A STRANGE COLLISION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7539, 21 January 1896, Page 3

A STRANGE COLLISION.

EXCITING SCENE AT SYDNEY HEADS. Sydney, Jan. 20. A nautical enquiry into the collision between the steam tugs Levert and Gamecock off the Heads on December 28. resulted in Captain Mackie, of the former vessel, having his certificate suspended for three months, and Captain Larsen, of the latter vessel, for one month. The Sydney Morning Herald of December SO gives these particulars of the collision above referred to :— A collision occurred between Sydney Heads in the noonday sunlight on Saturday, the colliding boats being two well known tug steamers — the Leveret, of Sydney, and the Gamecock, of Newcastle. A peculiar circumstance in tho case is that on both these tugs the men say, "We were doing all we knew to keep out of his way ; ■still he came straight at us until he rushed into us." The simple story is, be the causes what they may, that two comparatively insignificant-sized though powerful steam •boats (one of 80 tons, the other less), and both wooden built, ranging in age from a decade to 13 yeare, both under steam control, and nob in any stress of weather, nor influenced like sailing vessels might be, were unable to pass each other ia one of the finest harbor entrances in the world,, where steamships one hundred times their tonnage pass end repass daily. That fact may but accentuate the truth of the old story that as long as there are ships afloat there will be casualties, collisions, and wrecks, no matter how extensive the great ocean highway may be. The Leveret had for some hours before been on patrol duty — " looking for a tow," as they nautically express it— and was about to take shelter out of the jobble that a fresh nor'-easter sends in on the South Head, when she met the Gamecock. The latter seems at that time to have been coming in to get orders, and for long before had had an eye upon the other boat, and sawing the steamer heading across as though desiring, perhaps, to exohange the compliments of the season, and the nearer the vessel approached that impression strengthened until the abrupt contact between the two ships culminated to the chagrin of everybody. The Leveret's captain says that he was hit a sliding blow on the starboard side of his stem so violently that all his planks forward flew open to the ever-ready waves, which quickly filled him up. Tte Leveret, after the impact, fell back, and little better than staggering across to the southern side of the entrance to the harbor again (for she would not steer properly owing to the inrush of water in the forepart) sank almoat out of sight close to South reef. Her master etuck to the wheel until the water was halfway up the bridge, and above the bows of bis ship were buried in the sea in tho last throes of her struggle. He came very near beaching her, but the waves slewed her broadside on just before her sailors sprang from her. The captain of the Gamecock's account of the disaster agrees in that respect, ' but 'the account differs materially from that of his friend in other respects, and he points to the scars on the port side of his boat, right in the midship parts, and exclaims, ; " Look where he struck me with his head." and then draws attention to the angle made in bis side by the encroaching stem of the foundered ship. These and other irrecon- . cilablo features will probably receive the ' attention of the proper authorities — the Marino Board.