NAUTICAL INQUIRY

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3037, 26 March 1917, Page 6

NAUTICAL INQUIRY

Auoiiland, March 23. . The nautical • inquiry into the collision between the Arahura and a Home liner at Gisborne was resumed to-day. James Selby, boatswain on the liner, was certain that the' liner's riding lights were burning. Edward Eilby, quartermaster on the Home.trader, said he was at the wheel and the Captain and third officer were on •. the bridge. No compass course was given witness when he heard the captain /order "Ahead." A minute later the master' ordered "Stop," followed by "Astern." This was the last order given to the third officer beforethe collision. The last order given witness was "Hard a starboard," and between that time and the collision he thought the liner's head went 'about a point to port. The ship held her course, ahead for about a minute. He. supposed. the liner was going ahead a little at the time of the collision.

Samuel Dalrymple, Government insjjector of machinery and surveyor of ships at Auckland, said' he examined the liner after her arrival in Auckland. He said there was no damage abaft the second frame from the stem. ■Hβ had not seen, damage exactly the same where one vessel had gone in stem oh to another at nearly right angles. Henry Noy, Government surveyor of ships, Auckland, gave evidence of the damage to the Arahura.

Captain Dryden, of the Arahura, recalled, admitted that to his knowledge there was.-no .special man oil '(lookout duty up to the time of tie collision. The chief officer was on the forecastle head superintending the weighing-of the anchor. It was the custom m ffi ships of the Union Company Jor this officer to keep a. look-out when the vessel was-in harbour. He could not make suggestions as' to a satisfactory method of .femlliiig the movements of ships ln Gisborne roadstead Alexander Piper, chief officer of the Arahura stated that the lL r was moving towards the Arahura, at. he thought, from two to three Wots He nras on the ,port side, keeping a look out prior to collision P Ve then went to to attend to the anchor.—Press Assn.