TAHITI'S CAPTAIN GIVES EVIDENCE ON FERRY WRECK.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18349, 29 December 1927, Page 9

TAHITI'S CAPTAIN GIVES EVIDENCE ON FERRY WRECK.

GREYCLIFFE ALTERED COURSE AND CAUSED COLLISION, HE SAYS.

By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.. Aus. and N.Z. Cable Association. SYDNEY, December 28. The judicial inquiry into the collision between the Tahiti and the ferry steamer Greycliffe in Sydney Harbour on November 3 was resumed before Mr Justice Campbell and two assessors. Captain Aldwell, of the Tahiti, gave evidence that the impact was not felt on the Tahiti, but the Greycliffe appeared to fall to pieces like a barrel. Referring to speed, he said that up to Miller’s Point the Tahiti was doing four knots. Full speed was rung when passing Garden Island. After passing Garden Island, the Tahiti’s course was altered slightly to port, but, just before reaching Garden Island, the course had been altered in order to avoid a navy launch. The Greycliffe was on a parallel cour.se with the Tahiti after passing Garden Island. He thought that the speeds of the Tahiti and the Greycliffe were about the same just prior to the collision. Captain Aldwell estimated that the Tahiti was doing about seven knots and a half. About two cables jiast Garden Island the pilot put the Tahiti a little to starboard. Moment of Collision. Counsel then asked Captain Aldwell what the Greycliffe did then. Witness commenced: “I then saw the Greycliffe ” For a moment he appeared on the point of collapse, but, after resting, said that he felt upset whenever he thought abbut the collision. Captain Aldwell then resumed that he was locking at the Greycliffe and saw her swing to port quite hard. The pilot said, “Good and immediately gave orders. The Greycliffe had swung over not less than four points. The pilot gave the orders: “Hard aport,” “Stop,” “Starboard,” “Full astern.” These were all given practically simultaneously. Witness saw that they were carried out. Witness added to the helmsman, “Put her hard over.” The vessel started <to swing slowly at first. Captain Aldwell said: “She is always like that—slow to start, but when she gets going, she swings like a saucer. A few more moments and the trouble, 'would have been avoided. If the Greycliffe could only have squared up, there would have been no collision.” Witness continued that he heard the first officer order the Tahiti’s boat to be launched,- but he saw plenty of other boats coming up and thought the risk of the Tahiti’s boats overturning would add to the confusion, so he decided not to launch them. Orders for the Tahiti to change over the helm and stop the engines were all given within a minute of the collision, which it was impossible to avoid, as barely half a minute elapsed. It was only a matter of seconds. If the Greycliffe had not altered her course, the Tahiti would have passed the ferry at a distance of approximate]}' a hundred feet.

Speed of Tahiti. Counsel directed witness’s attention to a statement, attributed to him on reaching New Zealand, where he was represented to have said to the police that <the Tahiti was travelling “at a moderate speed, but I cannot say how many knots.” Captain Aldwell, in reply, said that he was very tired when the police interviewed him in Wellington and was taken unawares. He did not intend to tell them how many knots the ship was travelling, as he considered that they would not understand. Witness continued that when he was interrogated by the police in Wellington he had been navigating through a fog for thirty-six hours continuously, and he was not fit to make a statement. After cross-examination, Captain Aldwell, in reply to Mr Justice Campbell as to the reasons that led to the Tahiti being swung to port, said that he thought that that was the only thing to do to attempt to avoid a collision. It was hard to tell what the Greycliffe was going to do after she had swung the way she did. Witness had often thought since that the Tahiti might have avoided a collision if she had kept straight ahead. It would have been a narrow shave, but he thought sometimes that they might have managed it; but that again would have depended upon the course taken by the Greycliffe. Enipiieer’s Evidence. Lawrence M’Murrich, chief engineer of the Tahiti, gave evidence that all the engines and appliances on the Tahiti were in good order. He was unable to give any estimates of speed. It was not possible in harbour to judge the speed of a ship from the speed of the engines. On the day of the collision, the Tahiti was working with two boilers out of commission. The engines were not warmed up by the time the collision occurred and would not have been working to their full capacity until the ship was’ two hours outside the heads. Quartermaster of Tahiti.

Roderick Maclfeod, quartermaster at .the helm of the Tahiti when the collision occurred, deposed that when he saw the Greycliffe he was steering for Shark Island. The Greycliffe was steering a parallel course, and about three minutes before the collision the Greycliffe altered her course to port, about six or seven points. The Greycliffe was close under the Tahiti’s bows when he got the order hard astarboard. The course of the ferry was so altered that she cut right across the course of the Tahiti. At the close of the day’s evidence Mr Justice Campbell offered no objection to an application by counsel that the Tahiti witnesses be allowed to leave with the vessel to-morrow.

Inquest on Victims, The inquest on the victims ; of the Greycl iff e-Tahiti disaster was resumed, but was adjourned till to-morrow.

The 4 Coroner stated that it was impossible to continue both the inquest and the judicial inquiry at once, and indicated that, if the material witnesses from the Tahiti had not completed their eyidence to-morrow, he would not allow them to leave Sydney. lie added that, unless the Union Steam Ship Company gave an assurance that the Tahiti witnesses would be detained in Sydney, he would issue summonses, and they would be detained legally.