WRECK OF THE EDITH MAY.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11606, 4 August 1892, Page 2

WRECK OF THE EDITH MAY.

MAGISTERIAL ENQUIRY. The court resumed at 10 o'clock yesterday morning. Alexander Chambers, mastor of the S.S. Stormbird, having been duly sworn deposed that he had been trading to this port for 10 years in both steamers and sniling vessels. He left this port at 8 o'clock on July 23, bound for Wellington and crossed the bar at 8.30. The weather was overcast and there was a heavy swell, the wind was blowing fresh from the south and increasing in strength. After he passed Kapiti the Wind was blowing strong from the S.S.W. He had to put a sail on his vessel and beat along the shore. Tho Edith May when he passed was on good holding ground, but he considered that with the wind increasing as it was the captain should have been thinking of putting to sea. He thought a captain anchored where the Edith May was should have everything prepared to go to sea. By Captain Adams — If a spring had been attached to the cable before dark, that would have insured the vessel canting in the right direction. It was one of the necessary precautions sailing vessels in roadstesds should take when dirty weather threatened. He thought most masters would come up .from below and have a look at the weather, between the hours of 10 p.m. and 4.30 a.m. By Mr Marshal— He thought the cap-; tain was doing his duty when he went to bed having told the officers .of the watch to keep a strict watch and to call him if any change occurred. If ho (witness) thought there were any doubt 3he should go and look, but not if his mate came and reported that there was no change. There wt,s a smart wind blowing when he passed the Edith May. At times there was a lull, followed by strong gusts, and he took it that n stiff wind was coming. Although there was very little wind he thought ther& were quite sufficient indications of bad weather, and if he had been anchored in the roadstead 3 miles from shore he should have had a line ready to put on the chain according according to which ever way tbe vessel should slew. Storms were very local about tho straits, and although there was a strong wind blowing 16 miles out at sea it might be comparatively calm 3 miles from Bhore. From tho state of tho weather ho should have expected the pilot to signal to tho Edith May before dark to put to sea. Of course in making his forecasts witness had tho advantage of Captain Rdiviu's report, which Captain Joss had not, though Captain Irvine had. Captain Joss was in a good position for picking up a steamer, but he did think he was justified in lying there after tho wind freshened with witness was at 6.3.0 p.m. The fact that Captain Joss had sea watches on that night wns an indication that hq was taking proper precautions. A S.E. wind, well off the shore, was a good ono to enable him to getaway Tho Stormbird was very lightly ladoil that night, and tho engine was racing very much j the i.md was not heavy it was the sea that was he ivy. That was ?! ) i 0 -l!, t ? T 45 ' a , vA {t W<l? afWr leaving the kdith May that the wind increased. This closed tho evidence brought by Mr Elliot, collector of custcms. Mr Marshall then called Arthur Irvine, pilot at Wanganui. Ho said there was no wind at all on Friday on Saturday morning there was just a slight broezo from the S.E. This continued all day but thero was nothing to raise a soa. Thero was no sea up to 630 and he did not think it necessary for the

captain totakea'-j v ..usual precautions, otherwise be should have signalled him. There was little or no difference in the weather with -witness until 1.30 or 2.20 on Sunday morning, and so far as he could tell there .was nothing all I;hat night, to necessitate extraordinary precautions '. on the part of. the captain. Masters lying in the roadsteads might or might not be in tbe habit of putting- springs on their anchor chains, be could not say what the practice .was, but he had neTer heard < f it being done in the Wanganui roadstead. By His Worship;— Looking at the state ' of the "weather during that night ho could •not could not explain why she should • drag her anchor, but he did not believe she bad done so; he believed yet that the chain had parted. If she had dragged it must have been occasioned by the sea, ■ and not by the wind. He thojght it his ' "duty to tell the vessels before dark to go ' to.Bea, if he thcvight it necessary. After dark a captain must depend uponhia own discretion • entirely.. - He had. no lights to ■ "signal-to a ship at sea .atmght, which .most of the masters knew, . ."■ George Turner Joss, sworn, said, that .fiis experience as to putting a spring on "the cable was that if they were getting leavy enough weather to cause them to Blip the anchor, and had any reason to think that tho vessel's head would not pay off-shore, when everything was ready for slipping they would put the spring on, 'passing it along on whichever side it would be required to cant her head. If ,a spring was put on, oven .only for a tow minutes before it was wanted, it might be found when the ship's head needed canting that the spring was on the wrong side. It would then takejonger to pass it round the other side than it would to put; another spring on the right side. He ■.thought it a ridiculous, thing to put a spring on in the early part of the evening, as it WbS impossible to tell on which side it would be wanted. He did not think it was" a common thing for masters of vessels to put springs- on, and he did not believe any master would have thought of putting a spring on before dark on Saturday night. He had everything ready, and if he had considered it necessary to pnt. the spring on at any time during the night, before she began to drag, it. could easily have been done. • By His, W ors hip— He had visited many open roadsteads, but he had only had one - other occasion to slip his anchor, and that was at Wanganui. When he .wao an ■ apprentice,- in the City, of Perth, 10 years ago,- they had occasion at Timaru to slip their anchors. The vessel was lost with .. 14 'lives. [Witness here detailed the method employed in attaching a spring to the cable.] He attributed tbe loss of the vessel to his not being able to get the . ' sail'set in time to pay hef off. Had he been called a quarter of an htmr sooner in. all probability the vessel would now have been at sea. James 'Ryan, master of the s.s. Manawatu, having been duly sworn, said he had been trading at this port as master for four years. He often found that it was 'calm near and about Wanganui, whikt a storm was blowing 20 miles out at eea. He waa at Wanganui on Friday, the 22nd, -when the' weather was quite calm. B c did not think it was necessary for Captain Joss to -take extraordinary precautions if the weather was fine and clear on Saturday night. If tbe weather was anything like.threatening he should get under' weigh,' and not remain and put a spring on the cable. Very often, however, strong winds from the S.E. were not much- felt' iv tho Wanganui roadstead, and vessels could hold on a long ' time. He had never heard of anyone putting a spring on.tbe cable hours before it was needed. -> By Captain Adams— lf the weather looked threatening before dark he should not trust to a spring, but he should put to sea at once. - By Mr Elliott-<-Often at sea they got a gale, but they did not invariably get a gale after a, swell, Mr Marshall then addressed the Court on behalf of Captain Jobs; The Court reserved judgment until Friday next. The Licensing^ question has caused a great stir among the people, and so has Campion and Co.'s Pure Ceylon Tcuib, -- People who have used them will at once ' tell you that thay are the best value obtainable. — Advt.