STRANDING OF THE LOCHNAGAR.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VII, Issue 1164, 4 November 1880, Page 2

STRANDING OF THE LOCHNAGAR.

An enquiry into the above was held yesterday in the Court House, before M. Price, Esq., R.M., M. C. Clayton, Esq., Nautical Assessor. C. D. Johnston, Esq., Collector of Customs, appeared on behalf of the Crown. The enquiry extended ovjr nine hours, in which live witnesses were examined. These were the Chief Officer, the Captain of the Lochnagar, Second Officei", Captain Andrews, and the Stevedore. The evidence taken, wero we to publish it, would extend over fully twenty columns of the Herald. Boiled down, the e^/^t ence showed that on the 27th Oei^^^^f during a very violent south-easter, ]H^| such as had not been felt on the C<|^£| for many years, tlie Lochnagar havL^^l her two best anchors down, and all the cable which could be paid out, both cables parted, and the Lochnagar, as the only recourse, was beached where she now lies, and where efforts will shortly be made to float her. The finding of the Court this morning was — " We are of opinion that although the master ought not to have had the whole of the sails unbent when riding in an opeii roadstead, yet, from the evidence, it appears that from tlie heaviness of the gale and the lightness of the ship the sails would have been of little use, and it would not have been safe to put to sea with so little ballast and cargo as she had on board. Had the vessel been provided with a, coir spring there is a probability that- the chain would not have snapped. There was an attempt made to ease thft chain by substituting a warp in tlie absence of a spring. With this exception, we consider the master under the trying circumstances acted to the best of his judgment. The cause •' of the stranding of the Lochnagar was from a heavy gale from the S.E. with heavy breaking sea. The vessel pitched and rolled heavily, and snapped the chains, and being light, ' the only means of saving the vessel was by beaching her."