THE BARQUE BOSSUET.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14898, 29 July 1910, Page 3

THE BARQUE BOSSUET.

WHY SHE GROUNDED AT THE IIEADS.

The matter of the grounding of the French barque Jiossuet near the. Heads, when attempting- to ?nter-.Otago Harbour raSently, was officially before the Otago Harbour Board yesterday.

The Works Committee reported as fo\ ■ lows:—"Your committee held an inquiry into tjie 'circumstances utvefer which' t.he barqu-s Bcssuet grounded on the bank off Howlett Point, at the entrance to the harbour on the evening of the 4th After taking the evidence of the captain of the Bossuet, the chief officer of the Comma, the harbourmaster, and Pilot. M'Dougall, your committee finds that at 3.40 p.m. on July 4, the signalmaster reported a- sailing vessel 12 miles east, standing in for the

Heads, with a wind blowing hard from the .cast, with rain and .a heavy sea, making it dangerous for tho launch to go out. Steam was nt once ordered by the harbourmaster on the Koputni in caso the vessel was for this port. Tho harbourmaster rang up tho Heads at 4 p.m. and aSkod about tho vessel. The signalmaster reported eho was still standing in, but had no flairs' 1 ■ up, and was about eight miles off. The harbourmaster thereupon ordered the " danger balls" and l the signal " Stand off " to be hoisted. At 4.20 steam was up on tho KopuUi, which was ordered at once to tho Heads with Pilot M'Dougall. At 4.50 p.m. the barque passed in over the san<lba*nk off Taiaroa Head and grounded :on the pit at Howlett Point, the launch | being in the middle of the channel with tho pilot aboard. At 5.55 p.m. Pilot M'Dougall got on board 1 the stranded vessel, and after backing the yards got the vessel off and sailed her up the channtl to an anchorage off Taylor's Point. "Wo find that tho vessel : attempted to enter a 6t.range port, not only with the signals flying again :st her } but on an improper course. The captain of the Bossuet was provided with a chart showing the entrance 'channel,' but had ' not provided himself with the New Zealand pilot, or adequate sailing directions for. New Zealand ports. Wo find he imperilled the safety of his vessel by attempting to make a port which he had not visited'before without the iieo?feary sailing directions. lie had no complaint to make. We find t.he pilot service did its duty throughout, and great credit is due to Pilot M'Dougall for the able manner in which he liandled -tho ship and extricated lier from an extremely dangerous position." Mr Bullock moved the adoption of tho report, and expressed his pleasure at the result of the inquiry. It. all went to prove that the Harbour Board staff acted for the good of tho port, and for the good of the Bossuet, tho captain of which attempted tq enter a strange port in a way no reasonable man would attempt. Mr Ross (chairman) paid a very high compl'mcnt to Pilot, M'Dougall, whose prompt action in this case had been to the credit of the port. The report was adopted.