VICE-ADMIRALTY COURT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4271, 27 November 1874, Page 3

VICE-ADMIRALTY COURT.

Thursday, November 26. (Before His Honor Mr. Deputy Judge Johnston.) THE STRATHNAVER SALVAGE CASE. Mr. Gordon Allan and Mr. Izard appeared for the salvors, the captain and owners of the s.s. Stormbird ; Mr. Travers for the captain, owners, and consignees of the ship Strathnaver. The case for the salvors was continued by the examination of George Croftsford, H. J. Kingsley, and Jame 3 Strassenburg, whose evidence was identical in its main features to that of the previous witnesses. - The case for tho owners of the Strathnaver wa3 continued. Mr. Travers called D. Smith, H. Brown, M. Nelson, L. Sabata, and J. Simms, j members of the pilot's crew, and Charles Howard, who went out with the boat as a passenger, who gave evidence substantiating that of the pilot in every particular, all being firm in the statement that the pilotboat "was alongside the ship several minutes before the steamer, and that they were never at a,ny time apprehensive of danger to the ship, because they knew of none. Samuel Waller, chief officer of the Strathnaver, stated : When the ship came in on the 31st August, I took a bearing of Pencarrow light, which bore E. half S. Somes Island red light bore N". half W. I.was on tho forecastle head, and came aft to receive the pilot. After the pilot came on board, I saw a steamer coming clown on the starboard beam. She was two cables' length away when the pilot arrived. The anchors were in a position to be promptly dropped. Everything was ready. There were thirty fathoms of chain attached to the anchors. The pilot, before he came aboard, ordered the helm to be put hard-a-port, and when he came on board he ordered the anchor to be slacked away a little. I saw no reef until the pilot pointed it out to me on the port quarter as we were being towed up. I was then in the waist of the Bhip. Ho did not in my hearing say that we must make all sail to get tho ship off the reef, nor did I hear him say anything about the ship being in danger. Nothing happened to indicate to me that we were in the least danger. Cross-examined by Mr. Allan : This is my first voyage to New Zealand. The only information I had of the port was gained from the chart, and very good information it is. I took the position of the lights when the pilot camo on board, because it is the duty of the chief officer to do so. At the time I took the bearings, the ship was three-quarters of a mile south of Barrett's lieef. Her course was then altered, and she shaped a north-east course. The steamer came up from eight to ten minutes after the pilot-boat, and I heard some conversation between the captain of the steamer and tho pilot; but I did not hear with such distinctness as to make out what was said. The helm was ported in accordance with tho pilot's order delivered from the boat. Tho steamer must havo gone a-head yery quickly to break the rope, as it was a five-incli Europo rope.' It didn't break the second time, because, although the rope was off tho same piece, it had not had so much uso as tho first..piece. It would be impossible for the man at tho wheel to have tho wheel shaken out of his hand by a sudden shock, without other people on board the ship feeling it too. Tho rock won three-quarters'of a mile away when tho pilot pointed it out to me. Re-examined by Mr. Travers : If a wooden Bhip, ladon as tho Strathnaver was,,had struck a rock with such violence as to shake a man from tho wheel, she must have gone down.

G. A. Johnson, late purser of the Strathnaver, now second officer of the Luna, stated : I hold a chief officer's certificate. As near as I can judge, the pilot came on 'board at a quarter to nine. The steamer came alongside a few minutes after," passed the starboard quarter, and lay off. I heard some one from the steamer sing out " Hard a port," but the . pilot had ordered the helm to be ported when he came alongside, But, as a matter of fact, the helm had been ported before either the pilot or the steamer came up ; and when the pilot sung out to port, the helm, the captain answered "It is a port." Before the steamer came up to us, I saw some rocks sticking up abaft our main rigging, on the port quarter, about half-a-mile away. When the steamer came alongside, Captain Devey said, " What will you tow us iu for," but in consequence of the escape of steam, I heard no answer, neither did the captain. In conversation between the pilot and captain, I heard something Baid about TurnbuU's being a respectable firm. I was stationed in the port quarter life-boat to report anything I saw, and I saw a red light ashore to leeward of us. The rocks I saw between us and the light were not in a direct line. They were to the westward. I remained stationed in the life-boat till the pilot came on board. As far as I can tell, we were about half a mile from the rocks. Cross-examined by Mr. Allan : When I saw the rocks we were steering toward Pencarrow light. K. C. Bowling, schoolmaster on board the Strathnaver; Arthur Selley, second officer; Alfred Brown, third officer; Michael Partridge, carpenter; and James Graham, sailmaker, were also examined, but their evidence was mere recapitulation of facts already published. Captain Halliday was also examined, as to the set of the currents, position of lights, rocks, &c, in the harbor. This concluded the case for the owners of the Strathnaver. Mr. Allan then called A. Reed, who stated that, on the Ist September, Pilot Holmes told him most distinctly that the Strathnaver was not more than the width of Custom-house-street off the rocks; and that in the presence of. Captain Phillips, of the Euterpe, he said the Stormbird and the pilot-boat came alongside the ship almost together, one on one side and the other on the other. The case, then closed, and the Court adjourned till Wednesday next, December 2, when judgment will be given.