THE BOOJUM AND SIR DONALD COLLISION ENQUIRY.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3082, 13 May 1881, Page 3

THE BOOJUM AND SIR DONALD COLLISION ENQUIRY.

The following is the evidence taken in the above enquiry yesterday after we went to press:—

John Nelson, sworn : lam a fireman on board the Sir Donald. I was on duty on Saturday last, 7th May. It would be about 11 a.m. when we left the Singarooma with cargo. It would take about ten or fifteen minutes to get to the entrance. I was Btanding by the skylight as we came in, and the channel was clear at the time. There •was a strong current running in; it was flood tide. The vessel was going with the tide at about eight or ten knots. We were rather more than half way up the harbor ■when I saw the Boojum lying at the wharf. The Sir Donald was in the channel whe>*e the strongest tide runs. I did not notice ■whether she was nearer one side of the entrance than the other. We were a little more than half way up when the Boojum left. She first stood over to the western breastwork; then ported her helm, and came on towards the Sir Donald. Her bow was not directed immediately to tho Sir Donald's bow, but very nearly. I did not notice what was done to the Sir Donald's helm, but it must have been ported, as she ■was going to starboard. It was about half a minute to a minute after she started when the collision took place. The Boojum struck the Sir Donald about midships, abaft the fore rigging. If the helm of the Sir Donald had been starboarded we should either have run into the Boojum or the bank. I heard no whistle sounded by the Boojum as we came up, and no whistle was soiinded on board the Sir Donald. I saw no signal from the shore that a vessel was coming out.

John Fraser, sworn: I am engineer of the Sir Donald. I hold a certificate, number 1295. I was on duty on the 7th May last. The engines of the vessel was in good working order. As the vessel came into the'harbor I stood on the ladder, with my head above the combings, so that I could see where we were. The vessel was going at about 10 knots. I saw the Boojum after leaving the wharf, and went below. "We were then about three-quarters of the way in. The Boojum was standing across towards the western breastwork. I did not see the collision. I was below. Ido not think the engines were damaged by the collision. The boiler was.

Albert Dowell, sworn: I am a master mariner, and hold a certificate of competency from the Marine Board of New Zealand, numbered 5104. I am tho master of the Boojum. On Saturday last, about 11.15, I got under weigh with passengers and luggage for the Ringarooma. We were supposed to leave at 11; at that time I was on, tho wharf, seeing the luggage on board., and I then saw the Sir Donald lying alongside the Bingarooma. I was standing right aft, alongside the wheel, when we started. No one told me the Sir Donald was coming, and it was impossible that I could see the channel, the stockyard being right above my head. I blew the whistle bofore starting. I always do. Ono of tho crew was at the bow ; he had no special instructions to look out. We had a good number of passengers on board ; when all the passengers and luggage were on board I walked aft. I had the end of my stem line and a bight out j I asked a man to let it go ; ho cast it off, and I went aft to get the stem off on account of the heavy tide setting against it. Aβ soon as I saw her sufficiently clear of the ■wharf I let go the stem line and went full speed ahead, carrying my helm hard-to-port on account of the strong flood tide running in. As soon as 1 was clear of the wharf the man at the bow sung out, " Look out, here's

the Sir Donald." I saw her at; the same moment, about two-thirds of the way in from the end of tho pier. I could not alter my course with the flood tide. When I first saw the Sir Donald, she slightly starboarded her helm; by so doing I knew she would pass between our stern and the cattle wharf ; but she immediately went hard-to-port, and I could see there would be a collision. I oame astern ; if I had gone ahead all the time or altered my helm she would have struck us, which I knew would cause Joss of life. Immediately she struck I was knocked down by tho shock. When I got up our bows were slewing inwards, that is to the southward, up stream. I steamed up stream to shallow water in case anything had gone wrong ; I did not know but whnt the Boojum might be sinking. When I first saw the Sir Donald I could not avoid her.' If I had starboarded my helm I should have gone on the bank and knocked her bottom out. There being 200 yards of navigable channel, and the Sir Donald being two-thirds in, it stands to reason there was room for her to pay to starboard. It may have been a minute or a minute and a half from the time we started till tho collision. The tide was at the strongest from 6 to 7 knots, an hour before flood. The Boojum had her bow bent a little on each side, and some of the rivets knocked out; Ido not know if her bottom is injured. I have started from the cattle wharf before, and have always gone "off in the same manner. I have never met a vessel in the entrance before; I have always hung on a few minutes till they got inside. There is no one in the harbor department to warn when vessels are entering or leaving. Wo one warned me.

By Mr Carlile: Charles Miller was stationed at the bow of the Boojum. He had no special instructions to look-out; it was part of his duty. The crowd on the wharf and around would prevent him from seeing. I did not know what time the Sir Donald would leave the Ringarooina. They knew what time we were to leave. I had no look-out on the wharf. I am not supposed to employ a man to keep a look-out on the wharf ; it is not tny business to do so. The Boojum was advertised to start at 11, and started at a quarter-past. She does not always keep her advertised time. The passengers generally come at the last moment, and it takes ten or fifteen minutes to get the luggage on board. Ido not think she has ever been as much as half an hour late. Had I known that the Sir Donald was coming up I would not have left the wharf. The Boojum blows a whistle to get the passengers on board before leaving. There may be from three to five minutes between the whistle and the starting —five minutes at the longest. The whistle is put into a steamboat for all kinds of purposes; I use it to warn the passengers to get on board. When I left the wharf the helm was hard-a-port; I kept it so all the time ; by so doing I take a curve and meet the tide. It is impossible with a strong flood tide against the starboard bow to take the starboard side going out. With large steamers the pilot gets a line out from the buoy to keep them from rtinning on the bank; with small boats this is not necessary, they can keep in the channel without it. If the pilot could get away without using a line in that way he would do it. All the lighters leave as I do. There are two men on the Boojum besides myself ; when we are very busy we have one or perhaps two others. The engines of the Boojum are controlled from the deck, when steam is turned on below. The engineer is always below ; he has to keep up the fires, and turn the steam on or off. The engines are started sometimes by myself; sometimes by the agent, Mr M'Corniick. The engines were reversed by Mr M'Cormick before the collision. The engineer was not on deck. I had been two months and a week in the Boojum when the collision occurred. She is a long vessel with shallow draught, and cannot be expected to answer her helm so readily as some vessels with a keel. Ido not think it would have made any difference if she had a more powerful rudder. However well she had answered she could not have gone out on the starboard side. It is impossible for any vessel to turn short round in a flood tide.

By Mr Lee: I saw tha bow of the Sir Donald come slightly to port; this could not have happened if the helm had not been put slightly to starboard, coming in as she was with the tide. The set of the tide could not have done it. The Sir Donald was on the eastern side of mid-channel when I first saw her coming in. She got to the western side by porting her helm immediately afterwards ; that was what caused the collision. As soon as I saw her port her helm I went astern. Our draught is four feet; the Sir Donald draws about six. I have known the port about six years. The Boojum leaves from any part where we can get alongside; sometimes we cannot get to the cattle wharf and lie at the breastwork.

By Mr Lascelles: I have commanded steamers in and out of the port for about two years. I had charge of the Mohaka some time, and have taken her in and out of the Wairoa river; that is a very difficult entrance. (Witness marked approximate place of collision and time of tide on a chart of the entrance). There is an eddy on both sides ; on the eastern side it does not extent beyond the bank. The Sir Donald could easily have passed on the eastern side j there was plenty of room. It would have been, impossible, by any means that I know of, for any steamer ordinarily used in the harbor, to have come down the eastern side in such a tide without running lines out. I never knew of any small vessel running out a line in such a case to keep it to the starboard channel; they trust entirely to steering. Had I been coming up the channel I would have kept on the port side. Any master ought to have known it would be impossible for a boat going out to keep in the starboard channel. If I were coming in on the port side, which is the general iule— but he tried to cross my bow, and I thought by porting I could avoid him —I would do so. In this case I was coming out, and my helm was hard-to-port a 9 I could put it. When I got out I could not starboard my helm and get away, or I should have been on the boulder-bank and have knocked her bottom out. The steamer generally whistles more than once ; there is no rule.

By Mr Lee : I have seen a steamer start while another was coming in. It was the Bella and the Fairy, and the tide was nearly flood and there was a difficulty ; tho Bella was leaving tho wharf as the Fairy came up, and as the Fairy saw the Bella crossing her bows she went astern ; the tide was different from what it was. Capt. Campbell was in charge of the Fairy and came in on the port side. Capt. Campbell did not follow the rule ; but you cannot abide by those rules in entering the port of Napier. Mr Ellis asked to be allowed to question the witness, on the ground that he was an uninsured owner of goods.

By Mr Ellis : The eddy runs against tho wharf and sets mo against it. If both vessels ported their helms in a case like tMs one, a collision would be inevitable. I did know but what the road was clear when I left. I would never have run such a risk as to leave the wharf if I had known the Sir Donald was corning up. T looked out fifteen minutes before, and I should have had to have jumped on the wharf at the very moment we were casting off.

By Mr Lascelles: With the wharf crowded it was not possible to see down the channel from any part of the Boojurn's deck. If I had knov?n any vessel was coming in I would not have left the wharf. There is no rule against a boat going out while another is coming up. By the Court: At the time of tho collission the engines were going astern, but there was no stern way on, I did not ease the helm.

David King, sworn: I am engineer of the Boojum. I was on duty on Saturday, 7th May, in the engine-room, The engines

were in good working order. The captain or his representative on deck, starts the boat. I got no orders before we left tho wharf. We have no orders because everything is done from the deck. We first moved astern and then went ahead for less than a minute and then astern. The engines were reversed and the steamer was going astern before the collision —I should say about half a minute. The Boojum has received no injury that lam aware of. I hold a chief engineer's certificate of competency. Charles Miller, sworn: lam an able seaman on board the Boojum. I remember Saturday last, 7th May. I was on duty on that day, looking after the passengers and taking in their luggage. I went forward. No one told me from the wharf that the Sir Donald was coming in. I did not see Capt. Petersen. I know Hugh Connor. I did not hear him say the Sir DonaH was coming in. I could not see the channel from where I was. We were about three parts across the channel when I saw her, and I sung out " Look out for the Sir Donald." The Sir Donald was on tho eastern pier, between tho flagstaff and the stones on the breastwork — about two-thirds of the way iip. We were cutting right across the channel, and our helm was hard-a-port against the tide. In about half a minute the collision took place. Tho Sir Donald was running all the way to the starboard, and when she saw us she put her helm hard-a-port and tried to cross our bows. If she had kept on her original course she would have cleared us. If the Boojum had altered her course we would either have gone on to the boulder-bank on the western side, or have been run into. There was a strong current against our bows as we left the wharf, and we were obliged to put our helm hard-a-port.

Peter Petersen, sworn : I am a master mariner; Ido not hold a certificate. 1 am master of the Maid of the Mill lighter, owned by Eichardson and Co. I was on the cattle wharf on Saturday, 7th May, when the Boojum was casting off. I saw tho Sir Donald coming in. I told Charlie Miller that she was coming. He said. " All right; there's plenty of room." Tho Sir Donald was then just coming in between the two pier-heads ; she came up rather to the eastern side. I saw the Boojum go out; the Sir Donald was then half-way up the entrance. The Boojum went to the westward ; the Sir Donald was slewing about south-west; she had ported her helm. I almost think if the Sir Donald had kept her course she would have cleared the Boojum. There was a strong current running at the time. I did not tell the captain of the Boojum that the Sir Donald was coming in.

Thomas Harvey, sworn: I am a constable stationed at the Spit. I was on the cattle wharf on Saturday, 7th May. I saw Captain Petersen there, and heard him say to Miller, one of the hands on board the Boojum. " Charlie, the Sir Donald is coming in," and Miller replied, "There is plenty of room." That was all I heard.

Captain Dowell recalled : I met the constable on Sunday morning, in the road. I saw him first on the wharf on Saturday afternoon after the accident. When I came back from the Kingarooma I said, " Did you hear anyone sing out to Miller ? " and he said he had heard nothing. On Sunday morning he called me and told me he had heard Petersen sing out to Miller. He did not mention having said anything himself.

H. Rraeft sworn : I am harbormaster for the port of Napier. On Saturday, 7th May, it was high-water slaik about 2.1.5 o'clock ; it was high "water for an hour and a half before. There was a strong flood tide when the accident occurred. I was shifting some vessels at the breastwork at the time, and the boat's crew were with me. None of my men were on the wharf where the Boojum had been moored. There were none of my staff at the signal station. I saw the Sir Donald coming in. She was about half way in when I saw her, and the Boojum had just started from the wharf. The Sir Donald was in the middle of the channel, coming in at full speed with a strong flood tide. I said to the captain of the Annie, whose vessel I was shifting, " Look out, here is going to be a collision." The captain of the Boojum could not help himself ; the tide had caught his bow, and he had to go straight on. The Sir Donald was coming straight in ; if she had put her helm to starboard and tried to come to the eastward she must either hare run into the Boojum or on to the eastern hank, Under the circumstances, the master of the Sir Donald did the best he could in porting his helm. I think both masters did their best to prevent a collision. I have never been instructed by the Harbor Board to have a man at the flagstaff to signal vessels coming in. I have nothing to do with these little lightering boats that run in and out in charge of their own. masters.

The Court then adjourned till next day,