NAUTICAL ENQUIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 196, 21 September 1900, Page 2

NAUTICAL ENQUIRY.

THE : WKEOK OF THE S.S. DOUGLAS.

An enquiry into the loss of the s.s. Douglas at Mokau on the 30th July was held at the Courthouse yesterday (Thursday) before Mr, R. L. Stanford, S.M., and Captain Hood and Austen nautical assessors,

Mr» Kerr appeared for the Commit doner of Customs and stated that i preliminary enquiry had been held tr Mr. Bedford, Collector of Oustome New Plymouth, but a public enquiri bad been ordered. He called Oaptaii Jonas, who said he was master of th< !.s. Douglas on the 30fch July. Hi jroduced his certificate. He wai veather bound at Mokau from thi !sth to the 30th July, when he con idered the bar "good enough." Hi eft the wharf at 11 a.m. It was higl rater at 12.22, He saw that every ihing was secure before leaving tin vharf. He had three male and om emale passengers and a crew of five tie went slow on leaving as there is i iharp bend and the channel is only 4C eet wide. After rounding the bene le gave orders "fullspeed ahead," anc 3ad a sailor attending at the bow witl i sounding line. The vessel was ii *ood order as she had ever been sinci tie had commanded her. She steamei between 5 and 6 miles an hour. "£h indicated horse power was 05 and th nominal 20. She had good beadwa; on but they got into rough water be fore crossing the bar. Just as they go on the bar a big roller struck her stop ping her way. Got her going agaii when another roller struck her am threw her head round. The man wit! the sounding line told him she had m way on. There was 9 to 10 feet o water at that place; kept her going ful speed and she seemed to recover way but the breakers stopped her again am she touched the bottom. She drew 7ft 4in. aft. and 6ft, llin. forward.' Th effect of the seas striking her was t throw her head round to the south the wind was south-weßt. We thei got into a smooth place and sh gathered way, but was that tb breakers quickly threw her over again It was about slack water. I wa on the bridge all the time. I got wa; on her again, but she was again sen to the south-west and drifted toward the rocks on the south side of the river The water being smooth in here '. called out to the engineer to give he: all he could, My order was obayec but she did not make much headway She touohed the bottom twice whicl stopped her way altogether. Seeing '. had no chance to get out, and the sea driving her again to the north, I triei to get back into the river. I kept oi until I saw the beacons well opposite ti the north. I then gave orders "tc stop her," and then " full speed astern,' After going full speed astern for a time she seemed to forge astern slowly, her head swinging towards the river at the same time. Whan I had the beacons well over to the south I ordered "full speed ahead," but she did not answer her rudder or seem to forge ahead but lay quiet. I sang out " What's the matter with the engine, and the reply came from the engineer, "I cannot turn the engine ahead or astern even with the clinch bar." I did not know what bad happened, but looking round the ship I saw the bites of a six-inch coir hawser over the rail. I saw at once what had happened, that the coir line had got in the propeller. To Captain Austin: The liuo had been lashed on the after batch. While we were in the trough of the sea we shipped a good deal of water. The seas were coming right over the bridge. All my attention was taken up with the ship, To Captain Hood: I was nearly over the bar when we started shipping seas. I always give orders to have a good head of steam to cross the bar with. Some water had gone down into the engine room and lowered the sieam somewhat. I go slow down to the river to have a good head of steam on reaching the bar. To Mr. Kerr: I afterwards found it was a fact that the coir hawser had got round the propeller. I gave orders to loosen the fore sail. It was' done. I also ordered the engineer and stoker to come on deck andhoist the mainsail. I wanted tc use the foresaid to stop her goinj right round. The after-sail preventcc her going out to sea. After high vatei the seas Were worse and wore breaking right over the bridge, After setting tin foresail it was not so bad, I got i passenger, who used to steer the bargei on the river, to take the lelin and wen to help set the m tioeail, but a sea rami and washed mo overboard. I got holi of the bite of the coir hawser and go back on board again. I helped to ge the mairsul out and then went back t> the bridge, The wind was rathe light and the sails had no eflect, am she went aground on the north: head I kept the foresail up to keep the sea from drawing her back and along the beach, The tide was going cut at th time and she was soon fact, I kep everybody on board till we could wall oil the the ship. Everybody was quiti sober. I have been at sea for 18 veirs and never carry an ounco of liquor or board. When the tide went down '. cleared the coir line from the propeller To Captain Hcod: At this Mmo tb vessel was about 100 feet frjm tin channel. To Mr. Kerr; The coir lim was uninjured. I took it acres the river and one of m; anchors to a rock and made thi line fast, and put the other end throng! the hawser pipe and inado it fas round the windings I alio dischaig < about 25 tons c f coal from tho fore hole. I waited till tho'i'e came in -and as soon as I kit fi-, o boava <•» the lice, I hove. After benviuj? for ai hour the lino bnoke. I hud th-i shifted the v.ss-1 20 feet; after tin line broke tho sens sent h>.-r Imek \i the old position. At low water I mi a S'.eel line out fin the other i-ide, and spliced the cot li.' e and ran it bucl to the anoohr. Tho stor J lino wai too short, ■ fit d I shackled : large cargo block on to it and dr<vc a new four-inch Manila line through i' Tfce vessel had altered her greatly, her lio.id had got to the north and i had to tako the lines to ho stern. I raaiio one end of do Manil line fast to the stern of tho vo-isel, an' took the other end to the st<ain winch Tho tow liuo was taken to the sten also, J, then discharged all tho eta

out of the aft hold and waited for the tide. This was the second flood tide from her going ashore As soon as I found her moving I started to heave on both lines, and after some considerable time the coir lino gave wuy ngainj I stopped heaving on the other line, ns it helped to stop her drifting. There was an old steel wire rope which has been layiog at the Mokau heads for three years, and I got this across the river, but could not get it fast that tide. Next tide I got. it fast, and one I end to the ship. I put a tackle on it, and next tide I heaved on it, but after some time it broke. Tho next low water I made another attempt by rosplicing the line, but it again failed, because the lines broke. On Thursday she began to leak, and her decks began to riße. One of the underwriters then came and took her out of my hands. Captain Flunket then took charge for the Insurance Offices, and I acted under his instructions. I left Mokau on Sunday, and know nothing further. The ring bolt produced was broken. by the force of the waves before the ship got ashoro. Some 16 months ago I hud to go back into the river. I had the Douglas stranded outside the Mokau in 1898. It was caused then by the bar shifting. I attribute my stranding to tho loss of stostm, through the stoke-hold door opening and letting water in, and the coir hawser fouling the propeller. I refused to go out on Sunday, and inspected the bar twice before deciding to go out on Monday'; somehow I had a reluctance to go out that day. Isaac Smail, the engineer of the s.s. Douglas, with 17 years' experience, and George Holmes, seaman, also gave , lengthy evidence entirely corroborating that given by Captain Jonas as to what took place prior to the vessel going ashore, and the efforts afterwards made to float her. TheS.M. then asked Mr. Bedford 1 for the evidence taken at the prelimary ' enquiry, and the Court retired to consider its decision.

On returning into Court the S.M. said they wished first of all to express their satisfaction at the straightforward and open manner in which Captain Jonas and Messrs Smail and Holmes had given thair evidence. The decision of the Court was as follows: 1. That the Douglas was stranded on I the 31st July, 1900, in consequence of the sea breaking on board while she , was attempting to cross the bar of the Mokau lliver, this lowering the steam from 701b. to 501b. pressure through water getting into tho stoke hole and engine-room, and so rendering nor unable to contend against the sea rolling id. 2, That a coir tow rope having been washed overboard and fouling tin propeller was tho immediate cause ol the stranding. 3, That the steam power of the Doughs was insufficient for working a shallow bar like tb<: Mokau. 4. That everything was done by the captain to avert disaster. 5. That no blame is attributod to anyone on board. Tha captain and engineer to have their certificates returned to them. The Oourt desires to expret* tho opinion that appliances, hawsers, and blocks, should be provided at tin Mokau lliver for the assistance of vessels getting ashore.—(Signed), R. L. Stahl'-jbd, S.M., Charles E. Hood, and Aimiun Austin, Nautical Assessors.

Their cert ideates were then handed to Captain Jonas and the Engineer. The Court; rose.