CASE OF S.S. TYRONE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1878, 11 October 1913, Page 6

CASE OF S.S. TYRONE.

HEARING ENDED.

EFFORT TO CLEAR SECOND HATE. 00UN8EL8' ADDRESSES. (By Talcsrauh.—Prwe imoolaUon.l Dunociln, October 10. - The nautical iiiquiry concerning the loss of the Tyrone mear Otago Heads on September 27, by overrunning her course, was oontinued to-day before Mr. Widdowson, 5.M,,. and the assessors. ilr. Hanion eaid that in tho interests of tho B«oond mate (Parry) ho proposed to recall him and tie third officer to stato what occurred between them in tho chart-room at midnight when tho second mijto took charge |on his second watch]. Glad will Parry (second officer) said that when 1© was about to take over t'ho watch at midnight ho went to tho chart-room. 'I'll© third officer pricked out the position on the chart by dead reckoning and showed tie distance run. He (witness) went back over tie distance (with dividers) to Akaroa, and also did tho same forward' over distance to the anchorage at l'araroa Heads. The third officer then Baid that they should get there shortly after 4 a.m.

Mr. Hanion: And having got that information did you think that there was anything further for you to do? Witness: Only to look out for Moeraki light [last light oh the trip south].

And up till that time tliere was no danger to tho ship—that is by overrunning her distance to Taiaroa Head ? Witness: None.

Witness added that ho did pick up Mooraki light at 1.20 a.m., four points on his starboard bow. Ho then described taking his beamings. He afterwards calling the captain when the light was lost. The- captain came on the bridge immediately and took charge. Mr. Hanlon: So that you placed the master in possession of all the factß that could assist him in tho further navigation of the shipP Witness: Yea. At this stag© Captain M'Lauchlan was re-sworn to enable him to rectify some , parts of his former evidence which were correct at the time as far as he .knew, but were based on a belief which had been nullified by subsequent information.

Charles Henry Hughes, seoretary of the i Union Steam Ship Company, Baid that at the time of tho wreck the Tyrone was the property of tho company, and carried a policy of £110,000 on her hull, machinery, etc. He could hardly assess her value. • She was a very good ship for the trade, and it would cost from £160,000 to £160,000 to replace her.

Counsel for Captain. 11l addressing tho Court, Mr. Hosking said that there were four things whion called for special note. The first was that the fog signals at Taiaroa Heads were apparently defective, and the intervals between tho detonations too long. Beside this tho Taiaroa Heads lighthouse was placed at a considerable height above the soa (where land fogs wero oommon), and gave only a rod light—the lea-st penetrative of all. Thou there was (although ho did not place great reliance on it) an error in the chart, which showed that had \Yahine Point (where the ship struck) been where it was charted the Tyrono would have been in deep water. Further, there were tho currents. It bad been genuinely shown by Captain Ryffol that the current was setting from the north [behind the Tyrono] on the morning- of tho wreck. -

Tlio next important point (continued Mr. Hosking) was that of -the bearing tak«n oft Moeraki light. It was a fact that the two bearings taken corroborate od tho estimate of distance mado by the captain under a mental error, but this had no great importance. What ho (counsel) urged was that the captain accepted the information given by tho Bccond mate [when off Moeraki], and acted upon it. _ There was no need for him to chart Mb distance cither backward or forward. It had been alleged that the captain was guilty of careless navigation in not taking soundingß and reducing speed when Moeraki light was lost and the Taiaroa Heads light had not been picked up. Whether such action should nave been lakeii must depend on circumstances. The captain helioved that the bearings taken off Moeraki were correct, and to have afterwards taken soundings or reduced speed would have meant that from 2 a.m. "(when Moeraki light was lost) they should have started and kept on taking soundings all tho way down tho coast. Such a procedure .would have been absurd. As it actually turned out the first fog signal from Taiaroa Heads really corroborated tho captain's estimate of the distance run. Experience had led liim to believe that he could hear this signal for nine miles, and, not knowing of the cap of fog over the land (which stifled the sound), he assumed his position from his bcaringß, and concluded that he was, soven miles off Taiaroa Heads. In fact, the fog signal proved a trap to him. As to the original miscalculation off Akaroa, tho error was cancelled by the bearing taken at Moeraki.

Counsel for Second Mate. Mr. Hanlon (for the second officer) said that •if tile master had done all that could be done, then it was a sorry lookout for life and property on this coast. A hurriod glance at a half-open almanac was not the way to arrivo at his conclusions. It was suggested that tlio master had a right to rely upon the bearings • [taken off Moeraki], but tlio extraordinary thing was that tho log alone bore out the actual distanco. Tho captain's position was that, when lie had run 119 miles by' the chart, ho had logged 125J miles, so that, assuming the bearings to bo correct, it was clear that a current _ was operating. Moreover, it was difficult to see how the captain could defend himself against the -charge of not using tho lead whon approaoliing Taiaroa Heads. He had. rushed a big ship through the dark without precaution, depending on a fog signal wlien the coast and the light wero Bhrouded. Mr. Hosking replied' that, if it wero demonstrated by tlio inquiry that something further sliould be dono at tho heads, and tho captain had to pay the costs, tho Government would be getting the benefit of a special-inquiry at the captain's expenso. Mr. Widdowson intimated _ that tho Court would- endeavour to give a decision to-morrow morning. He reminded Mt. Eraser (Crown Solicitor) that ho had said nothing on. the question of the sccond officer.