WRECK OF THE KAPONGA

Taranaki Daily News, 7 June 1932, Page 7

WRECK OF THE KAPONGA

GREYMOUTH BAR SOUNDING , CAPTAIN'S STORY OE MISHAP. ' L FAULT in sounding suggested, MAGISTERIAL INQUIRY BEGINS. By Tslagxaph.—Press Association. Wellington, June 6. The magisterial inquiry into the.cireumstancee of the loss of the steamer Kaponga,- which was stranded on the Greymouth bar on May 27 and drifted x on to the breakwater, was commenced to-day. Mr. E. Page, S.M., is presiding, and the assessors are Captains Worrall and Dewelt Counsel for the Greymouth .Harbour Board suggested that marine inquiries ehould be held in the ports which were concerned in the mishap. There was always a possibility of material evidence not being available if the inquiry was held elsewhere. Counsel for the Marine Department said that the venue of the inquiry was entirely a departmental matter. In the present ease it was a matter of convenience to have the inquiry at Wellington, which was the Kaponga’s home port, and the.officers and crew were coming to Wellington. It would have been necessary to keep them at Greymouth or take them back there for the time the inquiry lasted. The first witness, Captain Grey, master of the Kaponga, said that after loading the ship was bar-bound, for three days in company with the Kalingo. -He kept in close communication with the harbour authorities all the time he was waiting for an opportunity to put to sea. On May 27 it was high tide at 4J5 p.m. He consulted with the harbourmaster, and the pair went out in the Harbour Board’s tug at 1 p.m. to take soundings on the bar along the course of outward bound ships. They found the depth of-the water at least' 19 feet. It was about half tide. On the inward course the least depth., was 20 feet. The Kaponga was to sail at 3 p.m. and the harbourmaster told, witness in conversation that the ship would have about 22 feet of water on the bar* CONDITIONS ON BAR. The -Kalingo sailed about 3.30 p.m. and witness left the wharf about 3.50. His ship was drawing 17ft lOir. forward and 18ft 6in aft. Conditions on the bar were practically smooth and really better than he had expected, the swell having ceased to all intents and purposes. Abreast of the tip the ship lost way and pulled up. 4 ‘We felt nothing,” said .witness. She just drew up. There was no sensation of any kind.” . , Tn answer to a question he said that; if there had been any swell it would probably have helped them. They would have bumped, and that was all, pos- " . sibly. , , . He took soundings about 4.4t> p.m., about 40 minutes after high water. All the soundings showed 18 feet at the . time the ship stopped, and when he took the soundings he was on the direct course of thb white beacons.. He had been going slowly, but after stopping he rang for full speed in an attempt to keep on the course -he was on. The ship did not move, and in spite of his efforts she swung across the river mouth * and touched the breakwaters both fore and aft, holing the fore and after peaks. LITTLE COULD BE DONE. In response to witness’ signals the tug came out, but as the tide was ebbing little could be done before the tug arrived. The- Kaitoke, which had left the wharf and was passing under the Kaponga’s stern, backed in and passed a, rOpe aboard, but she went ahead too soon and the messenger was lost. The captain of the Kaitoke signalled that he could do no more and continued on. his voyage. When the tug came again the next morning the fore and aft peaks were filled with water, adding about 400 tons to the ship and increasing the draught about 16 inches. He detailed further ) attempts to get the ship off and. how they commenced to throw the cargo . - overboard. The weather was breaking, and about 2 o’clock on Sunday morning it was de- . s cided to abandon the ship, which had , a heavy list to starboard and was leak- J ing in the engine room. After the stranding the second officer reported to ( him that as the Kaponga was swinging . the harbourmaster commented to him ( that he thought the Kalingo had touched the bar. 1 In reply to a question as to whether j there was any . hurry to get away, wit- j ness said that they had waited for suit- j < able conditions to cross the bar. If. they had thought it unsafe they would •, certainly have waited longer. i Captain Grey said the Kaponga was ] not fully loaded, being about 70 or 80 < tons light of the full load. He knew , of no precautions which could have, , . _ been taken to find out the safety of the bar conditions that were not taken on . .ithis occasion. He had asked the master of the Kalingo to signal if he touched the bar. The usual practice at £ Greymouth was to hoist a ball at the 1 end of the signal yard-arm when an t outward vessel signalled by whistling 1 that she had touched the bar. Witness f was too busy swinging his own ship to < watch the Kalingo as she crossed the e bar, but there was no ball at the yard- 1 arm. , < To counsel for the Harbour Board t Captain Gray said he had heard that i the captain of the Kalingo in reply c to an inquiry had stated that he did e touch on the bar when going out and 1 had blown his whistle, but no sound i had eventuated. , Mr. Page: If you had known the 1 Kalingo had touched would you have t gone across?—No, decidedly not. 1 Mr. Page: Well now, Captain, what is your explanation of the tragedy? — J. The explanation is that there was insufficient water on the bar. < Mr. Page: That is obvious, but what I do you say was in error? fi Captain Grey said it appeared to him t that there was something wrong with g the soundings taken in tho morning. He t could not say where the error occurred, t Mr. Page: Do you think your draught i was more than 18ft. 6in ’—No, it was not. e It would be less when I got on to the bar E because we would be in salt water and it v would be lighter. d SOUNDINGS QUESTIONED. ’ h “After further questioning Captain Gray r said his theory of the stranding was that t when taking the soundings they must have v missed taking soundings on the ridge of the c bar. He thought the signalman should t have seen the Kalmgo’s whistle blast even t if it had not been accompanied by sound.. The practice of giving a blast on the whistle r if the bar was touched had been an estab- I fished one at Greymouth for many years. t If he had received a message to the effect 1 that the Kalingo had touched he would not t have sailed but would have waited for other i conditions. He suggested a system of drag t soundings, taken as now but with greater

BUI I IMJUMI frequency and over a more extensive area, would make for safer conditions. With the ordinary procedure he thought the trouble was still there; there was still a risk over the bar. The president: However, as far as your vessel is concerned your proposition is that you had wrong information as to the depth of water? —Yes, wrong information. Mr. Page: Do you think you were on the correct find? —Yes. You say you drew the attention of one of your officers to it?—Yes. Thomas Ewart Bevan, chief officer, said the master had said to him when he told Him to get the ship ready to leave that if the Kalingo had touched the bar he would not take out the Kaponga. James B. Gibson, second officer, said that while the vessel was swinging the harbourmaster told him he thought the Kalingo had struck. The harbourmaster was so close that witness could have "touched him with his hand.” The Kalingo at that time was a mile away. 'MORE IN WAY OF A JOKE.” To counsel for the Harbour Board witness said that when the harbourmaster had told him this he thought it more in the way of a joke than anything else. He said, in fact, that if that was so it would be harder for them because they were drawing a foot or two more. The second engineer was standing behind witness at the time, and he had three sailors of his'watch. ' Witness ■ did not report fhe conversation to the cap- : tain because he thought that if the harbour-* master was serious he would have told the ■ captain himself. Witnes had not mentioned the incident in the statement he made : before the Collector of Customs at Grey- : mouth. _ Counsel: What would you say if tne harbourmaster denied altogether that he had taken part in any such conversation?— ■ Well there is only one thing. I could say. • What would that be?—That he was ■ Leslie • Lawrence Clark, third officer, Oscar Harold Dillner, chief engineer, and . Henry William Insay, second engineer, also gave evidence. Insay gave evidence corroborative of that given by Gibson with re card to the remarks that passed when the harbourmaster was on the wharf. He thought the harbourmasters tone had been jocular. The harbourmaster . said at. the end “Well, it’s only a soft bottom. Wit nes'said he had seen an escape of steam ( when the Kalingo blew its whistle but he ■ did not hear any sound. ‘ To the president witness said he kn wheS he saw the steam that the Kahngo had touched, and he knew also from the remarks between the harbourmaster and Gibson that the Kalingo was less water than the Kaponga.-■ He / e , a J ec !, ' concerned the Kaponga a, g°? d d * al ' thought it was Captain Coxs duty, not hi, to report to Captain Gray. Uarb „„ r . Captain Gray, recaUed, said the master would have had the ' he thought, of getting into touch with h m Before he left the wharf and letting him know that the Kalingo had touched, but there would have been no- difficulty at a if the signalman had put up the ba.l a the yardarm. The hearing was