The Elingamite Disaster.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 16, Issue 93, 2 December 1902, Page 5

The Elingamite Disaster.

THE OFFICIAL ENQUIRY

Auckland, November 29. At the, Elingamite enquiry the Crown Pro ecutor, in opening, said there was room for serious and possibly grave charges regarding the life-boats, rafts, water, provisions and delay in the launching of the boats. Captain Atwood deposed that at noon on Saturday lie ws 262 miles from land. The

patent log fouled on Saturday afternoon, showi. g 40 ’-■ides instead of 48, but this was corrected .immediately. The weather was clear at noon on Saturday, and he steamed the full speed of twelve knots till ten a.m, on Sund y. At noon he was two or thre miles out of his position to tl;c northward, hut h° attributed this to bad steering rather than to ocean currents. He believed the beakers were kept full of w;ter. There were no compasses in the boats, but each boat had a lantern. He started to provision the boats just after the vessel struck. He made a true course that should have taken

him six or seven miles south of the Kings. Just before the v. ssel struck he saw breakers on the port bow and rushed to the telegraph to ring “full speed astern,’’ and ordered the helm hard a-port. He rang three or four times. The telegraph responded from below to his first ring, but the engines did not seem to be in motion, so he rang again. Scott, the third engineer, came on the bridge, and reported the engines would not move. Witness said “ Too late ; the ship is broadside on the rocks.” He told Scott to instruct the chief engineer to bring all on deck, and save themselves. He did not know why tin engiiv s did not move. Had the engine reversed when he first gave the order, the ship would then have escaped.

The fourth engineer was on duty at the tint'. The rocks were about two ship’s lengths away when he saw the breakers. Four of the boats had not been swung since he had been on the ship. Number one boat and the after boats were lowered at boatdrill freely before;the wreck. He had never seen the rafts disturbed since he had been on the ship, though there was water in the beakers on the raft. There were ample lifebelts for all. They started to put provisions in the boats just after the vessel struck. There was no sp cial inspection of the boats by himself to see that they were properly provisioned. All the boats were out within a quarter of an hour. The

minimum time in ordinary circumstances would be four minutes. There was difficulty in getting the boats- on the port side launched owing to the heavy list, Witness ascribed the cause of the casualty to the north-east set, which deflected him from the proper course. It was an exceptionally s:rong set. He must have deflected five or six miles. The current he experienced was an unknown current. After further evidence, witness stated that if placed in che same position to-morrow he did not think he would go so far as he did, or would perhaps go outside the Kings altogether. The last occasion he ordered the engines to be reversed was before leaving Sydney on the last trip. The order was then readily responded to. Mr Morrison, fourth engineer, deposed that at 10.45 on Sunday they got an order full speed astern. They reversed the engines, which gave a half turn and then stopped. He then heard the ship striking on the rocks. It seemed to be the after part. When the e.ngin s refused to rever e the Chief Engineer tried to move the engines ahead, but they wou d not mwe. He attributed this to the propeller being stopped by something outside the ship. The engines went all right from Sydney. Th- reversing gear was in good order. Forty seconds af er the order came to go astern the wat r from the after tank came into the engine room. They plugged the air pipes to keep the water out.