COLLISIONS AT SEA.

Southland Times, Issue 3363, 1 April 1879, Page 3

COLLISIONS AT SEA.

; ; .Editor 'TmESj^t am tglad to see that yoii-haye.taken .up the subject :o£ .collisions atßea,^drtnink : you; should again revert to it^ for there' is no subject of greater im.portarice to the world at large. ; . •The present' nilefe/ of ,the : road are the outcome of riuirierbus meetings and voluminous correspondence between the Board of Trade^^rii^* masters,- naval officers, and the inaririeiauthorities of France. But they were severely criticised at the time, and I think justly m. More indefinite directions. cpuld scarcely be framed, nor rules : mote 'likely to lead i& indecision at •flu* ; critibdl tnoinerit: ;"'. Take, ■ for instancej th'e^Mes crossing- ;; a red light on lighfcon the: port bbw. : : 'Tliey i see! each other in ample time to .ayoid collision by definite action on the part of , either .vessel. But the law says that-green has to : keep clear: of red, and do whatever lie thinks best-^— port, starboard^ go: on * 'ahead, or- stop and reverse, or go, ahead or astern, of red as he'eh'odses. i! Eed is in such a' position that he cannot; hastily decide, which is liis best course Jo^ pursue,^ ;hence^darigerous delay, more:: imminent -risk pi %\ collision, and greater, excitement, and at. last the wrong thing is decided on. It is, therefore, evident that Green, was in doubt from the first moment he sawred. •

; : Red; sees green in ample time, but knows that the law is that green ; has to keep clear of Himj arid that he has to keep on' -his Course unless he sec that a colli'sion^is inevitable • he ';:. .h_as then tp do^vyhat .he thinks 'best to^render /it" the less serious, arid that he 'should in all -case's when in doubt lose speed, stop, or go. astern ;, he Js anxious to know what green is going to do, because if a- -collision: does take place he wifl.be blamed fqjre doing nothing, as at first directed, and if he does something, as again directed, it will likely to be set down as the cause of the accident. . ;

Thus, in the event of a collision, the one which is supposed to have nothing to do can never .escape liability: to^blamei ; In the firstcasehe is told if you had kept on your course, nothing would have happened; in the second} if he had not done the. something, nothing would have happened. In fact, both green and red are put in quandaries when they discover each other in dangerous proximity.. Now, it is well known that very little attention, if -right, is sufficient to prevent collision, even with the -longest vessels very close together^ a : '''■ In all cases there is a right thing for each vessel toido^ and many wrong things to chose : frgm, " ; which* by ; law is left to choice ; hence innumerable accidents of the most serious^ character. ' ':■

I see .no reason why the right thing should not be law, assuniing all ordinaiy conditions as .'the basis -of framing the rules. I am confident; that this; would prevent nine out of . ten collisions wilich take place, ;and if the tenth did take place, in consequence of ; the rigid law, it? would loe better.to have one vessel- sunk through obeyinlgrigid/laWs than riinethf ough;- men trying "at: a 'critical "i moment ;to coriiply wiflr indefinite orie^. ; !v^; : '

■^^ ; Ido notgb iritq the riglitsarid Avrbngs of the Barrabobi : jcase. \, I.,. have; not seen the evidence, but vihink ;that the law, is oftener .to ..blame .than in, charge; becausiß; after laying d6wii" r a rule it leaves thepersori in "charge to do wtialb he thinks best. -y As- -you are no doubt .aware that when the vessels are "crossing you will find as many to say* she should be passed aheafllakltho'se < who sayi she'should; be passed astern; dnd- a imaster-Jhas -^endrally to decide this point in haste.

;; If you wish to take up the subject again I should like to hear from you -ais I Kayesiome valuable^^ Naples on the subject. ; and^^ have gone thoroughly.: into' it myself,; &c. >" .-'.' . ;■ v.jTohn Thomson)

P.S;--i quite agree with your remarks on the Easter Hill case. I,think the R.M. tried the law instead of the men; : „ •r. ;Y

Bluff, 29th March- 1879