INQUIRING INTO THE STRANDING OF THE SILVER CLOUD.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 2994, 29 January 1881, Page 2

INQUIRING INTO THE STRANDING OF THE SILVER CLOUD.

The enquiry into the wreck of the Silver Cloud took place yesterday at Port Ahuriri, before Mr E. Patten, Collector of Customs, and Captain Gleadow, Nautical Assessor. Mr Vautier, owner of the vessel, was present, and Mr Dobson represented the New Zealand Insurance Company. Charles Balle, master of the Silver Tloitd, deposed that he held a certificate of competency issued by the Marine Board of Victoria. The Silver Cloud was a threemasted schooner, 292 tons, and owned by ,T. L. Vautier. The hull was insured "for £3500 in the New Zealand Insurance Company ; but the cargo, some 420 tons of coal was uninsured. He arrived off the port at 4 p.m. on Tuesday the 25th instant and anchored. The vessel was drawing 12ft 9in with an cT, en ke . el; ancl on coming on ashore on tho day of nib . u ™ v fd he told tho- pilot that fact. Next morning, fit about 9 oVlock, the pilot came on board, and took full charge of the vessel, witness going to the helm. The anchor was then heaved up. A tow-line was passed on the steamer Sir Donald, and they proceeded in the direction of the bar. He ported the helm hard-a-stavboard, by direction, just as they were approaching the entrance. Jitst theft the ' vessel touched slightly just outgicVtWrtfer: j heads. It was then about 10 The pilot ordered the port anchor to be lV? S°> and directed that the steamer should go more on the port side, so as to slew tho ship round. Witness remarked to the pilot " It's not quite high water yet," and he answered " No." Ihe vessel shortly after began dragging in. bearing the entrance the strong flood tide took the Btarboard bow, inclining the vessel athwajrt the tide. ! he pilot directed witness to put the helm hard-a-port and the steamer to go full speed ahead. He also ordered the mate to pay out chain. The vessel's heel then struck severely on the port side, just inside the western head. There was a current running of about seven or eight knots. They continued to pay out chain, and then her heel freed itself, and the vessel was carried at an angle of about 100 degrees, till her heel was brought up again with a tremen--dous crash, which must have, done-serious damage to the ship's bottom. He looked over the stern and saw that one of the rudder straps had been carried away. He sounded the pumps and found three feet of •water. Eight men were next engaged from the shore to work the pumps. The bow and stern post were made fast by warps to the eastern breastwork. He sounded the pumps again and found five feet of water. Directly after the vessel was completely water-logged. By this time, about 11.30,.the tide had risen to its full height and the vessel seemed inclined to float. The vessel was aground aft. but floating for'ard. The pilot ordered theafter warps to be slackened away. When fairly in the stream the bow warp, a new 6in. Manilla hawser, gave way ; ancl the vessel was carried by the full force of the current to the western bank, ancl stranded there. The pumps were continually plied to the best advantage, and the hatches and chain pipes were securely battened down in case the vessel went over. The vessel was again made fast to the shore with warps which were hove taut. Witness got chains, anchors, and all dead weight on the starboard side. Soon after the tide began to fall, and the vessel healed over to the port until it was finally immersed up to the hatches. The vessel was lying on her port side, and had to be abandoned. Sho had sustained considerable damage, but he could not say how much. He had been trading to Napier six years, and the pilot had always brought her in before. She had met with accidents, but none so serious as this. When tho vessel struck the water would ; have to rise another foot before it would be high tide.

By Captain Grleadow : It was high water at 12 o'clock on Wednesday. When the vessel struck it was not high water within a good foot. Had the tide been a foot higher they would have come in all right. Had they come in at the top of the tide they would have been Bafe.

By Mr Vuutier :At the time the vessel struck they were going at the rate of about five knots. Previous to striking the pilot ought to have calculated the strength of the current when going so close to the bank. After the vesfio? struck the first time the pilot should not have paid out chain but held on. He could not say if they could have held here. Last voyage they bad come in without a steamer before high water slack. They could havo slewed the vessel round in the harbor instead of on the bar.

By Mr Dobson : It was fine clear weather with a fresh southerly wind, and a smooth sea.

Mr R. Moore, mate of tho Silver Cloud, gave corroborative evidence.

Pilot Kraeft and Mr Quinlan, tho master of the steam tug, were also examined at considerable length. The Court, after considering the evidence, delivered the following decision : —" That the stranding of the Silver Cloud when entering the harbor of Napier, coal laden from Newcastle, N.S.W., when in tow of the Sir Donald, was caused by the strong tide flowing round the western pier-head, which set tho Silver Cloud on a spit to the eastward of it. We find from the evidence that it was half flood at the time, and although the Harbor-master had sounded the channel before bringing her in and found 13 feet of water, it would have been more expedient to have waited until high water slack before doing so, as we consider that there would have been then less current. Yet, on the other hand, it appears from the evidence that the Silver Cloud has been brought in by the Harbor-master safely under similar circumstances, and on that account we do

not consider that lie is to blame in the matter, but that the accident is one of those which arc always liable to happen to a vessel of the size of the Silver Cloud in navigating bar harbors."