NAUTICAL INQUIRY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11717, 6 June 1916, Page 2

NAUTICAL INQUIRY.

THE CASE OF THE OPOURI-

A magisterial inquiry into the caso of the small steamer Opouri, which struck a submerged object off Waipapa Point, Kaikoura, on April 24, when bound from Greymouth to Lyttelton, was opened yesterday before Mr T. A. B. Bailey, S.M., with Captains Hutchinson and Murray.as assessors. Mr Raymond, K. 0., appeared for the Marino Department, and Mr Wright for Captain Pearson, of the Opouri. Mr Raymond said that tho vessel had struck a reck off "Waipapa Point, and had been considerably damaged. There were no soundings shown on tho chart, and no rocks disclosed. Tho spot was a blank space on tho chart. The " New Zealand Pilot," laid it down that blank spaces among soundings indicated that no soundings had , been taken there. Where the surrounding soundings wero deep it could be assumed that there was deop water in tho blank spaces, but otherwise they should bo regarded with suspicion, and a wide berth should ho given to orery rocky shore patch, and instead of considering a coast to be clear unless shown to bo foul the contrary should .be assumed. Arthur Person, able seaman, at present on the Eunice, said that ho had been at the wheel of tho Opouri from about 10 a.m. on April 24, steering, under the captain's .directions. It was blowing half a gale from tho and he was steering south* by west by half west. He felt a bump at about 10.30 a.m., when ho was a mile or a mile and 1 a. half from the shore, and put j the helm hard a-starboard, steering out ' to sea, and proceeded to Lyttelton. The master was on the bridge. ; To Mr Wright-: He had followed the | sea for fifteen years, about ten years '■ on tho New Zealand coast. He had 1 been on various coastal steamers, and was now acting second mato on tho Eunice. There was a heavy sea on, and' it was usual for small boats to hug the shoro in the circumstances. The captain altered tho course about every ten minutes, and shortly before tho i bump he was steering south with WaiPoint almost dead ahead. It was a cl<Sar day, and he saw no- breakers or ! kelp. Tho Opouri had frequently touched on shallow bars. Tho bump i at Kaikoura did not feel like a rock, j Tho ship carried timber, with a d'eck cargo level with the rails, and thero would havo "been danger in steaming further out. '

,Alex. William Bet-hune, Government surveyor of ships at Christchurch, said that he inspected and surveyed the Opouri in dock at Lyttelton. The damage consisted' of tho dintingof Number /3 on the starboard side for its whole length as, well as two adjacent plates. One of the floors in the way of the plato was buckled and fractured, and there was 'other damage. The after end of the keel plato was fractured in two places, and tho keelson was buckled. Six angles were slightly buckled. Two after garboard strake plates were torn away from the stern, and a quantity of cement broken in the ballast tank. Tho repairs were considerable. Ho .put the injuries down to striking the bottom, but not a rock. He thought it might have .been a sand spit or possibly rotten rock. The vessel had been put in first-class order three months previously on her survey.

To Mr, Wright: He could not say that the whole-, of tho injuries were d*ue to the. bump at Kaikoura, but ho assumed they were. _ He had never seen exactly the same kind of injuries. He had seen similar injuries caused through striking a hard rock, but they could have been caused by a hull silted over with sand. / The inquiry was adjourned' till 11 a.m. on June' 26, at Lyttelton.