HARBOR TRAGEDY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16500, 18 November 1927, Page 7

HARBOR TRAGEDY

FERRY ALTERED COURSE NAVAL OFFICERS' EVIDENCE SYDNEY, Nov. 17. When the Greycliffe inquiry was resumed, William Bryant, chief petty officer on the destroyer Success, gave] evidence that he was accustomed to j estimate the higher speeds of vessels, from 14 knots." On the day of the i collision he was on a pontoon at j Garden Island when the Tahiti passed.' She was nearer in than was usually; the case, and was doing about 12' knots. After the Tahiti passed the pontoon rocked as it never rocked before. This was caused by the Tahiti passing. The Greycliffe and' the Tahiti appeared to be converging.! Then the Greycliffe altered her course J in such a way as made the vessels eon-'. verge quicker. Fifteen seconds later the collision occurred. . ' Then with models and a chart, the witness showed how the Greycliffe, after changing her course, had crossed the Tahiti and was struck on the port quarter by the bow of the liner.', .lust before the accident, witness' added, he saw steam coming from the! side of the Tahiti, indicating two blasts of the whistle. Walter Halliwell, petty officer on the Success, said lie was also on the] pontoon at. Garden Island on the dayi of the collision. He saw the Grey-j cltffe alter her course. She appeared! to be drifting sideways to port. The wind was very slight, but he observed! the drifting movement when the ferry j was 400 yards from the pontoon, and it went on continuously until the col-j lision. The Tahiti passed the pon- j toon travelling about 12 knots, and' appeared to be making up speed, and heading on the same course as the; Greycliffe. After describing the i swirling of the water around the pon-! toon as the Tahiti passed, witness said J he had not observed a. similar condi- [ tion before, as the big overseas boats; did not usually pass so close to the': pontoon. The witness added he could oiilv account, for the collision bv the drift of the Greycliffe.