THE KAPUNDA COLLISION

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1568, 26 May 1887, Page 3

THE KAPUNDA COLLISION

The Kapunda judgment w_ll come as a surpriae to many people (observes the "St Jamr.' Budget"). All the world knowß that the Kaputda and 3GO lived were lost m consequence o.' a collision with the Ada Melmore, The Court has now found that the Ada Meimore usuclly burned no light . at night, did not take on board a. r.fß .fable supply of lamp-oil at ihe.co-n---mencement of* a voyage, and on the night m question either hed no lights at all or at least had them so badly trimmed as to bi pactically neeles.. Farther, that the Kapunda was Iv no way whatever to blame for tae collision, which wes o.ueed by a " most unseamanlike act" on the part of the first c facer of the Ada Mcl more. On these findings, the Court has sentenced the master to step down during two yeara frora the grade of captain to that of fiiat officer, and has declined to deal at a'l with the first officer's certificate I As to the latter cjbo, the Court, we are told, "always deals lenient' y with errors, especially m the oase of danger." If a Board of Trade certificate only m.anß that an c ffi.cr is competent to walk the deck m fine weather, certainly there can be no grounds for suspending it ; but it is usually understood to imply more than this. Bnt m the case of the captain we confess we are startled to find that groES neglect of duty, resulted ln the loss of 303 lives, can be let off bo cheaply. Would anyone have considered this an adequate sentence on a railway signalman who, through I. z!nes3 or carelessness had left ha signal-lamp unlit.