THE ENQUIRY.

Timaru Herald, Volume XL, Issue 2919, 31 January 1884, Page 8

THE ENQUIRY.

: Axicklano, Jan. a. The Triumph onquiry clogod. so fur aH taking ovidenco is concorned, yosterday, evening. Mr Ho.skcth Raid Unit tlio ovidonco :iddnced was all lio intondod tooffor on lmlialf of the captain, and Mr Brassey, on behalf of tho chief officor, iaid he did not propose to call any more cvidoiioe. Mr Heakoth then iiMroHScd tho Conrt, pointing out that hi» objoct was shown m tho first insta/nco by broadly suiting tho captain')) explanation that ho foil a^lcnp on tho bridgo from exhaustion, and to refuto tho theory not np by Mr Willlr.mson thii.t tho captain was | drunk. Ho would not fciko np timo oy dealing with the anjrgesbion that tho vessel watt de- ! liberately wrecked, for thoro was not a tittle [of evidence to support it, nor wna there tha slightest motive ' shown. Ho thon dealt with tho ovidonco to nhow tho perfect sobrioty of tho captain. It was a pure cudo of miofortuno not accompanied by cirounistancon of agirravar tion, and whatnvor tho rccult o[ tho trial waH, it wat) tho captain's ruin ho foil anloop at his post and wrcckfl'l a Hhij) worth i! 50,000. Mr HfiHkoth then dvrelt on 11m ovidonco as to the efforts mudo to yet the uhip off. Mr UraHtioy tiddrostwd tho Court for tho chief mnto, who, ho oontondsd, . had curried ont luh duties, lixid that iwblaino was attached to him. Mr Williamson was abont to ftddToss" tho Court, but Mr Hoskpth oiratondod lie had no right of reply, this being only an investigation. Tho Chairman Raid this had been the rtilo, and Mr "Williamson then addressed tho Court. Ho ■ shonld not havo troubled the Conrt bat for Mr Hoskoth's statement a» to the Sosition ho had token np by attributing runketmeß» to tho coptaim. They nil ai)r proachod this mmo wita diiHdoqoo, but here was tho t'aot of v largo going on,, the rocks, and the oDiy alternatives which could suggoHt themsolves were either that tho captain and ofllcorH woro liuliiloisly drunk, or thitt tho Teoaol had boon Intentionally driven ashore. Ho had takdii tho most ohrtritablo vio\r of tho case. So f»)' en tho captain wits conoomed, ho pointotl out that it was m iinswor to Mr Heskoth Ihjit thi? first insinnntion wag made of the captain not being sober whon tho pilot emd ho was Robot enough, to take ohargu of lv» ship. : '. They .liad" it m pvidonoe that thorn had been drinking going oa, and tho question aroK(i, ; wn» it iipt to sonio oxtont dus' to -thin fiwlt ilhat tho captain fall afeloop on tho \nidga't He ijommonted on tho' foot that thorb wiih no ovidenco affooling the insnraimo mi tho ship, oilhar from tho uaptain or Mr Nathan. Ho ali;o iionnnoutod on wbat ti ouuaidoi'od |i 'jtotm wosit of diuoipliuo, wuiyh

te'said? wa<"tnfinifested by tho fadfi of ' thoir ! goingi to seij with the telegraph broken down and_ no ono placed to convey messagas to the engine-rooDi from the bridge, or any man placed betv'oen the look-out and the mm at tho wheoll He contended he vriis not a fit mm to be placed on the look-out. He also i dwelt on the necessity of the I ohief officer . supporting the captain, especially ivhon ho knew his exhausted, condition. He oaked tho Bench to cancel the captain's oartiflaito.who admitted that he fell asleep at hi* post, and was therefore not fit to have oomaand of a ship and lives. As to the ohibf office-; ho was not freo from blamo, and should be' made to bear a proportion of the costs; and; is to tho seoond officer, there did not seem to be. any special blame attributable to bim further than that he hod pointed out m his general remnrka. fhe Court resorved judgment until Mon-. day. , it was stated, possibly as a joke, that Mr Hoskoth was about to flood the Court with witnesses to prove that it was impossible to float the sl»ip off tho rooks of Tiritiri, but the faot thab at this time the Triumph had been doa ted off and was then safely riding at acohor m -jJie harbor rendered such evidence unnecossaijy and worso than useloae. It is but fair,, howev or, to state that Mr Hesketh deniet. having liad any intention of producing suot evidouce. Mr Praser antioipatos that the Triumph will bo ready for docking within a month from this present time. It has boun deoidod she will bn plaoed m the Auckland dock, but it is well known tht.t it will require to bo enlarged fos , tho purpose, and as yet no conclusion has been arrived at as to the best method of gottuig over the difficulty. Among numerous | suggastioim which havo been mado with roferonco to tho ropairing nn<l refitfani; of tho JPriumph ono has omanated from Mv Fishov, the ohiof engineer of the vessel. Ho approves of the eroohon of a coffer dam at the mouthof the dock, giving it an additional length : of about.. 30£t. The vessal, he says, should be plaoed m dock, and when tho water has been pumped out an inspection of damages should l>o made, and drawings prepared showing the oxaot oxtont of breakage m the vessel's bottom. ' The forward compartment having been -worn out through concussion with tie rooks at Tiritiri, a nnmbbr of large iron plates will lie required for repairs, and it is principally with tho object of replacing thoin that Mi Fisher HUggests that a sketoh should be mndo, for ho is of opinion that they should be procured fro 3i tho builders of tho vegHol. His proposal is that the Triumph should be docked for ten days, which would permit of a thorough examination being made, and that sho should then be floated out and anchored m the stream until the; plates arrive from Honi9, when she could bo »gain placed m dook and madu almost aa good as new. Whether or not the:!e Bugsesticris will bo oarried ont remains t<> bo decided ty Mr Fraser, who is now giving the whole .subject his attention. Tin) ooal oarjro will be tt.ken out immediately. The " list "is caused b;p 200 tons of coal being stowed on tho Htarboor<l side. All the vessel except tho fore hold is kopt dry. The cargo now aboard consists of 200 tons of railway iron and 200 to as of general cargo. It is estimated that tao purchaser hna spent .£2OOO, exoltisivo of the purchase monoy, m saving tho vessel. Her estimated value ia .£60,000.