SYDNEY HARBOUR TRAGEDY

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 111, 8 February 1928, Page 9

SYDNEY HARBOUR TRAGEDY

CONCLUSION OF INQUEST ON VICTIMS THE CORONER’S FINDING NEGLIGENCE ON BOTH VESSELS At the conclusion of the inquiry into the death of the victims of the Greycliffe-Tahiti collision in Sydney harbour, the Coroner found that there was negligence on the part of those responsible for the navigation of the Tahiti and contributory negligence by the officer navigating the Greycliffe, but that these acts did not in law amount to criminal negligence.

By Telegraph.—Press Association. —Copyright.

(Rec. February 7, 10.5 p.m.)

Sydney, February 7

The Coroner’‘s inquiry into the death of the victims of the Greycliffe-Tahiti collision, which lasted twenty-five days, has concluded, the Coroner returning a verdict of accidental death.

The finding said there was negligence on the part of those responsible for the careful and proper navigation of the Tahiti, in exceeding the speed limit allowed bv the law, and in not, as the overtaking vessel, taking the required necessary precaution to keep out of the way of the vessel being overtaken. There was contributory negligence bv the officer navigating the Greycliffe in not taking the required necessary precaution to ascertain, before altering the course, or at the moment when he discovered his vessel’s course was altering, as the case may be, whether or not he was being overtaken by another vessel. These acts, the Coroner said, did not in law amount under the whole circumstances to criminal negligence. The Coroner then referred to the unsatisfactory nature of tlie. evidence given bv the captain of the Tahiti, and commented on the fact that the '1 ahiti left the harbour without giving any intimation to the police of such intention. CORONER’S CONCLUSIONS. The Coroner added that he had come to the i following conclusions : —“That at the time of the collision the Tahiti had attained a speed of about twelve knots an hour. The starboarding of her helm and the reversing of her port engine, when it was discovered that the Greycliffe was altering her course to port, probably made no substantial change in the course or sp'eed of the Tahiti up to the moment of the collision. The Greycliffe took substantially her usual course when leaving Garden Island, steering for approxi; mately the same point that the 1 ahiti was heading for. and attaining a speed of about nine knots an hour, when her course was altered to port to the extent of from a point to a point and a half at the moment when the Tahiti was about 300 feet astern of her, and when their courses were about 200 feet apart. GREYCLIFFE’S ALTERATION OF COURSE. “Whether the Grevcliffe’s alteration of course was due to the voluntary act of the ferry’s helmsman, or performed by him unconsciously through habit developed by years of practice, the Coroner was unable to say. If the chains of the steering gear of the ferry steamer were so slack as to allow such a decided falling away in its course, which he doubted, greater care should be exercised in seeing tllat they were kept satisfactorily adjusted. If the bow wave repulsion created bv the Tahiti influenced the Greycliffe’s movements at all, it was not until a stage had been reached when a collision was unavoidable. THE TAHITI’S SPEED. “Although the Tahiti followed approximately the proper course for out-ward-bound seagoing vessels, she, at the time of the collision, was considerably exceeding the speed limit allowed by’the Sydney Harbour Trust regulations, namely, eight knots an hour. Those whose dutv it was safely to navigate the Tahiti' failed to detect the

close proximity of the Greycliffe. Although their courses were only slightly converging, they would, on a comparatively slight alteration of the course of either, lead to an unavoidable .collision, owing to their'relative positions and speeds. As the scene of the_ disaster was approached, the Grevcliffe’s navigating officer was apparently content'that, while all was clear ahead, there was no necessity for him to ascertain, when he noticed his vessel alter her course slightly to port, whether he was being overtaken by another vessel, and probably not 'anticipating such a contingency, in view of the speed which his own vessel was travelling at, he failed to exercise the precaution required by the regulations for preventing collisions at sea, that is, he should keep a proper look-out, and thus the position was created which those navigating the Tahiti had failed, _ as the overtaking vessel, to guard against.

UNFORTUNATE SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES.

“To complete the unfortunate set of circumstances that led to the disaster, it appears that the ferry altered her course to port at an earlier stage than usual, whereas, if the alteration had than there are at Seatouu, and now we minute and a half the Tahiti would probably have come into view on her port side. This fact, however, if one of the contributing causes of the collision, does not absolve the officers responsible for the Tahiti, further than that the pilot in charge, who was no doubt well acquainted with the usual movements of the ferry steamers plying between Garden Island and Nielsen Park, may not have anticipated that the Grevcliffe’s course would alter until a later stage of her journey.”

TAHITI’S DEPARTURE FROM SYDNEY. The Coroner added that other matters which he felt should in the public interest be mentioned were the unsatisfactory nature of the evidence given by the master of the Tahiti, more particularly his attempt to lead the Court to believe that the statement taken from him bv the New Zealand police was obtained’ by threats and made under compulsion, which, in view of the circumstances under which the statement was taken, the Coroner regretted to say he could not believe and was unable to attribute it to unconscious bias. The Coroner continued that he should mention also the fact that while the work of rescue and recovery of the bodies was still in progress and the .attention of the police’ was fully occupied with that work the Tahiti left the harbour in continuation of her voyage to New Zealand, without inquiry being made as to whether in the interests of justice the police wished to obtain statements from those aboard her, and without any intimation to the police that she was then leaving. PILOT CARSON HELD IN HIGH ESTEEM i A. (Rec. February 7, 10.40 p.m.) Sydney, February 7. Sea and harbour pilots have written to the State Superintendent of Navigation desiring that the high esteem in which Pilot Carson is held by every member of the service should be placed on record and brought to the notice of the Treasurer.