STEAMERS IN COLLISION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14236, 2 March 1917, Page 2

STEAMERS IN COLLISION.

-^>~ . EXCITING MJSHAP 'IN THE BAY. ARAHURA HOLED AND BEACHED. LINER DAMAGED. An exciting mishap occurred m the bay last night, when the Union Company's steamer Arahura came into collision with a liner. Fortunately the accident was not accompanied by any loss of life, but serioiisi damage was sustained to the Arahura, whilst the bows of the liner are also reported to be badly damaged. HOW THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. The accident took place about 11.20 p.m. The officials are naturally reticent as to the cause of the "■accident; and Captain Dryden, master of the Arahura, when approached by a Herald representative thi s morning, declined to make any statement at this juncture, ' -FTom ' what can be gathered, however, boih steamers were ii^ motion, preparing to take their departure from the bay. The Arahura was just leaving for Tokomaru Bay and Auckland, and the liner, haying completed loading, wasa^out to proceed, to the next port. The Arahura received the blow. Tight amidships on the port bow; it dented.- in about six or eight feet of the \>ut<.ide plating, and burst open, a/portion of the boat deck. The most serious damage however, was the penetrating of thi' hull below the "water line. Experts are freely of. the opinion that the heavy belting along the Arahura's sides. rsaved'K the vessel from much more .extensive damage. In fact, oiie mast^yaai.^ne-Vigoes a*>.far as to declare that But^ for the '.belting the ship's side .would- b^ve'-beeni^cut. open so badly that the stesto'er- would have sunk. The belting ; - ce£t*_&i_y "saved a catastrophe. but'<uridoubt6dJy accounted for thesevere 'dentingJ^hiGh- the'bow °* X^ c . lin ? r; received, iand,- which jtwas visible from 4h© groynes^ the steamer was lying at the anchorage -this morning. . ... „".|'... .. .;,. „ '....'.,• THE IMPAOT. XX Fortunately there; wak ; no; panic on the Arahura. Passengers and crew alike are declared to have displayed great qoolriess. Happily,, the night was calm and s-the sen. smooth. - ,• ,., The impact shook the Arahura from stem to stern, and. the steamer reined to rebound from tlie blow. Describing the affair to a pressman this morning one of the ship's officer, whose cabin was located only a matter of a few yards away from the actual spot struck,-^de-clared that he was sitting with his 'back against the outer plates of the ship, • speaking to a, friend slitting m the cabin wfcth him. Jumping up, fSs mate remarked : "Good Heavens, what's that?" as-, he saw through the porthole. , ; the ljght s of the liner towering -up above them. Tlie next second there vraa* a bang and a loud ripping and grinding ™ ls \as the prow of the liner tore intS the ship'si sides within a comparatively few yards away, ,Both men. were thrown against^-the buhfe'oppoaitei r > : !•'■• NO PANip. ') Immediately there was. a .rush on deck and promptly the order came to "stand by the boats." .The Chip's, boats iwere swung out jn readineas arid' lifebelts were hurriedly issued. /.■ Circumstances fortunately did not necessitate an immediate departure from the ship, and thajiks to the assurance of the vessel's officers the passengers were soon- a^uf-fed* there was no immediate danger. One or two of the women folk were inclined to hecpme a little hysterical,, but fears were soon allayed as th* chief steward, with a cigarette m. his mouth; walked around directing his staff. The electric light was still going and the cabins presented the. usual cheery appearance. |.»,^lean while, sharp blasts- of^the liner's $ren immediately called attention^' on sttoroyof, the fact that a mishap, had occurred. The ; tugboats Karoro - ! and Tawera happeried to be handy, having /been engaged: m lightering operation*, m the bay, and they were promptly • despatched from the wharf. fTJie Karoro had steam up, ready, to go out to the Wimmera for the lighter. . . '. As is happened, there was plenty' of assast- V ance available, for Yin addition tdJ the liner tlie Httddav^ Parker Company's Wimmera was also lying at the krichorege discharging cargo, and. the dredgerMaui made its appearance' and stood^y.i Whilst the ..officers and, officials concerned'are. reticent regarding the cause of the accident and decline'. to be iftterviewed on the subject, it is understood that the collision occurred . whilst, the two steamers were getting under weigh, preparing to leave port, 'it is suggested ' that' the steamer Wimmera was t iyihg 'between the two departing ships and opscured the line of Tisdon. 1 This -Would probably have accounted. forUhe v tw*» Vessels having come suddenly into contact.It might be added that the Parker Co.'s steamer, was working cargo at the time, and the glare bf the electric lights would also help to obscure' the view.. . .-.• „ PASSENGERS LANDED. Passengers were't^ristfefred to the : tug Karora, with a good , deal of their light luggage, and were landed, sit the wharf soon after midnight, none the worse foy their exciting experience: There were about 70 passengers aboard the Arahura m. .all. , Meanwhile Captain Dryden y brought his steamer <jlpßgsjiup to the river entrance, whereyjte' anchored, pending an investigation of the damage, '4- message havinc; been sent ashore, for the Harbor Board's diver and outfit. ■• -i _In the meantime the Harbormaster, Captain CarSon, and other members of the Board's, staff, togethW with fyhe Union Company's 16(M' rtianager, Mr Preston, were sooit; 'attendance, frliilst Mr R. G. Hal laVnore, the agent; for the Home lin4r', -was" 'also, on 'tjie <cene, having oiily retonned^from the bay when the collision "occiuH^d. Tlie Iredger Maui was to have commenced pumping at midnight, but Captain Pro- / t>ert took his vessel out to stand by if 4 required. : * -, • v .. ARAHURA BEACHED. J The engine-room officials, despite the bursting of a steam pipe as a resnilV'of *he blow, meanwhile had succeeded m aoping With the inrush of wafer, and for ibout an hour and a -half the ship's purring kept' the Water down. However, it gradually rose ori them, and everituilly the engineroom and stokehold crew vere working up to their waists m water. Fires had been drawit^and the lien .were eventually' forced iip on deck, ;he electric light having to be but off ibout 3 o'clock. The water had made so •apidly that, instead of waiting for the liver's inspection, as at first intended, t was deemed advisable. tb< beach the re^sel.- With the aid of the Maui ;the irahura's sterii was beached and lines vere made secure >to the end of the restern groyne, from which!. the St6a_per ay, bow on to sea, only about a ship's ength distant from the end of the [royne. .■■:■••. . • .; , The Tuatea came out with the Joard's div;er,- Mr Riohardsori, yaboufc. S . m . , • "'together with the necessary, : ge^r , nd preparations were made for diving perations to srtart as soon as there^was ufflcient daylight. ■' Subsequently the diver reported that he vessel's* side had been-, holed' to *fiha stent of ab6ut three feet lit- depth; ihe ent being about eight inches wide} and. rell below the water line. Meastit'fcs .ere then ftaken to attempt to ctfter'^tlfd Lole with sacking and oakum . and ' 'a emporary patch, whilst enquiries were lado with a view of'^scertairiin'g it.it ras possible to couple-- iip 1 - with tha redger Maui's powerful 18-inch. ptunpi-* ■' SEA CONDITIONS IDEA^ JXXThe sea thi s morning" remain^ perectly calm,; m fact more ideal cpridiions could nc^b have been desired,-'.' but • i the event of bad .weather the Arahura es man exposed position. No;€ime as therefore lost m decking Von 1 ' '•'•» ourse -ojt action to plug up'-th£ hole'-attd love the steamer, if possible, into a lore sheltered position.. .• -y r.- -•-,, • Tho dredge Maui' remained out iii at- , -lidance for some hours this, morning, v nd the dredge John Townlev also w&it"^ longside ab£>ut 7.30 arid placed- a quan- v ty of cable aboard the Arahura. ' As the stranded passenger boat, lay ith its stern aground, only a compara-

tively short distance off the end of th^ groyne, it continued the object of con aderable interest all day. Townsfolk flocked down to the- harbor entrance t<view the operations. wlulst various lighters and several small boats passed m and out around the beached st«amer.

The Arahura has aboard about 70 ton* of cargo — this comprised cargo loaded at Napier and Gisborne for Auckland — together with a quantity of coal ami timber for Gisborne, which could not Inlanded yesterday on account of the con , gestion of the port. ' A start was made shortly after 8 o'clock to discharge the cargo and mails from *the Arahura, lighters being taken out for this purpose. i The water m the Arahura rose steadily and as the morning advanced the vessel appeared to be settling down. At 7.30 there were several inches of the cylinder heads m the engine-room showing, but at 11.30 these were completely sub- , merged, whilst the water had also enter. Ed Nos. 1 and 2 holds forward of the bridge. Completely awash, the engineroom, usually having a spick and span appearance with its. well-polished machinery, presented qui*te a lamentable sight as the flood <jf oily water surged backwards and forwards- with the slight movement of the ship. Apart from the coal m No. 1 hold and the timber m No. 2 hold, none of th« oargo had been reached by "the water, and after securing the mails, the lighter was moved to No. 3 hold aft to obtain the Auckland cargo. j LUCKY ESCAPES. ! An inspection of the vessel this morn, ing revealed Ithat the cook's quarters presented a veritable wreck. The outer wall, which had received the full force of the impact, had been pushed m, whilst the internal fittings were left m an almost indescribable condition, the interior presenting a mass of bent and broken iron, and smashed and splintered woodwork. Several accounts differ, but some of the ship's crew state that the ohief cook, Mr Gveenslade, was asleep on his couch lying athwart the ship, and it was to this fact that he owed his marvellous escape. As it was, he emerged without a scratch, but was suffering from shock, and was conveyed ashore and transferred to the Gisborne hospital. ' All who viewed the wrecked cabin agreed that he had had a remarkable escape. A portion of the bivtcher's shop, which adjoins, was also badly knocked about. Still another member of the crew was exceedingly lucky. The bathroom steward. Mr R. Eyre, was going his u<uial rounds, olosing iip the portholes as the steamer was leaving. He_ happened to be on the main deck, immediately below the cook's cabin, when the collision occurred. Describing his experiences to a Herald representative Mr Eyre stated 'he had only just emerged from a bathroom, where he had been screwing down the porthole, when the whole side was pushed out. Tt was a fairly terrifying experience, as the next •minute both doors were jambed tight and had subsequently to be broken open. Iron and woodwork buckled up around him and the dry pairot and splinters fell all around. Adjoining the cook's cabin, on the main deck, is the butcher's shop. The <md of this was knocked out and with the broken rtiles, smashed woodwork and twisted ironwork formed part of the wreckage. Below, on the saloon deck, the men's lavatory had received the force of the impact, and the wall s were pushed m and the fittings knocked out of position PASSENGERS' EXPERIENCES. The general experience amongst, the passengers appears to have been that they were mostly asleep, and did not quite realise what had happened until they got on deck and saw preparations being made to lower the lifeboats. Even then they did not take an alarming view of things, and there was no panic. The women and children were particularly calm. A gentleman ran up to a lady ou the deck and offered to secure a lifebelt round her, but she declined, quietly remarking that she thought it was all right.

"I was asleep at the time," said Dr Cpker, to a Herald reporter. "1 did not know tbe steamer had started. The impact gave me a considerable shock, and nearly bumped me out of bed. At first I did not know what it was, but thought it might be an earthquake or a .submarine. There did not appear to be any alarm amongst the passengers, but when the electric lights began to go down people got more anxious. However, tbe lights soon came up again." The doctor said a lot of people were running about m their- night attire, whilst xome men turned theii* thoughts to the women and children, and started running into the cabins and pulling the women out of bed and fasteniug, lifebelts around them. This was all taken as a matter oi course, and it was not till afterwards that the humor of the situation dawned •upon these people. The passengers got dressed piece-meal. They would put a few things on, run on deck to see what was happening, and then go bagk and get some mope garments on. By the time they came to be transferred to tin? lighter most of the passengers were dressed and had their light handbags, but tbe heavier luggage had to be left. Regarding the chief cook, Dr Coker, who attended to him, said he was not injured, but was suffering from shock. It was a miracle how he escaped, for his cabin was completely wrecked. Adjutant Holmes, of the Salvation Army, who was going to Auckland to at. tend the congress;, also. related his experieu< ->. He was asleep, N aud was awakened by rumbling noise and the boat begimi »■.,.' to shake. IVo or three of hi.s cabin companions jumped out, stating .something was wrong. When he got upon deck he saw the big boat back out from the Arahura. Tliey were ordered to stand by the lifeboats which were swung out. There was no panic, but a few of the ladies were a bit upset. One lady lost her child for about ten minutes, and became somewhat alarmed, and this seemed to be the greatest excitement. .The passengers were landed shortly after 12.30 a._n.

Amongst the passengers were a nnmber of recruits from the coast, who had come down to attend the Medical Board and were returning home. Two of them were promenading on the bridge deck at the time of the mishap, and one states he could clearly see the big boat coming towards tnem. He heard the captain of the Arahura call out. The boat turned a bit, so that she ..truck the Arahura m a slanting direction. In response to signals from, the ship, Dr. Kahlenberg was summoned, and he went out to the steamer to attend to the chief cook, but, as stated above, Dr. Coker had m the meantime attended to the man. who was brought ashore and sent to the hospital. SALVAGE EFFORTS. With the rising of the tide and the inrush of water the steamer was gradually filling 2 and by 8 a.m., with a slight HA, to port, the water made its appearance m the pantry on the saloon deck. By 11 o'clock it had increased to over a foot, and under tbe direction of the <_hief steward, the ship's silver was moved to the social cabin and packed ready for removal it necessary. , By this hour, however, it was intimated that the hole had been temporarily plugged up by the diver, and the inHow. for the time being, had been (Aecked. It was intended to take advantage of high water at 1 o'clock to attempt to move the steamer fui'ther over under the lee of the groyne if possible. Meanwhile, with the assistance of representatives of Messrs Davys, Third and Mitchell, and Messrs Niven and Co.. a temporary steam pumping plant was be_ ing installed. For this purpose, the steam fire-engine from the old fire station was brought into requisition, being brought out by the Tuaiea and placed on board. Pipes' were also coupled up, and it is hoped to have the plant going this evening, when an attempt will be made to pump out the water m order to place a patch over the hole m the ship's side. The Union Co.'s salvage steamer Terawftijbi left Wellington thig morning for Gißbqn-e to assist with salvage operaThe present mishap emphasises the desirability of the dredger Maui being supplied with the necessary adjustment and flexible pipe for use m connection trith sal It was sug-

gested this morning that if the dredger's large pump was available for sucli purposes it would havo been - invaluable on an occasion like this. Likewise the pump- on the John Townley is fitted for tire-fighting, but not- for salvage work." Tins afternoon thd Arahura had developed a list to port: