EL—l5

27

Return of Wrecks and Casualties to Shipping reported to the Marine Department— continued.

Big. tH & » So ■a a M-h Number of j Nature of Number 1 of Lives lost. Place where Casualty occurred. Win Wind. nd. Decision of Court of Inquiry, &c. Name of Master. Date of Casualty. Name of Vessel, also Age and Class. | Passeng gers. Cargo. Casualty. Direction. Force. 1902. Oot. 31 Nov. 9 Jane Douglas, s.s., 27 years Elingamite, s.s., 15 years Jane Douglas, Sohooner 75 9 s.s., 27 years Elingamite, s.s., Schooner 1675 58 15 years Eliza Firth, 8 Brigan- 143 j 8 years tine Aotea, s.s., 6 Schooner 90 | 13 months Athenio, s.s., 1 Sohooner, 7833 124 year 4-masted Sohooner Schooner General Stranded; slight damage 136 General Stranded; total loss Produoe Loss of mast.. None .. Stranded; partial loss 7 General Stranded ; no damage Stranded; slight damage Stranded; total loss 48 Mouth of Hokitika Calm .. Casualty caused by vessel failing to answer her River helm owing to tide catching her bow, and the channel being too narrow and crooked to give room to turn Western King, Tnree .. .: Vessel was going slow when she struck on the Kings Islands Three Kings in a fog. Court found that master was guilty of grossly negligent navigation, and that after the wreck he committed a grave error of judgment in allowing No. 1 boat to leave the ship, and to leave with only half the complement of people the boat was able to oarry. The master and first officer were to blame for not having all the boats properly equipped, and the tackle in proper order, and the orew efficiently exercised in boat-drill. The rafts were abandoned by the boats. Those in the boats should have stood by the rafts as long as possible. The master and officers should have kept both rafts together until a concerted plan of action was arrived at. While returning the certificates of the first and second officers to them, the Court was of opinion that their oonduct was not commendable either in handling the boats or in i leaving passengers adrift on rafts. The Court ordered the certificate of the master to be suspended for one year, and to pay £50 towards the cost of inquiry Queen Charlotte Sound N.W. Hurricane Foremast cut away to save ship going ashore in a gale Lizard Island, Queens- S.E. Moderate Casualty caused through wrong course being land steered. The navigation was handed over by the master to the chief officer, which the Court considered to be by no means desirable. The master's certificate was suspended for three months, and the ohief officer was severely censured for not ascertaining the ship's position more accurately before altering the course to the southward Wellington Harbour .. N.N.W. Moderate j Vessel was proceeding down Wellington Harbour when she took the ground at a place where shoaling had occurred without the knowledge of the authorities. She remained aground between 5 and 6 hours, when she floated off with the rising tide James Jamieson. Ernest Bacot Atwood. 15 25 John Frederick Hansen. Matthew John Bunny. Deo. 11 Charles Howard Kempson.