THE FERRY TRAGEDY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, 31 December 1927, Page 5

THE FERRY TRAGEDY.

JUDICIAL INQUIRY. . INTERESTING EVIDENCE, Presa Ajsdciatiori -Eigetl’ic Telegr;i j ph--Copjrigh > e, SYDNER, Friday. The judicial enquiry into the Greyeliffe disaster' was continued to-day. John Thompson, naval architect, continuing his evidence, said he liad been listening carefully to seo if there was any evidence that the Grcycliffe had turned to starboard, but there was no evidence that she did. [ In reply to a suggestion by Mr Justice Campbell that all observers were otherwise occupied, the witness said: “Yes.” He supposed that the Grey-c-liffe would ultimately have turned to

starboard. In reply to a further question •-Joy counsel, witness 'said that in his opinion forces both of suction and repulsion operated when the Tahiti and Grcycliffe came together. Then, in answer to cross-examination, the witness said his deductions regarding the opcratio.jj of .interaction did not necessarily fail if. the speeds he estimated were found to be incorrect. He 'added that there was ho doubt that the two vessels had been steering practicai.'y parallel courses just before the collision. He was of opinion tha:, the a agio cf the vessels at the point of contact was very slight.

Replying to a question regarding the evidence of the- Tahiti’s engineers as to the engines not being properly warmed up at the time, of the collision, Mr Thompson said that if the engines of the Tahiti took from .10 o’clock in the morning to 4.30 in the afternoon to warm up, they should- be thrown overboard, and the engineers with them. He then criticised the engineers. He said ho had listened to their evidence, “and if they cannot, as they said, say what number of revolutions their engines were doing going out of harbour that afternoon they did not know thenjobs, and were not tit to be engineers on a liner like the Tahiti.”

Ju reply to a further question, the witness said that with the larger type of vessels coming into Sydney Harbour now interaction would take place in almost any part of the harbour. It was quite possible that many mishaps which had occurred opposite Bradley's Head had been due to interaction, although they had been attributed to other causes. James Kidd, engineer, and works manager of Sydney Berries, Ltd., gave evidence that he had no record of any repairs made to the steering gear of the Grcycliffe during the month of October.

Captain Barnes, who was in charge of the Grcycliffe on the day of the disaster, recalled, gave evidence that he felt a wave strike the vessel just before the collision, but in the statement he previously made to the police he made no reference to a wave.

Robert Kaye, naval employee, stated that two or three weeks before the disaster lie went to the Circular Quay wharf to travel to Carden Island by the Watson’s Bay ferry. That day lie travelled by the Greydiffe. After the vessel had gone 200 or 800 yards from the wharf she came back to the wharf and remained there about 20 minutes. He saw the master of the Greydiffe stand on the wharf for a few seconds looking at the stern of the vessel, and then go towards the ferry office. The master returned in about 20 minutes with another man. l’he two conversed while looking at the stern. He overheard part of the conversation. The ferry steamer left the wharf find went backwards and forwards to swing round, and finally left the wharf with the other end first.

Francis Liideck, superintendent of the Watson's Bay ferry service, gave evidence that the master of the 'Greydiffe informed him on August sth that lie thought the rudder-pin had broken, and that lie had gone out from the wharf and found the rudder would not answer. The ferry steamer was then docked, and a new rudder pin fitted, when it was found the old one was broken. Frank Baker, ship 's draughtsman at Garden Island, deposed that on speed calculations he worked out the speed which the Tahiti would have reached at the point of impact was 13.1 knots. The Court adjourned till Tuesday. CORONER ’S : ENQUIRY. SYDNEY, Friday. The coroner's enquiry into the Greydiffe tragedy- has been adjourned till January 9th.. ... ■