GREYCLIFFE ENQUIRY.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19165, 23 November 1927, Page 9

GREYCLIFFE ENQUIRY.

CAPTAIN CARSON'S EVIDENCE. FERRY-BOAT'S CHANGE OF COURSE. l«T CABLE TRESS UVSTRALIAX AND X.7.. CAP: S ASSOCHTIOS.) (Received November 22nd. S.l" 1 p.m.) SYDNEY. November --- At the GroyclitTo enquiry, t\ip:.r.a Carson, who piloted the Tahiti, ci >»- examined in regard to the positions and speeds i)t' the two steamers, iv.urutvd unit he beluM«M mm it me v..rv>cliuo bad not tutorou the ..ouise -:.* was steering just in".ore tae e^..:>..-, there would have been no eo..;Mou. He said there «us amine d.>".~:'.>-*> for uoth steamers. It Uio i;r>.>».»;;: o tiad Cisco or rovoijoU alter the nh.u ulew two blasts, he did not thm'« '.bee would have been a cciisuii. Asked it be put down the ivl i>;> u to accidental conditions. »r.::oss replied thai be would >;i> iiomr.'i about that. Both he and the rapi.; of the Tahiti were a >h..:i» look-out on the ferry btat. Alter i_i>mg two whistles, he immediately ordered the helm havd-a-starboard and m« Tahiti very quickly swung to port. 1 !;* Tahiti had been ordered lull s;v d ahead and was proceeding under u-.»-o orders until lie ordered thv astern but not at any time d; i h< r speed exceed eight knots. Ste.invi* never got full s|>eed in a harho'.M He did everything possible after the Grvycliffe changed her course to oMaJr, a maximum deflection. At no time di I the position present any danger at a'.t until the Greycliffe suddenly c-h.mc'd her course Ferry steamers ap >roai!'.->l much closer than the Tahiti and \ * Greycliffe were up to the time ti-.a collision. Captain Carson considered there »ji sufficient space and time to meet any reasonable development, and maintainor that the course taken by the CreychtT© was not reasonable. Mr Justice Campbell, who is presiding over the enquiry, here remarked that the action taken bv the Greycliffe was quite incomprehensible. Sle ha<l no right to be on that course at rill. Cecil Sharpe. chief officer of the Tahiti, gave evidence similar to Captain Carson's and produced the ertdne-ro >m and deck logs of the Tahiti in support of his evidence. Sharpe, in reply, to questions, said he did not know what speed the Tahiti was travelling at, but quoted the di- k log entry just before the collision, wVt-Ji showed half ahead for five minutes. Ha expected the speed would be six Kn.»ts. He would not deny that after goir-j full speed for five minutes the Tahiti would be doing thirteen knots.