LOSS Of THE INGEBORG

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13999, 4 September 1907, Page 5

LOSS Of THE INGEBORG

VERDICT OF THE COURT 01? INQUIRY.

AN OFFICER'S CERTIFICATE SUSPENDED/ 7

Press Telegriph-Copyright.

BRISBANE, September 3,

(Received Sept, % at 11.37 p.m.) The Marine Court, of Inquiry conccrnuij, the Arawatta-Ingeborg collision found that the regulation lights vero 'exhibited- on the Ingeborg, and that the collision occurred through, a proper lookout not being kept on the Annvatta, for which the second mate (Jlacdiavmid) was found to Tje in fault. Hie certificate was suspended for six montlis. ■

The court also expressed the opinion that the Ingcborg contributed to the collision by failing to' tako'tha action prescribed by the regulations for preventing collisions at sea -when a collision seemed inevitable. ■ .'■ • ... ...

Tie court exonerated the captain of the Aiwatta from all blame, and considered that ho did all that was possible to save Kie crew of the Ingeborg. The court also placed on record the heroic',conduct of' the captain of the Ligeborg. . l

The collision which : resulted in the sinking, of tho Ingoborg qcourred at 3 a.m. on August 1+ in tho vicinity of Port Stephens. The barque sank,in a, fow minute}, ■• ami seven of the •crow were drowned-, wihilo eight were rescued. •.:•',. ■■ •': \. ■•' .

•Captein Midcllotoni the comraantler of the Aray/atta', statcil. in the .'coirrse of a.n interview:—" At- 2.40, ,on the ; moniinpf. of August 14, tho • 6econd mate, M'Dermid, who was on watch', reported to nio that the Port Stephens light was eight, miles abeam. Then I fell asleep., I'could not, have been so many minutes when the concussion of two vessels coming toffobher awakened me. I immediately proceeded , .to the bridgo of the . Arawatta, and saw that we woro in collision with tho,'lngcborgi As,soon as wo got clear we came , astern'-; with tho engines and 'lowered two boats.. The working boat was in tho iwater.in a very, few minutes, and the occupants rescued.'th'roe men. Kvo otliow alimbed ovorboard.- to tho Anwatta.. I kep't tho boats in tho water, and had the third officer, Williams, on-tho lookout at the "masthead'unti] 6.15 a.m. Wp saw nothing { u.rtlioT ; oT. tho missing membora of tho.'barque'e orew, and I resumed ou.r TOyaga after ascertaining that our own damage-was'"not sufficiently to compel,me to return to,tho. newest'port." '■ ; - . '.'■ ;' ■": The Arawatta had a big'hole in the nort side and her forefoot was badly twisted.

. The Arawatta struck the barque altaft the foremast, and tlid vessels woro interlocked. Immediately the Arawatta went astern tho Ingcborg seom'wl to lurch iiwny, and sank rapidly. ' In sinking her , masta appeared to moot. Tho'mcii- who. wero browned were thoso who woro below, and prolwblv did not have time to'reach-the deck. The barque sank from two totwoand ahalf minutes after*lie collision.' TbeeaptMn lost his life in a heroic, effort to pivo ii boy named GoHfricdstri. Whon the collision oocuvred the captain was-so pla«d as to enal>lo .-him to leap'atoard tho Aravralia; but ho retired to arousp tho -boy. In this ho succeeded, and ha<l .almost passed him aboard'the Arawatta, when the v_C6Sels parted, nnd no .more : was seen.of oitlier. Ciharlca Alfred Lewis, 4 one of-tho rescue<l membera of the crew, dosoribod the barqiio as being on tho poijt tack in a calm sea a,t tho time of the collision. : &he had 500 tons of coal liallast. Five of tho crew leapt; from the forecastle head to tlie deck of the Arawatta,. The remainder! with the second mate, were lwlonv vHo was on ivatoh at tho time of tho collision, • and taw the lights''of. .the for half an hour pvovioujly. ' The Ingoborg had all liphts up. ■ ' ■ ' . ' T!he. In?eborg was under the Danish fiajr, and of 1070 tons She was. tniilt ,in 1E92 1)>- Messrs R. Thomson and.Sons, of Sundcrland. She .wne pripinally named T.inden, o.nd ivas formerly under the Brit-ish flagi Her dimensions wore:— Lonsrfh, 215 ft; breadth, 25ft: depth. ZOi't sin. The nmstc.r was Captain N.'M. Schmidt. The sunken ljarquo left AYellinston. on Julv 19 to load coal at Newcastle, for a. port on the wcot coast of South America."'