THE WARATAH

Otago Witness, Issue 2928, 27 April 1910, Page 24

THE WARATAH

OFFICIAL INQUIRY.

MELBOURNE, April 19. t An ex-seaman of the Waratah, in his evidence, stated that the vessel could not. ride, the seas at all. She bumped her nose right down into the trough of the water, and the sea broke right over the ship. The engines also shook the vessel a great, deal, and as a result some of the gear of the mizzenmast became loosened. He assisted to repair it, but in 24 hours it was loose again. . He heard the chief officer say to a passenger: " I will be glad when this vessel reaches London again, because I don't think she will be able to stand a heavy storm." The Waratah was *the worst-rigged ship in respect to ship's apparel, as well as the most unsteady, that witness had ever sailed in. 3>

Mt Latimer, a shipping clerk, resident at Bydney, stated thai the second officer told him in January of last year that he did not like the vessel at all. He thought that she had a deck too many. He had got a scare when coming round in the vessel from the builders' yard to London. He then thoxight that she was going over on her broadside in the heavy weather in the Channel. Mr Richardson, chief mechanical engineer to the Geelong Harbour Trust, who was a. passenger to Durban during the ill-fated voyage, said that he had commented to the captain on her slow recovery when pitching. Captain ilbery replied that " she was a little that way.' but it must be remembered that she had many thousand tons of dead weight to shift. When she got in motion it took some power to stop her. and when she stopped it took considerable force to start her in an opposite direction."