THE TYRONE ENQUIRY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1876, 9 October 1913, Page 8

THE TYRONE ENQUIRY.

CHARGES FORMULATED. FAILURE TO USE THE LEAD. A FID CHECK MILES RUN. (By TeleersDh—Preea Association.) Dunedln, October 8. The nautical inquiry into tlio losk ol tho steamer Tyrone through overrun ning ]ier course and striking on Wahiiu Point (South of Otago Heads), was coir tinned to-day before Mr. PI. Y. Wid dowson, S.M., and two assessors, Cap. tains Hunter and Sundstrum. Mr. J F. M. FraseT, K.C., appeared for tlu Collector of Customs, and Mr. J. H Hosking, K.C., for the master, Captair M'Lauchlan. Gladwin Parry, second mate of tlx steamer, stated that this was his first voyago on this coast, and, in the absence of tlio master, ho was in soh charge.' The log was put over wlier Akaroa. light was four miles. distant He described events and the course maintained until Moeraki light (the lasl before reaching Otago Heads) was picked up. Ho worked out the ship's offin" from Moeraki light at 17J miles. ' Mr. Fraser: Did you at this sta<»( chart the distance back? . " Witness: A'o. Mr Fraser: Might I suggest that il you had chartcd the distance back k the light and forward you would have known exactly how far you had to go: —"Of course." Did you chart pur distance forwarc when the >.og recorded 118 miles?— "No." . hy not? "Because I was expect mg to get Moeraki light fully abeam and then I would get the exact distanco to Otago Heads." Witness went on to say that the nexi report which he had from the log was at 3.40 a.m.. when she had gone 14C miles. The log > was hauled in shortlj after, but ho did not know what it was reading then. The ship remained al tlrr 3.50 a.m., when the orclei Half speed" was given. The nexi order was "Dead slow." They coulc not then see the land, bui there seemed to be a dark y i '' atch aIl0!K ' Tho look-out man reported breaker.* after being relieved at 4 o'clock, but not from the crow's nest. He merely said to witness that' he thought he heard breakers. They also heard the detonators on Taiaroa Head. . Sir. Fraser: When a steamer isj seeking an. anchorage on a night like this one, is not one precaution invariably adopted—the lead? Witness: It was not necessary; it was not tbiclj enough. Mr. Hosking said that, in the interests of tlio captain, the nature of the examination- might he called hostile, and witness should not be pressed further unless somo charge was made against the master. 1 Tlie Magistrate concurred. To Mr. Hosking: When the ship struck he took charge of the scrap log. The book was left open in the enarv room until lie left the ship, and anyone could have seen it. He wrote the hook ill) about an liour after the accident. It was true that lie had rubbed oat certain entries about the morning, hut that was merely because each watch had only four , lines of spaco to write in, and, as lie Tiatl a lot to write, the beginning of tlio writing w-liich ho first entered was too large to go into four linos. Ho. however, had put in nothing different from what had been there before. Chief Officer and Others. Walter Gardiner, chief officer, said that he had been twice on the New Zealand coast. Just prior to tlio ship going ashore witness asked the captain if he should get the anchors ready, but tlio captain told him to go to the standard compass and listen for the fog signal from Otago Heads. While consulting the standard compass ho thought he heard breakers, and rushed down to the captain, but beforo ho reached him tlio vessel was going full-speed astern. It had boon their intention to lie for several hours outside the heads before proceeding into the port. If the fog signals could have been heard, say, three miles away, lie did not think that the accident would have happened. Charles William Worth, third officer, said that the captain had explained to him about Moeraki light, taking him into the chart-room and telling him to compare the compasses frequently. When witness left tlio bridge at midnight ho said to the second officer that they should bo at Taiaroa Head shortly after 4 a.m. Evidence was also given by Charles Herbert Tinker, fourth officer, Georgo Wright, chief engineer, Archibald M'Lean, A.8., who went to the look-out at 4 a.m., Kenneth Grant-, A.8., quartermaster, at the wheel from 2 a.m. till 4 a.m., and Alex. M'Kenzie, A.8., who relieved the last witness at the wheel. Chart Defective. Frederick Duncan, pilot at the Heads, said he had been out very often from a mile to a mile and a half when the fog signal was going, and had not heard it. The distress rocket signal generally gave two reports., and he had heard the signals on tlio morning of the wreck, but there was only one report instead of two, so, obviously, there, was something to smother the sound to some extent. Witness also thought the chart inaccurate with regard to the vicinity of the wreck. Duncan M'Dougall, first pilot in the service of the Otago Harbour Board, said that if the chart was correct the Tyrone would now be a quarter of a mile out to sea. The fog signals were certainly an aid to navigation, but he thought that he would uso the lead in such a case as this. He mentioned that other boats had got round into the same position at various times, but had escaped without mishap. _ Wm. John King, assistant-marine' superintendent with the Union Company, stated that observations made by him would placo Wahine Point about half a mile outside its present position as indicated on the Admiralty Chart. , Charges Formulated. At this stage of the inquiry the Crown Solicitor intimated that the following charges would be framed in respect to Capt. M'LauchlanWhether or not the casualty was directly or indirectly caused by the careless navigation of the master (a) in not charting the proper listance on tlio chart from Akaroa Lighthouse to Taiaroa Heads Lighthouso; (b) in not taking soundings to verify the vessel's position, and also in not reducing speed when tlio vessel was within tlio radius of Taiaroa Heads light, and Moeraki light was shut out ; (c) in not taking soundings, and turning the vessel's liead to sea when ho heard the first fog signals. The following charge was mado in rcspcct of the second offi;er: That, boin™; in charge of the s?iip From midnight till 2 a.m., and on duty from 2 a.m. till 4 a.m., was not it his duty to find out, by charting, the position of the vessel', and when taking over tlio [second] watch, to find out the distanco he had run from Akaroa light, and tlio distance which ho had to run to raiaroa Heads, as ho knew that he was running a straight course for Taiaroa Heads. The inquiry was then adjourned till to-morrow. Under Lloyd's "no-oure-no-pay" igrcoment offers are being invited for the salvage of material and cargo remaining on board tlio Tyrone. Offers ire to lie made in writing to Mr. G. L. Dn'niiiston, Lloyd's Agent. Duncdin. Particulars appear elsewhere.