HARBOUR COLLISION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 790, 13 April 1910, Page 6

HARBOUR COLLISION.

'// MAGISTERIAL INOtUIiIY. ' /;;/ EVIDENCE. : ,'-..■'■ '/.TW inquiry into the circiimstarices 'of; /ffie collision, .botweenf.tho ~ ferry : steamers, Duchess ■ and . Cobar, on ij'Uio. night of March-.30,. was continued •fosterday' before Mr. ;W. R.. Haselden, 7 ; S;ir.,''find 'Captain W. J. Grey.and Captain E.'/Stott, (assessors). '.'"'.'"' ','•■ - ; v'';. ,The£Collector -; of /Customs, '-Mr.. C.'/S. :.::'. ; {Nixon,-' was present ;:_Mr. P. G. Dalziell : appeared for the Wellington, .Harbour i/Ferries, Ltd., owners of both ferrysteamy.:_"V«rs;:.Mr.: T; s/ Weston for, the Wellingsion. Harbour Board; Mr. A. L.'Herdman ' ; sfor Captain Williams, of tho-Cobar; and ■'■■■/'■Mr. A. ; Gray, for Captain Jones, of.the. :..'■•: Duchess. .< ■ ' :■...,''' ". ■/;' ' ."". - /:.:... On the first 'day of ■ the,inquiry/(Mon- ■ day),; tie • evidence of the" two captains had Been heard. Their statements were ,'at variance .'in .regard to the courses steered, and in regard to the position of the' vessels: immediately prior' to the .collision. Captain Jones was submitted ;• . *°. severe cross-examination as''.'to/'his ■ condition on the night of the mishap, and lie denied emphatically that, he, was ttn<3er. the influence; of liquor. "The. man-' ~.'. ager of the Ferry Company stated that ■the only insurance, on the vessels was a : ; /policy'for..64ooo"(fire only) on the Cobar. The damage.'done to the Cobar, "he said, .would probably cost..£lso or .£2OO to re- ;■ pair;' and,the Dnchess was damaged to '-~,' the' extent' of about J625. ' ' .' Observations of Passengers. / ■■:■'■■ John Peter .Wells, mate of the Duchess, .was the first witness called. .-He, described • steered by the Duchess, denying that she was well ■up towards Somes Island, and stating that she passed within .'■•'. Sp'^'P-S.-fengthv.of:--.the; buoys, at Point ~>HaJsweU and Point Jerningham. .Albert Flood York, auctioneer, was . galled by Mr. Herdman. He stated that '■ . fhe, was a passenger on the 'Cobar oh.the. might of-the accident. While standing ; r (under the bridge, he saw that the Duchess Pis-roming straight; at the- Cobar, as if stake her on the port' bow and cut ; <ner m , two. The Cobar altered her ,g>urse ) , an dthe -Dnchess just missed col- . Idmg with the.Cobar, which'":struck the a sliding blow. The Cobar then msido the red buoy. : He con- . flidered that a serious accident was only the prompt action of Cappain .Williams, in stopping the Cobar -V tod: bringing, her head i-ound-to port--A .deck hand on the' Duchess, Alfred .fcrroom,. stated that, on the trip during ,-;, which .the collision took place, he was at. the Ward Island and ; goint Halswoll..-He was then relieved "■'' ET VW™ n Jones, :whowas quite sober, ghe never took a course out near ~.:Somes Island, and on this trip she passed jtte buoys at Point HaUwell and Point ; tferningham. about a ship's length away. ??i I .,';engiheer--oh tW . that, after passing Point fferningham, he felt the .bump of the : Sf^ lo^i. aild reived the'order.to "Stand : " £S J' T^ 6 v v ? sel ' was ■' travelling at a epeed, of-about,nine knots.; - .

•Vy : ; K-- "^PWn-Jones was Sober."'. ,■•' "'<■ fW k?' -k D J ?°,5-«amination,, admitted "■■■-■ -Ss-'fc : J ad !,t °i d .-:.Jnngle.'and Hellsten;, "•'■'' 1»£ i, J!f d - s T * he Cobar ' * hilt ' "tbo' skip! '-■■■■■■ ?&' «.i" ,B ?r ? on !, D P t"' the'wheel -hi fore'th*: collision." .He could say post ;,.^y% a t : Captain Jones was sober that '•■'■'■ ' o A ™s-'Audrey,' '"ah employee' at Day's ,'-. Bay Pavihon stated.&ht s£e was a pE '■■•' SL"t - the ' Dnc H ss - She spoke- to' '*?£ taI ?, JoII6S dnwhom there was no "" -'ST of **%!• The Wore KO- - : ;IUB. on to the upper deck, was in the -. ; *abm, amusing some children. ;-,.... "Does She Not See Us?" ■.-•■;■■ John^HeUsten, leading.' deck hand of ■_..- deposed, .that he-steered the 2^. ; .takin ? oa^onrse' from the' whir! ■; 40-inside_Pojnt Jerningham, .thus alloweny., Ihe Duchess, which was ; plainly '■• Tf s ?°^ as - the V 0 tn rned out :,'.•.. from the wharf, approached;on the port ■ V: 'S?S , ' ; t ■t can ' e -?^ tt l' oloS6 i ;m 'i witness ',■.■-■■ *"# ■*%** captain, -"Does she-;not see .:,.- Os? ..The green.sidelight of the Duchess v^r' 0 ' 116 Cobar,- which showed tttat t tHe Duchess was coming from'the y direction of Somes Island. It was a fair •".;.■.' assumption that. the Duchess had just •■'■■ tnrned in towards Oriental Bay, to hug the shore. . It occurred to him that a ": .. collision might occur if the vessels, con•tinued on their courses, 'neither giving

'"■ - HaseloW Did you-give way?— Witness: ..1 had:no orders to do so" Hellsten continued that, as.the' Duchess came Captain .Williams blew a Jong blast of the whistle, and witness .without receiving any order from the captain, helm hard over to star'board. He did this because, had he not faltered; the course, the Cobar would have .Jeen.cut mtwo. The helm was about m °^ er whe n the impact occurred. 'Yi M r v Herdman the witness said that ■ : the Duchess, as ..'she. approached, was •coming across the v Cobar's bows, and she gave no warning., On occasion,: he had ceen the Duchess, coming -acrossthe harJbovr, showing first her red' and second ner preen light,; apparently, without: any leason for'her changing course. If either vessel had given way, when, they were only 20 .yards" apart, they, could .have [passed in safety. \ .The Duchess might ■"haye passed on the port 6ide.\

-: A' Mark Against Captain, Williams, j.A* I ni S' stage,, the president of the .■Court'remarked that, in his mind, there .jas. a: mark. against Captain Williams' ■for .not having given orders to his steersman..." ,'■ .-■•. :.-.;-.. '..Asking directions as/to the calling of i-oertaih witnesses, Mr.. Nixon '■■ was ■■ injformed by : Mr; Haselden>that'the r m'em--tiersof the:Court:had'come back to the •opinion, which-, they ■ had tentatively lohned at the ..beginning,.thai the whole •crux, of (he' inquiry was 'in regard to "the ..position ■ of 'the .ships, say-, half •-a ,minute or a minute'before the- collision. [Ml the rest was. beside- the Question. On •the- matter of .the positions of the vessels the, Court had two' divisions of witnesses' whose" statements were' diametric-i-ally opposed to each other. -O'Rooney, 'engineer . of the iCobar, said that he received the orders by," and "Full speed astern." The engines had made 20 revolutions when the order came "Slow ahead.". While the engines were going , astern, the bump of the collision was ■felt. ■ The 20 revolutions astern would 4oke a; quarter'of; the vessel's way'off.' "•" \.Lady"Passenger Smells Liquor. May Carte, of Muritai,-stated-that she travelled as ,a passenger from Rona Bay ~ with- her mother in the Duchess that night. She,smelt liquor, on Captain ''■Jones, who- spoke to her on the lower deck. He went en to the .upper deck about two minutes before the collision occurred. In a conversation afterwards, Captain Jones told her that he was on the bridge only a couple of minutes before the accident occurred.

"'■ s Mr. Gray:.You saw nothing.peculiar in Captain Jones's manner or gait? Yon '. .had just a "whiff" o£ liquor?— Witness: ■ "You might call it a 'whiff.'" (Laugh- '' ter.)'-' Apart from that, he,was the eame old Captain Jones ?—"Yes, 1 he was as jolly •' as usual." ■ '. ■■ ■' Robert Pringle, second hand on- the :.'..' Cobar, also described the collision. Mr. Nixon • intimated that this conelnded the evidence called by the Marine Department. Mr. Herdman' then pro- ';■"■ eeeded to call evidence. . Captain 1 Williams's Case. ■ Thomas-J. .Chapman, an employee of the Dresden Piano Company, and a< passenger on the Cobar on .the night of : the collision, stated that, after the Cobar , had sounded a long blast of the whistle, he saw the Duchess, with her green light showing, bearing down towards the Cobar. She appeared to be making right, in-shore, and was about to cross the Cobar's bow. Had the Cobar continued I on her course,' she would have . been i struck' amidships by the Duchess and : probably cut in two. In his opinion, it was Captain-.'.Williams's, prompt action that saved "therii from a very serious- accident. , . Kenneth. - M'Kenzie, an employe© of

Kirkcaldie and Staines, Ltd., who was a passenger on the Cobar, gave particulars of the positions of the vessels as/they approached each other. .This evidence was supplemented by another passenger on the Cobar,'Peter Doyle," aVgWcer in the W.F.C.A; . ;; ~'';■ ..'.'A.Peculiar/Manner." ■ Howard Collins, art student, of Rona Bay, stated'.'that he .'was-a passenger' on the. Duchess on tho trip, to'; Rona Bay before the' accident. 'Captain Jones came along the deck, pust-.whtrc ho .was sitting, and, from..the'manner in which the cantain addressed' the company;-, he considered that he, was under thei'innuence of liquor. He added' that, his.Vimpression that Captain Jones .was.t/djrjink, might have, been caused ■merely';,by.,:his peculiar manner. ■'. -' ■■•-•!':' : .... ''•%■ . Robert Lorimer Button, 'employed by Messrs. E. W. Mills and Company, and a resident of Rona Bay,? stated that, on the trip of tho Duchess', prior to the collision, he was sitting with ;Mr Kersley. : Mr. Herdman: Did .'.Captain Jones sneak to vou?—Witness: "He did.";' .'. .What .was his..'condition ?—'fMy opinion, Mr Herdman, is- Jones was' under the"-infiuence -of liquor. I ani very'sorry to.' say" it,;;but Jhat is my honest, opinion." . ."'.' ,' Have you : any doubt •in your mind about it?—" Not the least ' doubt. If there were any doubt, ■:!' should be only too ready to- give it to. .Captain Jones. He kept repeating himself, and. asked us if' W'considered'it 'would "be 'wise 'for him to go to Rona Bay tha 1 - night." What about his. gait ?-"He was rolling .about.".'. : ' . ", You are making allowances for the roll of the ship ?—"Oh, yes. And after he left us, he 'rolled' along the deck to where a Chinaman was sitting, and addressed hini in the same manner, asking_ what I considered to ho silly questions." ' Witness' said' that Captain Jones was on the deck for a full .five -minutes talking to himi'Mr'Zohrab had stated incorrectly., that Captain' Jone s -was not off the bridge ; for more than three minutes on that trip across.. •:. , . ■ >,- Mr Herdman: You have no personal grudge against Captain Jones?— Witness: "No, and I should very much like not to be here, Mr Herdman." How long have you lived on the other side of the harbour ?—'Tor three years." Mr Gray: You say you have no grudge against Captain Jones?— Witness: "No. Well,- you seem anxions to give all the details.-1 tell what I .saw." ■ . You won't give him the benefit of the doubt?—"l think there was no doubt." Do you think he was competent to be in charge of the ship?—"l do not think he was;" ; '' : , Mr Hasslden: Did you. call at Kona Bay?— Witness: "Yes." ■'; . „ ~, „ And made fast at the wharf all right? -"Yes." .." Witness'in further cross-examination said that : he was- astounded at Mr Zohrab's evidence. ■ ; ., ' ~,.,'■ ■ The hearing of other evidence will be continued to-day.' .....';