THE OHAU DISASTER.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11455, 21 June 1899, Page 2

THE OHAU DISASTER.

THE INQUIRY A.T DUNEDIN.

The inquiry into the loss of tho Uniqn Company's steam collier Ohau, adjourned from Greymouth, was opened in Duncchn at 10 a.m. yeUciday. Mi Northcroft, S.il. piesided, and with him Captain Bignell and Captain Marciel, nautical assessors, also took their seats on .the.bench.

On the court being opened none of the witnesses wcie piesont, and accordingly an aujoummeut for half an hour was made. On resuming at 1G.4-D, The Cliairnidn 6a id: We are waiting to he«u- from the Mar.nc department, because it has nobody h eie to conduct the prosecution or the mqiury on its behalf. The court V [} } h?^ 01l T»ave to adjourn until 2 o clock, ihe court itself cannot prosecute wmch would' virtually be what it would "have to do if it had to adduce the evidence and bring oul'all the matters itself. That would , T°sy unusual. liie court was then adjourned till the hour si*uoct.

On tiie eoir.wnsion resuming at 2 o'clock, Mv him said: I have been instructed to appear for the Morine department in this inquiry. I only got my instructions quite recently. I hope to be able i fl examine some wunef'ses this afternoon, but I don't know ii li i S"a be able t0 examine many. I snail, however, examine as many as possible With the material 1 have. The Chairman: What the department wants is an exhaustive inquiry, aud if you think it W ill be better lo adjourn so that you^nay go a little more thoroughly into tae matter I think it would be belter to adjourn.

Mr Sim intimated thai he had one or two witnesses he could examine. The Chairman'said the department did riot think EC much of the time as of getting lo the bottom of the matter, if there was anything to get at the bottom of. ftunuel Livingstone CLalmer, engineer of the Kiinu, who was the lirst witness called deposed that he was formerly on the Ohau running between Grcymouth and Westpoit.' i.he'steamer was carrying coal and timber. £Ie had no rough weather to speak of. bae behaved very well, and was quite seawonhy. She only carried 800 tons of coal. Una trip timber 1 was'carried on deck and one trip it was carried in the hold. It was usually carried both 'ways. When there was only a small quantity of timber, it was generally taken on deck. If the steamer was carrying 14,000 ft of timber on deck oh the last trip that would not oe a large quantity if she'was not over-loaded below. He would not think that was a large quantity with the coal die was carrying. It would not be a disadvantage to 'have that quantity on deck if it was properly secured Adam Arthur Scott, living at Waihola, said that at present he was a. farmer. Formerly he, liad been at sea as a chief officer lie held a. master's certificate. He related a. conversation lie had with Captain Brewer some weeks ago. Captain Brewft- had told him,that a short time before he had <*one into, Wellington with a damaged rudder. The boat was placed on the slip, and it was a good thing she had, because other flaws were, found in the rudder. i , The 'Chairman: Did he gay what the nature of the flows was? Witness: No. The Chairman: Did he say if the flaws had been attended to? Witness .replied that Captain Brewer-led him to understand'that they had. In reply to Captain Cameron, Witness stated that if anything happened to the i Ohau s rudder sh© would, of course, become unmanageable, and the only thing left for those in charge would Be to set sail and lo endeavour to keep her head up to the wind.' drift toT "eron: Where would she likely AViimcss: If she went on the starbo-^'Vck Ahe wound drift to Cape Palliser. - lLe ■ The_ Chairmpr. remarked that from what Laptain Brew-or had *aid to witness, it would imply that the defects to the rudder had been attended to while the Ohau was On the i sup. Flo asked witness if that wero not so mi ™ re Plied ia tht affirmative. - -Ihe Chairmon asked if the rudder had gQ"j A™onß and the vessel had drifted toi \.ai-ds Uipe Palliser, would not more Wreckage'nave been found in that vicinity? ' - V\itness said he did not thihk so. | Captain Mareiel: You don't suggest that the vessel was allowed to come off'the slip without the flaws in the rudder spoken of aa-vmg been attended to? Witness: I don't suggest that, but I have noticed that when something goes wrong in*a vessel anywhere it often croaks down again lin the same place, even r.fter the defect lias Deon remedied.

■ .The Chairman obscryeJtha.fi 'its this Was re^ ported;; to : -h.aye •ceeurred^if!,-Wellington;- they/ could.get -definitQ..infbvmaSon,birrthe point' -*hen.,they- : *eiit- to • "W^llingtou. :'..■■-■ ?■ "' In reply to further, Questions, Witness said lie- had. been icm colliers. ' In regard to deck cargoes, it all depended, as to how they were stowed. Hs; did. not think there was anything, in' ilio,,suggestion- ; that the .hatches t ought tQ-havo been smaller. He knew the °"f-u,v' He had/looked upon her as .a good : coiner, and he (would not ; be afraid to go to : sea hi her; He had no experience of a oolher's cai-sp having shifted,. Jo:n\ William Johnson, able seaman. stated that he was oh board the; Ohau from January IS-to April 2,' this. year.' She;was.then ruiiping.from Greymouth to Wesiport, carrying cargoes of coal and timber; She was generally filled'up to the hold with cod],I slio' had .timber; in the hold, and.somotimes.it was carried on _deck/ It: was. carried pretty often.on deck; They never had rough weather, when he was on board, except on one ■.Occasion when they were coming. from Napier to Wellington. The .vessel was then einpty.\. He did not think that carrying timber on.deck would, interfera .with the. navigation of the vessel. It would obly be a little awkward to' get along her deck. , To Oaptnin Mar'ciel: .Witness could not say that-tbe sleamar" was ever over-loacled. 'He did liot lake aily notice about the matter: He; .would go again ia the same class of-vessel ready1 clioiigh. ■. > -.':.'. ; , '~.'.' ...Win. John Groy deposed that lie was tide surveyor at Port Chalmers. He had occupied the ■ position, for nine, years: He also held a master's certificate. He remembered, the..application for'tlie approval of the position ,of the load line of the. Ohau coming before him, and approved of the position proposed. Mr Sim! 'In your opinion is tliefree"b6afd sufficient? .' ■, .. .'. .... Witness: No:' I don't'think so. :" Wfty?^l thiitk the; "sliiti is too. deep. :■ In reply to Captain Mareiel, Witness Said lie saw that the load line was marked at what was stated pri the document given him;. He also supervised tlie punching of the disc oh the vessel's side,. There was no difference, between tlia winter,and. summer load Me as laid dbwn in the Board of Trade regulations. Captain Mareiel: I understand that this (referring to' the . document produced) isa certificate issued b.ryou to the. ship-as a guide to those lbadihg'her," arid you say there is no difference between the summer and wlfttfct instructioas for loading the ship. ": Witness: No". ~ ■Captain Mareiel: I find that the certificate . says: .:.-'' The maximum . load line in f resb water; "3£in. above the centre of tha disc; : maximum load line hi summer, the centre.of the disc; maximum load line in venter, ljin btlbw the cefttre of tlie dis<s." What does that mean in reference to the instructions? You say they don't apply although they are in the certificate.' Witness: No; tliey don't apply. She is loaded to the summer load lino winter and summer. '','.. lii reply to furtber questions; Wither said lie considered the OhftU a safe ship. He would." not have minded going in her himself. The Board Of Trade mark was too severe on Shy ship. It'would be his duty to see that the' ship wa.4 loaded to the proper mark when leaving here. He'was specially instructed by the j department to inspect the load line of ships. Tl'.e Chairman:. .Suppose you .went .to a vessel and said: "You arc over-loaded," what would you do then? . . ■ . Witness replied that he did iiot carry a warrant with him, but he could detain the ship's papers. Tlie Chairmd.fi .askSti \?itiiesg by what aiitho-. rity he \VOiild do.that? The harbourmaster at (Jrejirhoutli said he would stop a vessel if lie thought slie was over-loaded, because' his • predecessor did so\ but when he was asked what authority his predecessor had, he replied that he, did not know. So far the. comrmissiori had been uiiable to fiiKl out who had power to stop a vessel. -• Mr Chamberlain: I would be quite pre '■pared to give you chapter and verse for 'that to"-niorrow morning. .If Captain Grey finds : a ship over loaded ibis duty would be to re- ■ port it to me, and I would stop her. He pro • 'ceeded to say tti'at the Customs department wiis charged with ihe duty of preventing, over-loading, and the harbourmaster was in-, structed to report to the department as to . oaies .of over-loading. Witness .stated,- in reply to the chairman, that it would hot hurt the Ohau in the least to.have coal in the hold aud timber on deck. She could carry half of her cargo on deck. She was a good ship. To Captain Bignell: Witness had not forirted any theory about the disaster. He had riot the least idea what was the cause of it. He saw by tlie papers that she was seen off Cape Campbell. What became of her afterwards he did not kno\v. She could not have foundered at Cape Campbell, Or have been, lost .there. She must have gone well out to sea eastward, or drifted towards Cape Palliser. Captain Cameron was then called. He

stated thathe was marine superintendent of the Union Company. He had occupi' H T it position for the latt 18 years. He len-embeied. when the Ohau wa. built. Hf^Toduecd the plans. She was built in 1884. "She was designed here, and the plans were sent Home. Oho wasi built according to the highest clasr at Lloyd s, under special survey, at Glasgow! tene was of the very best thai could be by; cither now oi then. She was a very exptL *»c fhip, although not large. She was fittec with tho latest hatches When she was dc signed the combings of the hatches were ar lansjod to be 2ft 6in. The company's repte sentaUvc thought that would spoil the 100 l ot the ship, but they in Dunedin carried theipomt, and now most, vessels were built th;. way fo that the Ohau and the Taupo we", the first to have hatches like that. In h i opinion she could carry the cargo she had on boaid when she left quite safely. He woulo have had no hesitation in going to sea in Ik.. lhe Umber on deck would not affect her se-,-worl.nne.ss. The Ohau's holds' were small. J-hey were divided in such a manner that the coal could not shift. Mr Sim: It has been suggested that the disaster may have been caused by the hull breaking, owing to tho rivets being'too close. Witness: No better riveting could be "ot m the world. °

Tho Chairman: Have you formed any Opw l-?" aS t0 the etulK of lhe disaster? \\itn«ss: My opinion from the very first has b. , that the Ohau did not founder. I think sly •was lost by some mishap—the break clown of the machinery or something of that kind -s to foundering, in weather like that all they-ihad to do was to slow down and mske good weather of it all the time.'' flic Oh&nman: Captain Scott said that if she had tA, >ber on her decks it would be an advantage, i/ecause it would displace water. Witnes*- It would have that tendency. The Chairman: What we vvish to know is whether it. is an advantage or disadvantage fLom a sailor's point of view. Witness replied that he did not think it would have much of an effect either wayIt might be somewhat of an inconvenience in moving about the deck. It would cause the displacement of a ceitain amount of water. In reply to other questions Captain Cameron said that the Ohau's hatches were very heavy. There were cleats around" the hatches, and sometimes they were fastened down with screws, so that the wedges could rtot possibly come out. Tho combines of the Ohau and Taupo were thought to be higher' when first put on than those on anj' other vessel, and the hatches were smaller than the hatches in ships of that class. Captain Marciel: Have you had complaints of the hatches of, your ships being washed away? Witness: No. Captain Marciel: Do you know if any o£ the ships ever had their hatches washed away? Witness: No. Gaplain Bignoll: Peibaps I can jog your memory. Did you ever hear of the Herald'a hatches being washed off? Witness: If they, were, it must have been before we got her. When we took the Herald over we strengthened her all over. Captain Bignell; Did you ever hear of the cargo of any of the colliers shifting? Witness: No. Captain Bignell: As a practical inan^do you think the hatches would be the -weakest pait of a vessel in a gale such ac the Ohau was in? " Witness said he coiild not particularise any part of a vessel as being the weakest part under such .circumstances. Mr Chamberlain produced the Shipping Act which specified the regulations as to the extent lo which a ship should load, but said that there was nothing to enable .hem to apply tha winter load line in-New. Zealand. Robert Burnett Williams, manager of the stores department in the Union Steam Ship Company's service, deposed that when the Olwu left Port Chalmers on her last trip she was well supplied with stores and provisions. At tin's stage the inquiry was adjourned untSnalfojast 2 on Thursday.