A HARBOUR COLLISION

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3179, 1 September 1917, Page 3

A HARBOUR COLLISION

"AUTICAL INQUIRY OPENED. Yestenlav an inquiry was opened into tl",! matter of a collision between tho tugf Terawhiti and tho small steamer Invorcurffill in AVcllington harbour on August 7. Jlr. S. E. M'Carthv, 0.M., presided at the inquiry, and with him on the bench were Captain !\ Black and Captain G. Lambert. Mr. V. It. Mere-di'-ii represented the Ak';uie. Department, i" T. S. Weston the Wellington Harbour Board, Mr. M. Myers the master of Hio luvercargill, and Mr. T. 5L Wilford the master of tho Tcrawluti and the Union Company. It was stated .Bint in the collision the Invercargill had suffered JMAO worth of <Jamage. The master of the'lnvercargill, William Edward AVahlstrom, said tho occasion of the accident he wns approaching the Queen's Wharf to tie up nl: Berth 7. He was on the bridge, awl saw the Tcrawhiti coming round tho bow of a big steamer, which wns tied up at No. 1 north berth. He was going vc-rv slow, and gave two blasts of the whistle, which would indicate that he was going "to port." The • Ter.-vlv uti, coming on, struck tho Invercargill J ""aneihs; blow on the bow. The stem of • tho Invercargill was twisted and tour plates had to be removed.' Other members of the crow of. th .Invercargill gave evidence which in part was on somewhat' similar lines to that gi--"n bv their captain. ' T l -!- mirier of tho Terawhiti. Robert .Ta"fA-<on Fowler, in his evidence. «ud thai on the date in question he ws m tirofrom the Taranaki Street Wharf fo'TTie" tusr's berth. Tho tug's engines we-n stooped when off the signal tower on no Queen's Wharf. AMg steamer nt !> Oueon's Wharf obscured his view somewhat, and ho caw the Invercargill as '•<, rounded the big vessel. He was pn-.rTvc fliat at that timo tho Invercargill was on-posita tbo Terry Wharf, and miicli farther down the harbour than the tug was. . , The inquiry was adjourned tub. next Thursday. •