PRELIMINARY INQUIRY.

Otago Witness, Issue 1795, 17 April 1886, Page 11

PRELIMINARY INQUIRY.

Bi.vmikim, April 12. The preliminary inquhy into the cause of the Taiaroa disaster was held this evening, before Mr Pasley (collector of customs) and Captain Lambert (nautical n.vessor). Captain Thorap^n stated t'.iat the ship left Wellington at 11.30 a.m. on Sunday, the 11th hist. A strong N.W. breezi; was blowing; he. steered S. by \V. Tho n-ml course was S. % W., but on account of the. st rong N.W breeze he kept | point in more rb.m \isual till 3.3'), when they were abrea-t of C spo Campbell, and the eourso wns nlterpi. Tiie wind then fell slightly, aud oime down from b.E. suddenly. Kept to S. f W. ] ', was raining heavily ami blowiug hard, aivl i':o ....a ( nine up very .suddenly. He was on du-k till O.;JO, and she then, as far as he could see, seemed to be a good distance off the lam.. The mate was on watch on the bridge. Before going below afc 6.30 he told tho mate that if he thought the vessel was getting closer iv, or the weather came on thick so as to lose sight of land, to I" 1 him know. About 7 o'clock the mate caraeand told him that he could see land on the port bow Ht3 ran up immediately on to the bridge. They were putting the helm hard astarhoard when he got there. He stopped here and went full speed astern. She took tho ground at the same time. Tho chief engineer came up and said it v/asof no use going any further astern, as she was making water. He gave orders then to havo the boats out and the passengers put into them. He told the, second mate to try and run a line on to the beach. Ho could not effect a landing at all. He got a line over the st( m, towing the boats on to that. The boats were fast to it, except the captain's. The mate got into the captain's boat, and they let her drop astern alongside the other boats. When they got alongsido the first lifeboat, he told the mate to go into her and take charge. Then he dropped farther astern, and when they came to the last boat the carpenter missed it, and they drifted away. The second mate was in the last boat, and he came after them to give them a tow back. He towed thorn for about an hour, but oould not make anything of it, and sap.g out that he would have to let go. He. told him to let go, and the boat drifted away. Ho k'.pfc as eluso into tlie shore as he could to avoid being blown to sea. There was a heavy sea running. He tried to make Cape Campbell but could not, and steered for the Wairau bar, where they arrived at 2 o'clock on Monday. Everyone in the boats had lifebuoys on. Ho dM not take any soundings, but the usual precautions were taken. There was nothing wrong with the compasses so far as he knew. They were corrected seven or eight months ago. Some magnetic influeuce, with the strong current setting in, may have caused the accident. The wind, when tho Ttiinroa struck, appeared to come more from tho south, but the sea set in strongly from the S.E. Two lady passengers and the stewardess were in No. 1 lifeboat.

James West, carpenter, deposed that the vessel was steered S. by W. all the way till Cape Campbell was reached, when tho wind changed suddenly to S E., blowing hard with a heavy sea about 5.30. Tho weather thickened off Waipapa at 0.30; and hotween 7.10 and 7.15 she struck. The boats were got out in rotation. The captain got inio his boat last, and I was told to hold on to the line, but was not able. The Taiaroa was drawing 1 lft 7in aft. and 9ft 3in forward. The sea was breaking right over the bridge, and there was a heavy sea on deck before we left. She thumped heavily the whole time after she struck.

Samuel Dalrymple, chief engineer, deposed that everything went well in the engine-room till the vessel struck. He wns on watch then. It was 12 minutes past 7 by the eugine-rocm clock when she struck. A minute or two before the vessel s! runic the t'-legraph rung "Full speed astern.'' He obeyed the order promptly, and went full speed astern for about 12 minutes, the. ship bumping heavily all tho time. When the engines were stopped there was about 4ft of water in the engine-room and stokehole. As soon as the engines were stopped he went on deck. Tho boats were being cleared away. Ho again went down to the engine-room. There was then about sft or Gffc of water, and tho fires were out. She was taking in water in the engine-room and stokehole doors on the weather side of the deck. Not being able to do anything below, the second engineer and himself closed the doors mid went on deck to lend a hand to lower tho bo?,ts. All hands were off the deck at that time except the crew, who got into the captain's boat. The boat we took was on the weather side. We launched her across the deck and lowered her on the 'cc side. The captain and officers did all that it was possible to dn. The beach seemed very stony, and the ship commenced to leak immediately.

John Mackay, A.8., gave the following evidence : I was at the wheel from 2 till 4 o'clock. I steered S. by W. The course was not altered while I was at the wheel. We took in fore and aft sail at 3.30, when the wind chopped round suddenly to S.E. I was relieved at 4 o'clock till 7 o'clock. I came on deck at that time on watch as look-out forward. About 7.15 the vessel struck. I saw nothing of laud. The weather was thick and dirty and it was raining heavily. The captain and mate were on the bridge at that time. The course, S. by W., was not altered up to 4 o'clock. The vessel seemed to be the proper distance off land when she passed Cape Campbell. I have steered the same course on the IV.iaroa for 14 months.

The inquiry then terminated. The depositions will be forwarded to Wellington.

Captain Thompson states that the Taiaroa passed the Hauroto going North, somewhere near Cape Campbell. She was steering a course inside the Taiaroa.