cleared. This is a mistake j they should be so placed that they might be launched at any time. THE COSTS OF THE ENQUIRY. Auckland, December 10. The costs cf the Wairarapa enquiry are considerable. The Customs authorities pay the, expenses of conducting the enquiry on behalf of the Government, while the other parties interested pay their own costs. The Government pay the costs of a considerable number of witnesses. The written finding of the Court was mailed to the Marine Department at Wellington this afternoon. The finding and the whole evidence will be carefully examined by the Marine authorities. On Monday morning the Mayor received a telegram from the Mayor of Christchurch stating that the committee of that city reaffirmed its opinion that a central committee for the distribution of the fund should be formed in Wellington, and suggested that the representation should be— Christchurch and Wellington one member, and Auckland and Dunedin two members each. The following additional subscriptions have been received towards the Relief Fund Mungaroa School, 10s; Rev R. J. Power and a few Waverley friends (per Rev J. O’Meara), £2 10s; J. Telford, £1 Is ; Eketahuna School, .£1 3s ; collected at Nelson, <£B4 8s lod ; Fred Moore (Flat Point), .£4 12s 6d; Petone’ School. £1 14s 7d ; collected at Feilding, <£100 ; Upper Hutt School, <£l 7s j Petone Orchestral Society, <£2 8s 8d; W. Brocklehurst, ss ; collected by Ticket Clerk McMorran (Wel-lington-Manawatu Railway Company), <£l 13s; subscriptions per Evening Post, £37 7s 2d; Tokomaru School, =Bl 10s; Whakataki School, £1 ; Dreyerton School, 15s 6d ; Waihokeke School, 6s ; collected at. Greymouth (per the Mayor), <£4o 18s ; C. W. Tanner, <£l Is ; Mr Herbert-Jones’ lectures, <£l2 12s; Vogeltown School, 15s: total, <£2058 ss.

Auckland, December 6. At a meeting of the General Committee of the Wairarapa Relief Fund to consider the question of a distributing centre for the Colony, the Secretary (Mr Barber) reported that he telegraphed to other centres suggesting Auckland, but the Wellington Committee had expressed the opinion that Wellington should be the distributing centre.

A resolution was carried that the funds in the meantime remain in charge of the various committees, and that as soon as a fair and equitable scheme has been formulated by the central committee, the various funds be drawn upon pro rata to the amount received in each district, and that the committees in Dunedin, Wellington and Christchuroh be invited to give a definite opinion as to the locality for the central committee, but that in the opinion of the committee it should be either Auckland or Dunedin. Auckland, December 7. Salvage operations are to be resumed at the wrecked steamer.

Dunedin, December 7. The Wairarapa Relief Fund Committee has decided to make the following apportionments : —Mrs Burke, wife of a seaman, who is left with eight Children, <£345 10s ; Mrs McDonald’s four children, <£3l2 17s ; Mrs McLeod, wife of a seaman, left with three children, <£24o 15s. These sums are to be placed in the hands of trustees and distributed over a period of nine years. A sum of <£l4o was divided among the members of the crew.

It has been decided that as the funds locally available for relief are less by about .£3OO than the amounts required for the persons in and about Dunedin, the committee does not think any good purpose would be served by sending money elsewhere. London, December 11. The Standard and Daily Chronicle comment on the verdict in the Wairarapa case, and express concurrence with the finding of the Court. The Sydney Morning Herald, commenting on the verdict of the Court of Enquiry concerning the Wairarapa calamity,says that it intensifies the sense of indignation regarding the incidents of that deplorable disaster. The story of the wreck presents human nature in the meanest of aspects. Negligence, recklessness, indifference, and cruelty are written large over the report. The disgraceful conduct of the officers in not properly and promptly using the boats is apparently to be attributed as much to ignorance as to inhumanity. The wreck is the most disgraceful, perhaps, in all its incidents, of all that have ever been recorded in connection with Australian seamanship!