NAUTICAL ENQUIRY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 9071, 13 February 1901, Page 2

NAUTICAL ENQUIRY.

1 This morning m accordance ,with instructions received from the Marine Department, Mr. E. W. rPasley conductedan enquiry into the stability of the Grace Harwar, and also touching the sufficiency , or otherwise of the ballast she carried at the time of her recent accident off this coast. Captain Chrisp^ Nautical Assessor, sat with him. Captain Briscoe deposed that he had been m command of the Grace Harwar for three years. Had not made passages m ballast previous to the present voyage. He took m 1100 tons of ballast at the Cape. During the passage across from the Cape before he passed Tasmania he had some very heavy weather, the vessel behaving well. He considered the quantity of ballast taken m at the Cape to have been ample. Had more ballast been taken m ib could not have obviated the casualty. The vessel was running under the three lower topsails when the casualty occurred. She had been, .running before the- wind; but had broached to, the casually occurring an hour after the broaching to. They had no shifting boards; but the ballast was covered with dunnage and mooring chains coiled all over the top. He was positive that he hod the weight of ballast charged for. The vessel was not a tender vessel, but was very stiff, and could stand m harbor with royal yards aloft m safety. He had never been placed m similar circumstances before. He had, never lost a spar or a ship, and had been master since 1877.J The last master had given him .particulars "of ballast taken m: on previous voyages: Algoa Bay to Newcastle 1000 tons; Talcahusna to Iquique (Chili) 800 tons ; Aatofagasta to Iquique 650 tons. He attributed the accident to a heavy sea caused by submarine disturbance. In proof of this he. had worked her off a ;dead ke shore m a strong gale after the accident. . , Charles Le Golle, chief officer, stated that this was his 1 first voyage m the .Grace Harwar. The vessel took in' over 1000 tons of ballast at the Cape. Had some heavy weather before making the ;coast of New Zealand,- during which tuffe the vessel behaved well, it was never necessary to take m canvas m consequence •of the ship being tender. Considered the amount of 'ballast taken m at the Cape sufficient. There were two shifting boards on the under stanchions of the main hatch. The ballast was levelled down right across covered with planks and a three inch chain coiled on the top and lashed. Did not think the accident on the 26th ultimo was due to an insufficiency of ballast, nor to ordinary bad weather, but ;to some tidal wave or submarine disturI bance. The Harwar was about the stiffest ship witness was ever m. Subsequent to the accident the vessel worked joff a dead lee shore under a heavy press of canvas m a heavy gale. Henry McLevin, who!' had been at sea 23 yeara, had been on the Grace Harwar 3 years next November, having joined .with. Captain Briscoe; He occupied the' position of bos'n on the ship; but could ionly speak from hearsay as to the ballast taken m. They met the usual strong winds . after leaving the Cape; but the ship did not appear m any way tender. The ballast was levelled down, covered with planks laid' fore and aft, and cros;sed with 105 fathoms of mooring chains ;laid athwartships. They were lashed to the stringers, the lashings being moved on the port side when the chains were painted It was on the port side that i the ballast moved. At; the time of the accident it was blowing heavily and there was a strong sea running. There was ; nothhg unusual about' 'the sea 'till they were struck by the sea 'that hove them ,dow.i. -To his mind it was not an or,dinaiy wave, but was more like a tidal wave ; as there was nothing like it before or after either m height or strength. The ship was sufficiently ballasted, and ; no additional ballast ~ would have obviated the casualty, the .ship being as stiff as a rock. ..'"*■' . . Alexander Thomson, Harbor Muster, hod boarded the vessel on her arrival m the bay, when she drew 13ft. liin. to !the best of his knowledge. It did not strike him that- she was insufficiently ballasted. He and Captain Chrisp had : inspected the ballast on the following , day, and he considered that she hod sufficient, the rule being about 50 per cent, of ballast to the tonnage of the ship. Some ships were more highly wooded than others, and their height out of the •water even when sufficiently ballasted, depended greatly on the nature of the bottom. ■ . .' Charles John Kialan, the carpenter, had been at sea since 1865, and hod been on /tha Grace Harwar just nine months. , He considered that. she had sufficient bal.last, being stiff under canvas. Under the main natch the ballast was covered ;with dunnage and mooring chains; the latter being m some" places lashed to the stringers. His evidence as to the cirjCumFtances of the accident was corroborative of that of the previous witnesses. : The proceedings then terminated.