THE STRANDING OF THE HUDSON.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1437, 5 December 1885, Page 2

THE STRANDING OF THE HUDSON.

An enquiry into the stranding of the barque Hudson at Milford on the 26th of November, took place at Lyttelton on Thursday before Mr J. Oilivier, R.M., and Captains Mclntyre and Owen, Nautical Assessors.

Dr Martin appeared for the Customs' Department; Mr H. N. Nalder, for the Captain of the ship (Capt. Thomas) and the owners. Mr Alex. Rose, Collector of Customs, was also in attendance.

The following is the most important of the evidence taken :

Captain Thomas deposed that he was a master mariner, in command of the Hud-

aoD. The papers produced were the certificates of registry of the ship and other ship's papers, including the articles. The Hudson was an iron barque of 797 tons, of Southampton. The official number was 58988, and the ship was owsed by the Shaw, Savill and Albion Company. The ship left London on August 14th last on a voyage to Lyttelton, with a general dargo. All went well until reaching the coast. The Snires were sighted on the 21st. of November, and the mainland on the 26th, about 2 or 3 p.m. The. ship was then lietween thirty and forty miles off the \igh land at the back of Timaru, the weather being fine with bright sun. Witness had taken an observation on tVat day. There was not ' much wind—a three or four knot breeze only—the direction being from N. toN.E. The vessel washeading N.W. and by W. Fine weathar continued all the afternoon, with the samt breeze, about N.N.E. About 9 p.m. lijhts were sighted on shore. They were not lighthouse lights, and witness had never sighted the lighthouse. The lights were large clustering lights like a bush fire. They bore about N.W. a little westerly* At this time the ship was about ten milei from the shore. Witness saw the steamloats pass inside ot the ship between it ani the land, and a sailing vessel passing between his ship and the land, running down. He could not see the vessels Ucmselves, but only their mast-head ligits. He could not see their side hgits. Witness went about at 9k30 p.n., and stood off, heading E. by. K'half N. by compass. The wind was abut, the same—from four to four and .-half knots—and the water way quite smioth. There was no swell. Witness too: soundings before going about, and fiund fifteen fathoms, with a i sandy botton. This was the first time 3 witness had aksn soundings. The course headed whei the ship went about was kept up to abcufc 12.30 a.m., when the ship was agaii put about. The course laid was then N.W. \W. There was then less wind-about three knots—from the same direcion. Witness considered lie was about twenty-five miles off the land at t h is time. He arrived at this estimate by t'o logs,, one the patent log, and the otbr lhe old fashioned Jog. Witness wen by the distance the t had run. H reckoned he would be in so as to see theland well by about 3 o'clock. The weathe was hazy when he went about the seond time, and it increased*; n to a thick Dg at the latter part of the time just bfore the ship Btruck. Between 1 anc 2 a.m.- the fog increase'd. By this tim the vessel had gone almost four miles since she went about las%. About 2 a.i. the look-out reported land. Witness wa not on deck at the time. The secon officer was in charge at the time whenland was reported. Witness was in thecabin and heard the report of land ahed. The second officer came running dsv'n,'aud witness was. on deck at onco. He immediately tried to get the ship rund —tostayber, but the wind was too lijit, and he did not succeed. All the y?ds were thrown aback, and he could harly get stern way on to the ehip. She tvoul not : answer her helm either way. .Afthat time witness sounded, and found fie fathoms under the stern, a shingle and sandy beach, a swell was se;ing the vessel further in on the bach and was getting up. She then granded forward, as the anchor wasi bejg got ready to let go. Witness was afrid to let go the anchor then, as it migli have knocked a hole in her bottom He then ordered the boats out, ani rai.a stream anchor out astern, and a Jin» as taken to the capstan, and an effort as made to heave her off. They could nt move her, but were heaving the anchorhome all the time. They then commoced to jettison the powder, of which.2 tons were put over. Witness then tvent »shore and telegraped to Lyttelon for assistance. About noon on the 2th the Titan tug came down from Tima.i. When witness landed he found himsif at Milford, near Temuka, some twete miles north of Timaru. When the .'itan came witness asKed Captain VVebter to run a bower anchor out, but be s£(l he could not, as he had no coals, and r'ould have to go beck to Timaru for some In the meantime thoy were jetticargo and lauding some in their qwn?oHts. The Titan came back in the aftenooon, and witness asked Captain Webter to make fast to the stern of the ship. He did so about 4 0r.5 p.m., but he-cald not move her. It was high water about 5 p.m. When Captain Webser found he could tot do any good he be ton one of his ownanchors. Captain debitor did not'take out witness' howeranchor when he cane up the second time. Witness did not isk him. They continied to jettison ca'go —principally sprits and cement—all that day and night. At about 3 a.m. >n the 27th the tug Lytelton armed fron Lyttelton, the tug Titin having eft for Timaru, promising to be back >y tide time, but she '**N arrived too late. Captah Clark, of the Lyttelton, got hs rope and made fast to the ship and begii'to tow. The ship was moved some 80or 40 feat off. the beach, when the rope 'arted. It was too late iigaiti on the tie to tay any more. Iu the meantime tb steamer Herald, from Lyt'elion, arritd. Had the Titan returned as promjed, in time for the title, the ship would hare been got off very easily. On tl) arrival of the Herald jargo was (ra«hipped into her—about ihirty tons wasput out—and the throwng out of the crg», principally cement, *as continued, li the meantime Captain X Jlarke, of UnLjttelton, had run out a jower anchor, an( 45 fathoms of chain

off the starboard bow. At tide time, in the evening, the Lyttleton and Herald made fast again, and the Titan arrived with three surf boats. "When they wanted a rope from the Titan she was broken down, or partially dieabled, and just tis Ihe Fillip was coming off the beach the Titan made fast her ropes to the Lyttelton, the ship finally coming off the beoch at about seven o'clock in the. evening. The ship was then taken in tow by the tug Lyttelton to Lytteltou.. Witness recovered both his anchors, which were buoyed. The vessel was not making any water. About 150 or 200 tons of cargo wero got' out of the ship altogether, and about 100 or 150 of this was jettisoned. Witness only took two soundings. He had been to Lyttelton as chief officer a good many times. When witness saw the lights on shore he had a very good ' idea where he was. The ship was nearly where he expected her to be when he Baw the fires. Witness left the deck about 12.30 midnight, just when thd vessel went about; the second mate was in charge, as it was his watch. Witness had been on deck all day and all the night before nearly. He gave the second mate orders to call him if anything happened, or any alteration in the weather. He did not give him any orders as to the course then laid, as witness intended to keep her standing in till 2 a.m. The anchors at this time were over the bows. It would have taken a quarter of an hour to drop anchor, because they were fished on the rail, and not cockbilled, as they did iiot generally carry anchors swinging loose when the ship was at sea. There was no use in dropping the anchor when witness tried to stay the ship. Witness could not nay whether the vessel was insured. He held a muster's certificate, which he now produced, together with the official log. The ship was swung, and the compasses

adjusted, at Greenhithe the day she left,

About a minute elapsed from the time the second mate came down until witness was on deck.

By Mr Nalder : Witness had not gone to bed when the second mate came down.

He had the latest chart of the coast on board. It did not show any current or set of the tide, only rhe soundings. He

also had the "New Zealand Pilot" on board. It states that vessels can safely stand off and on the coast at Timaru by keeping outside a depth of seven fathoms. No mention is made there of

the set of the tide or currents 9n the part of the beach where she was stranded. The " New Zealand Pilot " is an official book. From 9 p.m. to 12,30 a.m. the ship had made about four knots, and sho wab fully twenty miles from the land. Afler going about the wind fell. When the look-out reported land, he considered the ship had gone five miles; so that he was then twenty-five miles off the coast. Witness had previously traded to Lyttelton and Wellington. There was a proper look-out kept, as he saw it set himseif. He could not account for the difference bstween his calculation of the distance off land and the real position of tha ship, excepting the current setting her in. Wit--ness was not aware of any current being there at all, as there was no mention of it in the "New .Zealand Pilot." Witness got ashore in his own boat, and she was filled going ashore from the swell, which was a heavy, broken swell. He had kept a look-out for the Timaru lighthouse, and was looking for it when he saw the other lights. He never sew the Timaru light. The Timaru light wa« a red light. When the Titan went back to Timaru the second time, witness asked them to briDg back gome surf boats for the purpose of putting the cargo into them. She brought back one old boat, but no surf boats, and said they did not like to trust them without a guarantee, and a guarantee was ultimately given, but the cargo boats came out too late to be of any use. There would have been no chance of getting ' the vessel off without lightening her by jettisoning the cargo. The Titan did nothing the last time she came but make fast to the tug Lyttelton. Herbert Collins deposed that he was

second mate of the Hudson, and produced bis pertificale. He remembered the 25th November last. His watch began at midnight, and would have gone on till 4 a.m. next day. About 12.30 a.m. the ship was put about, and the captain went below to sit on the settees, leaving witness in charge of the decir. The chief officer gave him his orders after everything was square. They were to the effect that he was to keep a good look out as ihe land was ahead. There was nothing else. The ship was steering by the wind >• at the time, and he was to go on till fouo'clock by ihe wind. The ship was tackiDg and was kept aa near the wind aa she could. The wtather was mild, with a Blight wind from the northward. Thire was a swell on but not much. The ship was going between three and four knots an hour. From the log lie saw that it was there entered as between three and fonr knots. He had four men and a boy in his watch. A man named Olson wa3 the look-out, and was posted by witness about 12.30 a.m. Witness posted him before the Captain left the deck. A man named

Hermanson waß at the helm. From two till tbe sccident, a man named Pridham vas the look-out, and a man named Selk was at the wheel at that time. Witness did not see the captain on deck bet veeu the time of hie going below and the accident. The haze thickened, and ultimately got into a regular fog. The course was changed during witness' watch Between 2 and 3 a.m. the ship struck. The man at the look-out at a little after 2 a.m. reported something ahead, but he could not make out what it, was. Witness ran forward with the glasses. All lie could see was something dark. WitnesH did not go down for the captain. The captain said something to the man at the wheel, and then he ordered witness to haul the yards aback. This was the first thing be said to witness, and it was done. No result followed, and the lead was hove finding five fathoms. Witness hove the lead. The anchors were all clear, but were not let go for the reason, he should say, that the water was 100 shoal. The B'lip then took the ground. Witness had no orders to put the ship about before she struck. The captain was decidedly sober at the time, as was witness. The ship weDt ashore gradually. He could not hear any surf braking to be sure', though he fancied he did when he went forward to the look-out. Geo. Neal, the first mate, gave evidence corroborating the captain regarding the directions to the second male. In cross examination he said he attributed tbe accident to the in draught. The anchors were all ready to let go at once. Witness

had attended to that specially on the afternoon of Wednesday. John W. Pridham, the look-out man an.l Frederick Selk, the man at the wheel, who were on duty from 2 a.m. till the time of the accident deposed, that they saw no soundings taken. Both agreed that the weather was very thick. Mr Nalder called for the defence. John Edmund Croker, master of the ship Soukar, Captain McClennan, harbor ulster at Lyttelton, Captain Claiksop, mister of the barque Examiner. Captain Clark master of the tug Lyttelton, all of whom deposed that there was always a current off Timaru setting to the westward. All were of opinion that there was no negligence shown by not taking soundings after tacking out for 15 miles. Mr Ollivier said that, as it would tnke some little time for the evidence to he considered by the Nautical Assessors, judgment would be given on the following day at noon.