THIS DAY.

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

THIS DAY.

The Court set at 10 a.m. Hugh Connor, sworn, said he was a stevedore at the Spit. He was on the wharf when the Boojum was leaving. He saw Captain Peterson there, and heard what he said to Miller. Captain Peterson called to Mr Miller, " Look oi*t, Charlie, the Sir Donald's coming in." Miller replied, " All right, there is plenty of room."

By Mr Oarlile : Hβ saw the Sir Donald before the Boojum started. The Sir Donald was coming in a little to the "westward of the channel. From the time he saw the Sir Donald she went to the westward.

By Mr Lascelles : The Sir Donald was about half way up the channel when he first saw her. Could not say how she came up till then. Miller was standing by the line when Peterson spoke to him. They were shoving the Boojum off when Peterson spoke. Miller was shoving her off with a pole. The engines were not going. He could not see her going astern. Hβ was near enough to hear if anybody sang out that the Sir Donald was coming. When Peterson spoke to Miller tho bows were away from the wharf.

By the Bench : He could not see the captain working the break from where he stood.

John B. Glleadow, sworn, said he was a master mariner. He was on the breastwork on. Saturday last. He was not on the side the Boojum was on. He could see the Boojum. He saw the Sir Donald coming in. The Sir Donald was about half way up Channel when the Boojum. left. He saw the collision. He thought the Sir Donald steered a proper course. She was coming up mid-channel. If the Boojum had gone full speed astern as soon aB she saw the Sir Donald he believed she would have avoided the collision. She might have put her helm starboard and'gone up the harbour. About two minutes elapsed from the Boojum leaving the wharf to the collision. He did not think if the Sir Donald's helm had been starboarded it would have cleared the Boojum. It would havo run into the Boojum. By Mr Carlile : He was captain of the Stormbird. Had considerable experience of this port. In starting from the wharf on ilood tide they generally have a spring on to pull the bow round. Ho would put tho spring forward under such circumstances. He saw the Sir Donald before the Boojum started. He never had his helm starboarded ; it was ported. If ho had starboarded his helm he could havo seen her pay off. He was standing near Murray, Koberts', store, where the Boojum sometimes starts from.

By Mr Lascellos: Tho pilot and Mr Mitchell were standing on the wharf near him. Prom where he was ho had a clear, uninterrupted view right down the channel. He had taken very few steamers out of the harbor as master. He had frequently gone out to survey woolships in the harbor. Thero was not room for tho Sir Donald to come in to the starboard. Tho reason tho Sir Donald could not have gone to starboard was that .they were so close together that on a strong tido there was not time to go to starboard. The Boojum would see the Sir Donald, »s soon as. she opened out the

channel. He would have starboarded his helm and run up the harbor with the flood tide. fn his opinion the Sir Donald could bave been seen in time to allow of this. If the Boojum had put the helm hard-a-starboard after leaving the wharf she would have gone up the harbor witli the tide. The Boojum would have paid off in two lengths of herself, and come right round. Looking at the map he thought there was room for her to turn round. Ho saw tho Boojum leave the wharf, and when he looked again she was into the Sir Donald. When he left the cattle wharf, if he had put hie helm hard astarboardj there was a possibility of her clearing the Sir Donald. By the Court: He did not see that then she would have been run down by the Sir Donald if she had gone up the stream. He would have avoided the collision altogether.

By Mr Lee : If the Sir Donald had starboarded her helm when half way up the channel he would have gone into the Boojum. After the collision the Boojum came right up the harbor bow foremost, and then went out to the Eingarooma. He was a marine surveyor.

By Mr Ellis : The reason for saying that the Boojuni Tould have avoided the Sir Donald if she had starboarded her helm was that on leaving the wharf the current running \ip at seven knots would have been a great assistance in taking her up stream. By the Court : From where he stood he could see distinctly that the Sir Donald had ported his helm, for the vessel sheered over. He could not see them on the Sir Donald put the helm aporfc, but he could ccc her slew, and the helm must have been ported.

Henry Eraeft recalled: Fβ was two hundred yards up the breastwork, just about the timber yard. At the time of the collision the Sir Donald was three parts up the stream. There was not time for the Boojum to put her helm starboard and go up channel. He was not sufficiently near to see what was done about steering the two vessels. He could see from the way the vessels were going the way the helms were. In his opinion both captains did all they could to avoid a collision.

By Mr Lascelles : Captain GHeadow was standing near to him on the breastwork. He could see plainly down the channel.

By Mr "Warnes : If the Boojum, on seeing the Sir Donald, had stopped and reversed herj engines, control of the vessel would have been lost.

Captain Dowell recalled: Ho kept his helm hard aport all the time. After the collision he starboarded his helm and went up stream. Her head was slewed to the southward by the collision. He went directly in a circle from leaving the wharf. By Mr Carlile : He reversed his engines about half a minute before the collision. He could not say the exact distance he was from the Sir Donald when he reversed the engines. The collision took place about three hundred feet from the cattle wharf.

By Mr Lee : The lever for controlling the engines is about four or fire feeb from the wheel. He was steering. Mr MeCorniick was attending to the lever. It did not require an engineer to attend to the lever. He would not trust anyone to use the lever unless they knew how to use it. Under ordinary circumstances he would do both things himself. He never collected the fares in the channel. Any one can take the wheel while he was taking the fares.

By Mr Lascelles: It was not possible after seeing the Sir Donald, with the helm hard aport, to have got her round and up stream if he starboarded the helm. He would hare gone on the boulder bank.

By Mr Ellis: An eddy sets round the wharf nor'-east at that state of the tide. The tide would be running somewhere about south or south-west. He would be out of the eddy before he saw the Sir Donald. Before he could see down the channel he was out of the eddy.

By the Court: Hβ could steer and attend to the lever at the same time. He would have to let go his wheel for an instant to attend to the lever.

By Mr Ellis : It was not a master's duty to see the way clear before leaving the wharf.

By the Court: He should say fliey had sixty or seventy passengers on board. Mr MeCorrnick generally has the charge of the lever. He thoroughly understands it. (Left Sitting.)