THE BARQUE COROMANDEL.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1266, 4 June 1896, Page 28

THE BARQUE COROMANDEL.

At the Magisterial enquiry on May 27 into tho circumstances surrounding the capsizing of tho barque Coromandol in Wellington harbour, Captain Lewis Williams, master of the Coromandol, gave evidence as to tho vessel taking ground at Westporf. He communicated with tho underwriters in ,Wellington, and Captain Bendall came to Westport. He then abandoned the vessel, and paid the crew off. Ho could only partially state the nature of the damage done to the vessel. By Mr Skerrett: He had instructed Captain Bendall to bring to Westport a centrifugal pump, diver and diving apparatus. Captain Bendall bad told him that be thought be (Bendall) could float the vessel oil'. Witness raised no objection, and v. hen she was floated he put the ship stores back into her. If the vessel bad not capsized Captain Bendall would have been paid for his services in floating tho ship and taking her to Wellington. Ho had wired to his employers in England to the effect that bo had abandoned the vessel. He did not know whether the ship's underwriters had agents in Wellington. He had received instructions about the vessel since from his employers. The message was as follows: " Snuiftaker, Skimmer," which meant that

they considered tho ship a total loss, and i that condemnation would bo most advantageous to the ship. Witness expected that someono would havo had to pay for tho floating of tho ship, and he thought that the man who had sent Captain Bendall down would do so. Ho was a part owner of tho vessel. By Mr Martin : The ship was about 21 years old. At Westport, before the accident, she was drawing 18ft 2in forward and 18ft Gin aft. Her Plimsoll mark was about 3in above tho water mark. About 100 tons of coal were thrown overboard before tho ship left for Wellington. When the Coromacdel left Westport sho was not in a fit state for sailing purposes, but would havo beon safa in charge of a tug. Before tho vessel left for Wellington ho knew that she was not going to bo towed. If there had boon a head wind witness thought that tho vessel would never have made Wellington. By Mr Skerrett ; He did not protest against tho ship leaving for Wellington, because ho thought he had no claim. Joseph Stitt, diver to the Harbour Board, deposed that ho went to Westport with Captain Bendall to inspect tho Coromandol. On the morning after arriving he went down and inspected tho vessel. She was lying on the port side. He examined the starboard side, and found that the anchor was still sticking into the vessel. There was a hole about 18m by I2in. He covered the hole, and considered the vessel safe enough to make the passage to Wellington. By Mr Skerrett: One pump was sufficient to keep tho water down while tho vessel was in Westport, William Ferguson, secretary to tho Wellington Harbour Board, stated that it was illegal to bring a sailing vessel within 200 yards of tho wharves before anchoring. If immediate assistance had been required a blue light should havo been burned on entering the harbour. Ho had received no intimation that the Coromandol was coming to Wellington. Captain Bendall deposed that when ho went to Westport ho did not think tho vessel was badly strained. Ho thought that tho pumping power ho had would keep the water down even if tho hole had not been stopped. Witness tried to get the Westport Harbour Board's tug and the Union Steam Ship Company's steamers to tow the vessel to Wellington. He did not accept tho Harbour Board'i, terms, and the Union Steam Ship Company did not think it ihsirablo to undertake the work. He then decided to sail the vessel up as far as Cook Strait, whore ho expected to be met by the Wellington tug, tho owner of which lie telegraphed, but ho did not got an answer. He did not regard the Coromandol as seaworthy in a mercantile sense. Ho intended to moor alongside tho Railway Wharf, and by tho vibration of the ship ho thought she was two or threo foot deep in some soft substance, and was 'perfectly safe.

Chief Pilot Johnston, in the employ of tho Wellington Harbour Board, 11. MeCormick, a seaman on the barquo Coromandol, and Captain Jones, of the tug Man a, were also examined.

Tho enquiry stands adjourned until Friday.

Mrs Charles Pettifc, agod 79, who fell down stairs a few days ago at Nelson, breaking both her arms, lias since died. At the adjourned inquest on Ernest Webb, who lost bis life in the recent lire in Nelson, Doctors Roberts and Gibbs, who made tho post-mortem examination, declared that the causo of death was suffocation. After lengthy evidence the jury found a verdict in accordance with tho medical testimony, and no evidence to show tho origin of the fire. Charles Brown, aged 21, son of Mr R. Brown, of Midland road, Colyton, and formerly of Makino, was injured by tho fall of a tree whilo bushfalling on Rathbone's property, a few miles from Colyton, en Tuesday week, and died the next morning, lie was well known and widely esteemed in the Rangitikei district. A man named Hugh Mcßrido, of Greenstone Valley, Wakatipu, is missing, and is suposed to havo been drowned in the lake. Alfred Inwood, of Motueka, proceeded with his five-yoar-old son to a field on Monday to dig potatoes. In the afternoon the child apparently approached a fire that had been lighted in the field, and was discovered making his way towards homo with his clothes burned off him. Medical aid was obtained, but tho child dieil within three hours of the accident. AlLytt lton. nT.ies layCa .lainMooro of the schooner Clio, was run over by some railway truck's which were being shunted, a id ono of his arms was nearly severed. He is in a very low condition. Murray Alleyno, 21 years of age, was drowned in a creek at Hawkesbury bush, noir Waikoiiaiti, on Tuesday morning. A lad named Albert Hyde, 12 years of age, H)ii of Mr Hyde, of Lome street, was knocked down by a cab in Willis street, opposite Mr Corchi's shop, about 5 o'clock night week, and badly bruised about tho head. Tlio boy, it appears, was running across the street, when lie was struck on tho head by the pole of the call, which was driven by John Weaver, and knocked down, fortunately escaping the wheels. Dr Paulko attended to the boy's injuries, which aro not likely to prove serious. The adjourned enquiry concerning tho death of the female infant whoso body was found in Dr Covins' garden on tho morning of the 10th hist, was resumed at tho City Hotel yesterday week. Dr Tripe, who made a j:o;d-mortiim examination of tho body, said that from tho state of the lungs and other sij,'iis he had no doubt the child had been born alive. A part of the right lung was slightly inflamed, very likely from exposure The stomach was empty, and in one of tho smaller intestines there was a small quantity of, evidently, patent food. Tho only way ho could account for death was tho inflamed state of the lung. There were no external marks of violence, or bleeding, or suffocation. He thought tho child might have been six days old when he saw tho body, and might have been dead from two to three days. G'hiof Detective Campbell deposed that ho had made enquiries for tho mother, but ha been unsuccessful. A verdict was returned that the child was found dead, but there wa

nob sufficient evidence to show the causo of death. A man named T. Corbett, a casual labourer employed at the Wellington Railway Station, was loading some gear on to trucks with a crane on Thursday, when his right hand bocamo entangled with the cogs of the wheel of the crane, with the result that the two first fingers of the hand were destroyed. He was taken to Mr W. C. Fit/.Gerald s chemist shop, whore las injuries were dressed, and ho was then taken to the Hospital. A man named E. C. Moore, a blacksmith, of Leithford, fell down dead while shooing a horse in his shop at Waipara. He had been suffering from apoplexy. Harry Tompkins, storekeeper, of North Dunedin, while painting a cottage at Port Chalmers last week, fell and broke his neck, death being instantaneous. The Rev Mr Daniels, an aged Wesleyan minister in Victoria, who has been connected with the South Sea missions for CO years, met with a tragic end. His body was found in a railway carriage, he having boon suffocated through a piece of meat sticking in his throat. The signalman at Opunake telegraphed to tho Marine Department on Saturday that the s.s. Marramarra was ashore eight miles south of Opunake, and was expected to become a total wreck. The crew landed all safely, at Opunake, at 1 o'clock that morning. The Marramarra is a small steamer omployed by tho Mokau Coal Company to carry coals between Mokau, New Plymouth and VVanganm. A boy named McGill had his collarbone broken whilo playing football for the Petono school team against Willis stroot school at Newtown Park on Saturday morning. Tho game had only been started about throe minutes when the lad managed to cross his opponents' line, and in endeavouring to get round so as to score beneath the post 3 he slipped and fell, with the result stated._ He was taken to the Hospital, whore his injuries wore attended to.

Mr J. Mulvaney, Karori, while out shooting on Monday, had his hand injured through tho gun going off as he was pulling it through a fence. Fie was attended by Dr Henry, and afterwards taken to the Hospital, where he ia reported to bo progressing favourably.