STRANDING OF THE WILLIAM MISKIN.

West Coast Times, Issue 290, 28 August 1866, Page 3

STRANDING OF THE WILLIAM MISKIN.

The official enquiry into the circutoDtances which attended the stranding of the s.s. William Miskin, was held yesterday before his Worship the Resident Magistrate, Mr Patten, Collector of Customs, and Captain Moore.

William Black, the first witness called upon, deposed that he was a Master Mariner, and held a certificate of competency from the Marine Board of Singapore. He recollected the 18th of August, 1866, as on that day he was on board the William Miskin in the capacity of acting ( -Master, her usual commander, Captain Hepburn, being detained in Dunedin through sickness. Witness stated that the Miskin is a British ship, and her official number 32,479! Her owners are the Dunedin Steam Shipping Company, of Dunedin. Her port of registry is Dunedin, and her registered tonnage 11 5-13. About noon on the 18th August she arrived in the Hokitika roadstead, from Dunedin via the Bluff. There was a 'light wind blowing, from the West, and the. day was fine and clear. , There wks not much sea on^ but a dead roll in at timeß. it was high water that day at two or half past two p.m. No attempt was made to enter then, but a signal was made for a pilot and answered from the flagstaff, followed by an enquiry concerning the Miskin's draught of water. Eight feet was the reply ; and we then asked what water was on the bar, which was answered by, " I'll send you a pilot." We then stood out to sea for an hour or two, and in the meantime the Lioness ran out with a small vessel in tow. Both the pilot and harborthaster were on board the former. A boat was then lowered by the Miskin, and sent to the Lioness, and after an absence of about twenty minutes, returned with the pilot and Mr Royse (of lloyso, Mudie & Co). M'Gill (the pilot) when he came aboard went upon the bridge, and witness followed and asked him what water was on the bar, to which he replied, " plenty : we had twelve feet coming out with the Lioness, and the channel was first rate.' ' tn reply to his question, witness (after consulting wijh the engineers,) informed the pilot that in a few minutes there would be Steam 1 enough to get under weigh _ with ; and as soon as the word was passed to him, the pilot told the man at the wheel to

keep her away. "-• -i o}, ou t threeBy the Kench — we w«v *--> (ruartefs. bi; a mile, off the" bar at the pme; which was 'between two and three o'clock. Her caurse wHs shaped for tho bar, the acting Chief Officer, Julius Schuler being helmsman, (another man was standing by ready to assist at the wheel, should his services be needed). On getting pretty close to the bar, witness asked M'Gill whether the two shore beacons should not be kept in line, and he answered, "Yes," upon which foitngss remarked, that they were anything but in line then.. The pilot replied, that jbhe vessgl was going right for the channel. , Witness issued strict injunctions to the helmsman to be careful, and the first twb or three seas were passed ip safety. The beacons were then open a Jong t way to the north, and witness told ■Jhe pilot: the steamer must &o ashore. Presently she thumped on the North Spit and stuck there. Whilst running in the lead was kept going, and outside the break three fathoms of water was found ; inside, two fathoms, then eight feet and six feet. The pilot tried to head the vessel out, and complained that she would not steer, and witness said no wonder, considering she is hard and fast by the heel. Presently the current caught her on the port bow, "and ivas paying her head right out to sea; when the pilot ordered the jib to be set, and the sheet hauled to windward, which drove her back upon the spit. The pilot declared she was ,all right and would soon get off, and commenced to set the mainsail, but hauled it down again, as it merely hardened the steamer upon the beach. Her engines were going ahead full speed the whole time ; but at this juncture of affairs the pilot ordered the engines to be reversed, which was done, and full power given them. This change was productive of no good, but rather seemed to , drive tier higher up, so they were again stopped and turned ahead, but in the meantime the tide had ebbed considerably, and the vessel was nearly high and dry.

By the Court — I did not observe whether* thfe semaphore m the flagstaff was at faork or not 515 1 looked several tithesj but tne arms were not then moving. The pilot had charge bf the vessel when she w,as coining in, ibv when he stepped tin board, he told -me that he would , take Command, and, I Tecognised him, as an kutnoriied. pilot. Besides himself no, other person on board gave any orders. I consider that the vessel was stranded through not being kept in the channel, as ho (the pilot) failed, to, keep the beacons in a line* Sfce bad a general cargo on .board. By Mr Patten— Ah attempt wag made to get the vessel off after she was discharged, but without success : she afterwards worked higher up on the beach. Since then continuous attempts to move her have been made, but all failed to do So. TJie Miskin is a lively boat, and answers her lieim readily. .It was between two and three o'clock in the afternoon whenshe stranded. Julius Schuler deposed he was a seamen, and chief mate of the Wm. Miskin on her trip from Dunedin. Holds a chief mate s certificate of competency from the Danish Board at Copenhagen. He remembered the pilot M'Gill boarding the Wm. Miskin on the 18th inst. She was then about one mile from the bar, the time being about half-past two. The day was fine and clear, with a light S.W. breeze. When the pilot came on board, he ascended the bridge, and asked if all was ready for running in. He took charge of the vessel. Witness was forward then, clearing the anchor, but was afterwards called upon to take the wheel, as he has been accustomed to steer her during the last year or two. About two minutes elapsed between the pilot's boarding her and when witness was called aft to the wheel. The pilot then gave orders to " go on ahead," and the bar was steamed for. Witness asked him whether the two beacons were to be kept shut, and he said yes. The pilot remained at his post on the house whilst she was running in, and . directed witness by his gestures. Just before getting into the break, witness seeing the beacons very much lout, ported his helm to shut them, when the pilot • shouted " starboard." Did not obey the order at first, but a minute ailerTvwda U# ftgain gave it, and it wv tlww

obeyed, and the pilot said, v Steady as you go, she is all right." In a minute or two the steamer struck upon the North Spit, just in&ide the bar. Ran the jib up as she was sluing , seawards, but it was afterwards hauled down and the mainsail s"et, without, however^ moving her, as she was hard and fast, astern, and would not steer. Shortly after the sea left her high and dry, and at half-past three all hope of getting her off that tide was given up. Arrangements were made to discharge cargo, which was landed by midnight in good condition. Since then frequent attempts have been made to move tho vessel, but without success.

By Mr Patten — Whilst we were running in I did not observe that nny signal was made to 1 us on shore.

By the Bench — The William Miskin Steers excellently ; no vessel could steer better.

.At this stage of the proceedings the enquiry was adjourned until 2 p.m. to-day.