TUG & YACHT BUMP

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2150, 16 May 1914, Page 8

TUG & YACHT BUMP

MAGISTERIAL INQUIRY

S.S. PILOT & THE ATALANTA

A Masisterial Inquiry, into the c-c.lH-sion betwuun the small steam tug Pilot and the yacht,AtaJanta, in Wcllinßton Harbour oi» April 13, was held %-'«r. V. (i. Kidtlell, S.M., yesterday. Can. tain Lambert acted as nautical assessor.

Mr. Watson appeared for tlw owner of thn Pilot (Sir. Zohrab); Mr j J " M'Grativ for Captain Joms (master of tl»O Pilot); Mr. A. Blair, for the owners M the yacnt; and 31r. E. T. \\\ AJ a -'- laurm (Collector of Customs), for tlio Jlariiic Dcpartinciit. Ivalph Cott-iug.-Asrin, part-owner of the. yacht Atalanta, stated that, lie was m chaVfro of her on the date of the collision, which happened about 32 30 p.m. on ApriJ 13, the locality being Wtween Somes Island and Lotvry- Bay When the yacht left Softies isJaud, witBess ..Was at the. tiller, and a stfoti" northerly breeze was'blowing."-. . The yncht was. cbsc-hauled; and ivitiicss vas steering for Lowry Ba.v. Tlio tug Pilot appeared swiddonly, and, thouglr' witness put the holm hard down,, the. yacht, refused to answer. She fhoji* uollidcd with the tug, tlie impact taking piano jiiJtdships..

To Mr.'Blair: The sail- of-the yacht had obscured tile. view of the Pilot. Since the collision.-"tlio Atafanta I-iad been 'leaking, and the bgwspnt 1 " and stem had been-damaged. To Sir. M'Grata: ~'f\m Atalantd hifd had two previous accidents, but iie-v.aa lwt on board on those occasions. In regard, to the mlo *f the road', it was ihe- ihit.T of ;a yacht 'to fo-ep on its cotirsfcjT and it was the duty of a ■steamer to avoid :t jraoiit." On' the Hate of the collision tkero was no liquor on the yacht. • -. .

To the Court: Wlwn the tug was seen, everything ■ was done to avoi/j th« collision. _ The yacht couW wot have- paid-off iii time to have! avoided it. • . . : .

Albert Emraett Dec rfnvc " porroboative evidence. He stated, inter alia, that ho had not heard any" signal from thn Pilot.

._ To tho CdHrt: At the time of the collision; tho Pifet was gohig directly across the Atlanta's bow. Captain J awes Jones, master nf the Pilot, said that he had W?i in charge 01 tlio" vessel on the date of tlie accident. • The Pilot left Day's Bay »t about 10.40 a.m., and witness first sa«' tho Atalaiita when site was passins Somes Island. About ten minutes after leaving the Bay, witness had.i'uh tked tho Atalanta waking for' Lowry Bay.. ■ ylic was then about three-quar-ters of' a mile off. The yacht was travellSnjj with a free sheet,, bit was .vavrinjr about, a great- deol. WitneAs. had no idea .that the' Atalaiite wos coming anywhere near tht> Pilot, When the collision camo, tho yacht struck the iitK about mitf&hipe. Mo nndevstaod that the damage to.'llio yacht could 'be repaired ;for A' 10; -..There .was .practi-cally-no daniago to the Pilot. To_ Jlr. M'Gratli: The-yacht was-not' stteriiiK a straigiit contse.-. Wlveii ' ho' -(witness) foiiud the yacht iMaliihg for him. hq'could not do anything to''avoidtho collision. ' •

To Mr.'Blair: As the situation'wfts, tho'yacht coiiM have cither passed''the Pilot astern or ahead. ,

To the Caavt i-.'U the'yacht iiad"«iven; way two points v.-heii "sho was 40ft, away;there'woitld Mot have .boon a cojlisian; . s^oi-U" )' Harry Shaw,] oHtliePi'Jotv also gavo..(Sviderice. : .• . •■•...

Wilfred Gower, deck hand on tho PilqtJj' said- that ttio yaeiit was swaying about terribly.,. The Pilot d'i3 not alter her 'course', btit, if the yacht had .uot iiltcrod'-lier cwlrso just'pripr to tire collision, she have passed' asteriiC . . Mr. E. G. V. Zolu-ab, owner <ji '.the Pilot, snid that iho vessel w.is'insUred ngainst flre for £10(10. ' ■ ■■':''.

Oscar Freiberg, yacht owner, called by Mr. M'Grath; .said thai he hn4;: had about 22 years'. experience in . sailing yachts. .The proper Way to .keep, A-'took" oiU.vrhen the view from the'ecek-pit was 'obscured was to place a tntin'oi'i the h» sido, of ;the mainmast. It was' , unsafe to sail in a harbbuv fe ten or twelve, minutes without arir leok-out..-.

To Mr. Blair:. Pleasure: eraft should give wav to business boats.

. Mr. Blair asked pernii.esioia ;to' call oilier members of the yacht's crew. : Ho stated that ho desired to. sliow that the yacht had %ectt steering . a straightcourse. ■-•; . .. • •■'.: .■ ■ ■ .... Tile-Court gi anted this., application, and •Mγ. Biair ■fclmn , .*aHe<l<David Blair (member of the crew of tlto Atalimtn), who said that lie was positive that the Vaeht had not altered her Course just before the collision. To Mr. M'Gi'ath: Hβ did not know much .about'sfliliiie. I'erciva.S Holland, motor launch oivtier, said that ho saw the Atalanta jiist before the collision, and, as far as ho could see, sho was steering, a straight course. ''Frederick Cook, yacht owner, said that under the circirra stances luffing.in the wind was tho'btstway for the yacht to avoid a collision. This concluded the evidence.'. ■""" '■" Mr. ll'Grath quoted an Order-in* Council of 1300 Vi-hkh stated that it was Uio'fUtty of small vessels, yachts,-and-launches, to get out of the way of- large* vessels in the fairway.. ' He "contpiided that , the course from iXiy's .fifty fa Pctame wa,s a fairway, The. Orfer-ii-i-Ceuneil. he submitted, over-ruled' tiro general rule of the road which Br. Bfair relied on. No 'look-oat had been kept, ivhilo;the ymihi was traveUing'fof. , .menj than a mile. • ■' . ..';. •".'.

Wγ.- Watsoii submitted : that' the captain of the Pilot was right in not whistling for the Atalanta. Ms change her course.

Mr. Riuclcll intimated that decision ffouW 1.0 given at 10.30 o'closk': : this morning. .. : •• •■•, ,• .;