MARINE INQUIRY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9507, 2 April 1909, Page 3

MARINE INQUIRY.

0 THE WAKATU-STORM COLLISION. A magisterial inquiry into the circumstances of the collision which occurred between Messrs Levin and Co.'s steamer Wakatu and the Canterbury Steamship Company's steamer Storm on the night of March 25 was held at Lyttelton this morning. Mr H. W. Bishop, S.M., presided, and had with him as assessors Captain Delmer and Captain Mahon. Mr T. W. Stringer, K.C., appeared for the Collector of Customs; Mr.F. K. Hunt appeared for the owners of the Storm, instructed by Messrs Beswick and Harris, and for the officers of the Storm ; Mr T. G. Russell appeared for the owners of the Wakatu. Mr Stringer opened the proceedings by calling evidence: Nicholas Wood, master of the Storm, produced his. certificate. The Storm left Lyttelton on the afternoon of March .25 for Wanganui, clearing the Heads about 4.20 p.m. The weather was fine, with a light nor'-wester. He steered N. by E:* E. Having set tho , course he handed the ship over to the second officer, who kept charge till 6 p.m. The chief officer relieved him, and the second took charge again at •8 p.m. Witness was on the. bridge deck about 8.30 p.m., and at that time, the weather was 'still fine, the sea smooth, and the proper lights were burning clearly. He then turned -in. He was aroused by the second officer's voice calling "Keep clear," or something of the. sort, and at once got up. The collision occurred before he got out of the room. It was about 9 p.m. The second niato told him a vessel had run into the Storm's starboard quarter. He could see nothing on the starboard side, but, going to the port side, saw the Wakatu coming from under the stern. ' The engines were stopped, arid the damage was examined. The after bulwarks were stove in and the steering gear jammed. The blow had been right on the starboard quarter. As soon as tho steering gear had been cleared the ship returned to Lyttelton. The lights were still burning. He saw the Wakatu's mast head-light, but did not notice her other lights. Tho damage amounted to £150 or £200. To Mr Russell : He did not take a bearing when he came on deck, but she was heading about N.W., arid the Wakatu was heading about S,W, pr W.S.W. Her proper course would have been S. by W. * W. To Mr Hunt: The second officer was in charge, J. Almond was at the wheel and Mulaney was look-out, and all were at their posts when he came on deck, and all were fit and able to do their duty. The second mate was a good .reliable man, and a thorough seaman. Almond and Mulaney were both good, steady men. He did ntot hear the mate/ give any order before the collision, or whistle. John Archibald Fraser, second officer of the Storm, produced a master's certificate, and' said he had been on the Storm for a month. After taking charge at 8 p.m. he was steering N. by E. i E., the sea and weather being calm. At 8.30 p.m. he sighted a steamer's mast-head light one and a quarter points on the starboard bow. Sho was showing her green light, and running on about the reverse course, so that the two were approaching on parallel courses: The two would have cleared by about half, a mile if the courses had been kept. He did not change his course. When she got about three or four points on the starboard bow, the other steamer ported, opening the port light and showing . both. No whistle or other signal was given. At that time he did not think there was a risk of collision. When she was getting close, he called telling the other, boat to keep clear, and then ordered the helm hard-»-starboard and jumped to the wheel himself to help. Whether the other vessel altered her course again he could not tell. The Storm was struck on the starboard quarter, the Storm being by that time heading about N.W. and the Wakatu about S. W. Pr westerly. The lights of tho Storm were all bright and~clear, and he had seen the Wakatu's lights just before the accident. The Storm was going full-speed, eight knots, and speed was not slackened. He attributed the collision to the carelessness of the Wakatu in porting her helm under the circumstances. He did not think it necessary to blow the whistle, and heard no- whistle from the Wakatu. He complied with the regulations. To" Mr Russell ; The Wakatu did what would have, been right if she had been on the»" Storm's port bow, and also if the steamers had been ahead of each other. That is, if the Wakatu had seen the Storm's red light, she did right. The Wakatu did not change her course till she was clear and safe in going on past the Storm, and was certain she did nb*t steer across the Storm's bo^rs to go to starboard of her^ and the Storm did not then steer out towards her. To Mr Hunt: He had not room to port tfie helm and avoid the Wakatu ; he did the only thing possible. He had considered the Wakatu wanted to speak to Mm, otherwise he might have changed his course earlier. James Almond, who had the wheel, and Patrick Mulaney, who. was lookout man on the Storm, gave corroborative evidence as to $he relative positions of the vessels and. as to the occurrence of the collision. James Wills, master of the Wakatu, said the steamer was coming from Kaikoura to Lyttelton, and from 8 p.m. the deck was in charge of %hd mate. The course was S. by W. * W. He was below, and knew nothing of the collision till he heard and felt the shock. On going on deck he could only see an object on the starboard side. The bows of the Wakatu were stove in, about five feet of the stern and some plating being knocked away. The value was between £150 and £200. The Wakatu and Storm came on to Lyttelton. "" «, To Mr Stringer: Mr M'lntyre, the mate; had been with him eight or nine months and was quite trustworthy, and the steersman was trustworthy. To Mr Hunt : The Wakatu had. a full deck cargo of sheep of about 200. The mate was not supposed to have to look after the sheep, but only, to keep an eye on them, and he did riot think h© ever left th© bridge at night. He did not know what course the Wakatu was on when he came on deck. The mate got no premium for bringing the sheep in in good condition. Archibald M'lntyre, mate of the Wakatu, said he steered the given course, S. by W. % W., till close to the Storm. The two steamers were approaching each other end on, or as nearly so as possible. He never saw the Storm's green light, but "about three-quarters of a mile off he saw the Storm's red light, and gave orders to port tne Helm. - On looking again at the Storm, he saw that she was coming across the Wakatu's bows, having altered his helm. A collision being imminent, he ordered the helm hard-a--starboard, and the Wakatii struck the starboard quarter of the, Storm. He did not sound his whistle when he shifted his helm the first time, and when lie starboarded there was not time to whistle. He was not on the starboard bow of the Storm, but was a point and a quarter on -the port bow. Mr Bishop: That's usually the casej one says one thing, one ftie other, and the only conclusion to come to is that they're both colour-blind. Thomas Stuperich, A.B. on the Wakatn, said that he did not seethe green -light of the Storm at any time, but saw the red light on the port bow. and kept on his course until the red light was about .a quarter of a mile off. . To Mr Russell : The masthead light

appeared first on tho starboard boWjbut when tho red light was opened, it was on tho port bow. The Wakatu was not going under the Storm's stern to speak her. The collision could not be avoided, and she struck the quarter. i The look-out man was looking after the 3 sheep on deck. Carl Turnblom, look-out man or the Wakatu, said jthat he could say nothing of the circumstances. Although being on the look-out, he could not see ahead because of the donkey-boiler ; and. when the collision occurred he was looking after the sheep. , No further evidence was offered, and the Court retired for a short period. Mr Bishop, in delivering the finding, said it was extremely unsatisfactory to ■ find, the evidence so contradictory, cc- ; pecia'lly when there was such contradiction, as to establish beyond doubt that one side or the other was lying. There could be no mistake about some of the contradictions, and, therefore, there must have been deliberate intention to mislead the Court. It was im- ■ possible in this case to gauge the extent of the lying. * The questions put to the > Court .were:— (l) ■•"Whether the vessels were seaworthy and properly found, especi- : ally as regards lights required by the regulations? Answer,.— Yes. (2) Generally, what caused the collision? Answer.—Errors of judgment on both sides. In the case of the Storm by the officer in charge- of the bridge starboarding, and so attempting to cross the .Wakatu's bow; by his .not stopping the engines, and not sounding the whistle when altering his course. In the case of the Wakatu, by the officer starboarding the helm; by not stopping tho engines and going full speed astern, and not^ sounding the whistle when first altering his course. 3. In particular, whether the collision was due to the negligence or wrongful act of any person on either vessel, and what was the nature of such negligence ? This question was answered by the reply to No, 2. , 4. Whether th© collision could have reasonably been prevented, , and by what means? Answer : Yes ; by , strictly observing the rule of the road. - Continuing, Mr Bishop said that the ] assessors and he considered that the ' look-out was . regarded practically as a farce on such; vessels^, and they did not think that anything could be traceable to the lack of a proper look-out, and that as the deck officers had to tako what' they were supplied with in that way, the owners, and not the officers, were more responsible in regard to th© look-out. As it was clear that the collision was due to default on both sides, the only way of bringing home the necessity for a proper regard of the rules was to make each side pay its own cosfes. In each case, therefore, the officer in charge of the deck would he ordered to pay a moiety of the costs. The certificates would be returned to all parties. ■ ■i ; ! \■ ■'