THE FERRY COLLISION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 791, 14 April 1910, Page 2

THE FERRY COLLISION.

INQUIRY CONTINUED, WHAT THE PASSENGERS SAW* The official inquiry regarding the cok lision between the harbour steamer* Duchess and Cobar on the night of March- ' 80 was-resumed yesterday morning.'Mtj W. E. Haselden, S.M., presided, and Cap-! tains W. J. Gray and E. Stott sat withy " his as assessors. . .. The Collector of Customs (Mr. C. S.j Nixon) -was present; Mr. P. G. Dalziell' appeared for the Wellington Harbour Perries Co., Ltd., owners of both steam- '" ors; Mr. T. -S. Weston for the Harbour ■ Board; Mr. A. L. Herdman for Captain Williams, of the Cpbar; and Mr. A. Gray' for Captain Jones, of tho Duchess.. The Cobar's Whistles. ' William James Stevens, accountant i» • the employ of the Wellington Gas Com.','-." pany, was called by Mr. Herdman. He said ho was on-the Cobar at the'time of the accident. He was sitting on thai, lower deck close to the engine-room. He' heard four whistles on the Cobar—one long one and then after an interval three • short ones. ' - ' To Mr. Gray: Ho was absolutely■ certain that two short whistles close; ■ together were not : given. ' The interval be- . tween the long blast and the first "of the three short ones was about 14 or 15 sec " onds. '•' . •' Ilose Whinham, a married, woman re- :... siding in Aro Street, who was a passen- ' ger on the Duchess at the time of the V mishap, said that Captain Jones- came - into the ladies' cabin about'live minutes after leaving Bona Bay, and stayed there ' some.ls minutes. Tho collision occurred .' about .five minutes after that. ■ ',-' ;"A Topic of Conversation." ', Leo jacobsen, manager of the Excelsior Supply' Company, said he was: a'paisen-' ger to Bona Bay .prior to the. accident, and-noticed Captain Jones, who asked . whether any of tho were par« ticular about getting over. to Edna Bay. . that night. They all said "Yes." The captain replied, :"Well, we're not going." Witness's impression, was that, he was a ! little the'worse for drink. His state "was so unusual as'to' cause witness to notice it. He was lurching about ■considerably, and when speaking, he repeated himSelf \ 1 as if he was not clear about what he.was . saying. When they got to Bona Bay-the , Duchess struck thb:Wharf with:a harder". , bang than'usual.'-' . '''.'•." " ."''■ To Mr. Gray: He volunteered to give evidence. It may: have, been ':. Captain Jones's idea of humour to say they were '. not going to Bona.Bay. that' night. •;It . may have been the weather that caused him to lurch. He thought at the-time • that Captain Jones was not properly'in a state to take charge of the ship pn such ', a rough night. He did : not. complain of this ta anyone. 'r To Mr. Haselden: Captain Jones's 'con-. ~ dition was a topic of conversation: , - The If, a captain of a :ves-. '■ sel. can't walk straight, but staggers, I should say ho has gone beyond the' first, stages of intoxication, and is fit for.onlj . on« place—his bunk. This concluded the evidence called.by c Mr. Herdman., . •

i "Perfectjy Sober." ": ~ \ '•' William Henry Napier, gardener, .Ber hampore, called by Mr. Gray, said h'< came from Day's Bay on the Duchess on the night of tie collision. ■ He had some conversation with Captain Jones on the trip, and thought him perfectly sober. The captain took a glass of water, fat some ladies who were unwell in the cabin soon after leaving Day's Bay.- Witness saw the Cobar approaching- before the; collision. He was standing on the starboard . side of the Duchess and the ■ Duchess was- on the starboard side of, the Cobar.' He heard only two short blasts of a whistle-from Hie Cobar. Im>' mediately-after the blasts;", the Cobar struck the Duchess. ■ ; • ; To Mr. Herdman: He heard no whistles on tho Duchess, and she did not appeal ,to give any; ; of the course ■ she iwas taking. They were very close to the' red buoy. - .;:.-.: ■.'-••-.: .■: '• V..- - : ■■ William James Simpson, police iconstable, Day's- Bay,; said he was on the ■ whart at Bona Bay when the Duchess arrived:at 6 p.m., on March 30.. Captain Jones was on the bridge, and brought het' ; alongside very well. - He could see no sign of liquor on Captain Jones. He had known him personally for many years. Witness had gone over to' Day's. Bay from town on the Duchess prior to the collision. . . Cross-examined by Mr. Herdman: He did not speak to Captain Jones that night, and did not see him walking on deck. He did not take any special notice of the captain. " : : Herbert E. Badcliffe, clerk, in the Minet Department, said he heard the. conversation on the Duchess when Captain -Jones':, said they would not go to Bona Bay. • This was a common joke with Captain! Jones. He saw Captain Jones, waikinp. on deck, and saw nothing unusual in his walk., Captain Jones was not under the influence of liquor. To Mr. Herdman: He discussed th»» .incident ;• of the - collision'. afterwards.-1' good-deal, but did not say that Captain Jones'was drunk. It was suggested on the Duchess next morning that Captain* Jones was drunk, and witness then denied it... •:' No.Liquor on Board. Alexander Hall, engineer on the Duchess, recalled by_ Mr. Gray, said he .was .. on board when Captain Jones came abroad at about 2.30 p.m. on March .30. Cap-.-., tain Jones did not leave the'ship be-, fore-7.30 p.ni: There was no liquor, on' board at the. time. Captain Jones was , absolutely sober, and remained so. .:

Hugh Downs/caretaker and wharfinger at Day's Bay, said lie went to Day's Bay on the Duchess's 4.45 trip.- He went aboard the Duchess at 3.45 p.m., and went to Captain Jones's cabin. The captain was sitting there, talking to Hall, the engineer: Witness stayed in the cabin until the steamer reached' Day's Bay Wharf. No liquor was produced or consumed during that time. Captain Jones was sober, and there was not the slight, est indication that he'was under the influence of liquor. . , John Walter Williams, shipping clerk, Muritai, said he was on the Duchess on the trip to the bays prior to the collision. Captain Jones appeared to be quite sober. There was no indication about him of being under the influence of liquor. .' This concluded the evidence. ~• The Magistrate asked whether counsel wished , to. give addresses, Mr. Gray said he only wished to say that when cross-examining Captain Williams, he elicited, as ho thought, a repudiation of any responsibility for the suggestion that Captain Jones was not sober, but after the evidence, of another witness, who said that he had volunteered to Captain Williams to give his evidence, he (counsel) would submit that the responsibility for the suggestion as to Cantain Jones's condition must rest upon Captain Williams. Mr. Herdman: I thank my friend.for that remark. I can. only say that certain evidence was tendered to me—The Magistrate (interrupting)': It would be preposterous,' Mr. Herdman, to supPose that we think you invented such a charge, or that'it was suggested to you through any but the ordinary channels. Mr. Haselden intimated that.the decision would probably be given at 10 a.m. next Monday.