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Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 642, 5 March 1879, Page 2

The enquiry into the wreck of the Taupo has resulted m the Captain's having shown carelesness, m consequence of which his certificate, as Master, has been suspended for three months. The punishment, to us, appears very inadequate to meet so grave an offence. Carelesness on the part of a Captain is a much more serious charge than want of a knowledge of seamauship. Captain Ckojiarty had only made two passages to the port of Tauranga, and upon the strength of this claimed exemption from pilotage. The claim was allowed. The pilot, according to the Captain's evidence, never examined him as to his knowledge of the intricacies of the passage. "We know that owners of steamers and managers of steam companies, to save some trifling expense, will allow masters

of vessels to run great risks. In the present instance nothing can be laid to their charge ; for the Captain already stated that the owner would not have objected to his taking a pilot on board. Indirectly, then, the port pilot is deserving of severe censure, m giving an exemption without first satisfactorily ascertaining whether the Captain possessed sufficient local knowledge to run the intricacies of a channel m which accidents had previously occurred. We repeat that the punishment appears to us altogether too light for the commission.of such a fault. "We should be sorry to say anything to wound, unnecessarily, the feelings of Captain Cromarty. The loss of his good name as a seaman, and the improbability of speedily obtaining the I command of a fine ocean-going steamer, will, no doubt, be punishment enough m itself. But as a caution to Master Mariners for not demanding the services of a pilot, the suspension of certificate should have been of longer duration than a short three months. When a master of a ship says there was a current he was not aware of on well-known coasts, he merely states that he was ignorant of a matter he should have made himself acquainted with. We give the Captain's verbatim evidence as taken at the enquiry, leaving our readers to say whether our strictures are undeserved. Capt. Cromarty, examined, deposed : Left Auckland at 4.30 on the 17th, and arrived off the North Rocks about 6.50 on the 18th. The wind was light and variable, the tide about half ebb. Went full speed to the north of the rocks. After passing them, made the usual course up to the red buoy, keeping nearer the red boy than the black. After passing the red buoy, hauled up, leaving the red buoy 3£ points on the bow. Immediately afterwards found she was m a current, running to Stoney beach, which I was not aware of. Ordered the helm hard aport, and being a good distance from the buoy, and with deep water marked on the chart, 1 had no fear of her striking. Had the chart been correct, I had 19 feet of water. Where I struck, about 12f fathoms is shown at low water spring tides. Now, whereas at less than, half ebb going into a harbour you consider yourself safe if inside the line of the buoys. Had it not been the ebbing tide, she would have ben about 100 feet further out m the channel. Captain Cromarty, cross-examined by Mr. McKeller, said : This is the fourth or fifth voyage I have made to this port. I have passed Stwiey Point about nine times. Had a pilot on the first two voyages. There is a fair lead of current on the chart, and nothing to show that it 'set to the mount. If the buoy had been where the Taupo now lies the casualty would not have happened. The buoy, as it now id,' dues not point out any danger. When I got my exemption I asked the pilot everything about the harbor I could think of. The only danger he warned me of, was to keep with the line of the two buoys inside Stoney Point, but nothing with regard to coming m on the ebb-tide. After passing the north rocks, the vessel was going half-speed. By the assessors : The vessel was properly, officered and had a good crew. The crew were all at their places on the morning of the accident. The engines were m good working order, and were m charge of the second engineer. I considered it safe to round the Mount at a cable or a cable-and-a-half distance. I thought there was plenty of water under the vessel at the time she struck. It was a very few minutes after the helm was put over that the vessel struok. She might have answered her helm quicker had I given full steam, but I had no idea there was any danger of striking, nor could I have taken the other bend with the ebb tide running out. I have not seen any alteration m the position of the buoys since I first came here. The -position of the buoy on my chart has been altered from its first position. Sailing directions say that you can haul sharp up from the black buoy to the beacon. You can always get m a line of any buoys m a channel ; when past one buoy can pass next at the same distance. I have never known the engineer to go slow without my instructions, and am quite satisfied there was sufficient pressure of steam. The reason I had not more steam was on account of having the sharp turn at Stoney Point. You cannot easily bring the helm hard over going full speed. I never had any leading marks pointed out to me, and came as near as I could on the same courses as the pilot brought me. I did not think it necessary to have soundings taken. Had there been a man at the lead I do not think that it would have saved the vessel. I should not have used the lead till the helm was hard aport, and then it would have been too late. The anchors were all ready to let go. The owners would not have objected to my taking a pilot, they never did. When I got my instructions, tlie pilot did not examine me. I attribute the accident to water being shallower than marked on the chart. If soundings on the chart were correct we should have had five feet of water under us when we struck. The bridge does not extend from side to side m the Taupo, arid I cannot see over the heads of the people, but on this occasion there were not many passengers to obstruct the view.