VICTORIA ATHENIC COLLISION

Otago Witness, Issue 3494, 22 February 1921, Page 55

VICTORIA ATHENIC COLLISION

ACCOUNT OF THE MISHAP. Mr Charles Cox, the well-known ex-Dun-edin journalist, forwards the following account from London of the collision between the Victoria and the Athenic: — Passengers per R.M.S. Athenic on her last voyage from Wellington, several Dunedin residents being- amongst them, met with a quite unexpected, and equally unaccountable. surprise, when their fine vessel was run into by the American-owned steamer Victoria, about 10,000 tons. Both vessels left Panama in sight of eac-h other early oi the morning of November 12, the Athenic leading. After passing through the Don Miguel locks and enterting the great Gatun Lake the Victoria drew up parallel to the Athenic, and was forging ahead, much to the disappointment of the Athenic’s passengers, who were watching the \ ietona with great interest, some wondering whether it was quite safe for the two great vessels to be so near each other, the distance separating them being not more than 200 yards apparently. Both vessels had canal pilots on board, the day was delightfully clear and bright, and the imprisoned waters of the lake had not a ripple on them. The pilots exchanged syren signals, and the Victoria slowed down, the Athenic passengers sending up a great cheer as their liner once more took up a leading position. Io the amazement of everybody, and the terror of not a few, the Victoria turned her bow-s towards the Athenic, and crashed into her on the port quarter. The impact broke the Atlienic’s iron trafrail, tore the sheet iron bulwarks for some distance towards midships, bent the lifeboat davits, bulged inwards some of the main deck ports, smashed in the side of a lifeboat on the second-class boat deck, and did other damage of a minor character. The Victoria was much more seriously injured. Some of her plates on the starboard bow were fractured, and the rivet bolts started. All this occurred at noon under conditions that should have rendered a collision impossible. Both vessels steamed on to Colon, and event alongside No. 6 jetty. The well-equipped engineering works there, by the aid of an oxyacetone plant, were, kept busy for two days and nights in straightening the Athcnic’s damaged plates. A diver’s examination showed that no damage had been caused below the water line, and on Sunday, November 14, she resumed her voyage to Southampton, which was reached on December 1. The Victoria bad to unload all her wool and sugar from her fore hold, and was loaded aft so as to cant her bows out of water to enable her damaged plates to be repaired. She had to keep three pumps at work to keep the inflow of water down. An official inquiry into the collision took place at Colon, when the court found

that the pilot on board the Victoria was to blame. The passengers on the Athenic presented a letter to Captain Crossland congratulating him on being free from blame, and expressing their entire confidence in him as a navigator.