THE TARARUA DISASTER.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3082, 13 May 1881, Page 4

THE TARARUA DISASTER.

OFFICIAL INQUIHY.

\_\vi T;St.!■:<'*it \.pn.) DuxiiiUN, Mi'iy 13, ■;':.;C; unpify vi: ■ i U-: of the uf me 1 ararua was resume.! yesterday. Tn 'dins Dixon, Edward Johnston, and Frank Denz wen; tix-uniiied. All three agreed that the second mate's boat could not have approached the wreck without imminent danger. Frank Denz remarked " If all the steamers in England had been there after 12 o'clock ou Friday they etitiid not biiVf- saved a single soul from the Taraniii."

(!apt. Chat field, master of the Rintrarooma, said : I uavt- had about 20 years' experience of the New Zealand coast. I know well the part of me coast where the Tnraruti *&$ lost. 1 consider Waip!i£<i Poinr ore ol the *or.st danger* we bae'e on the coast of New Zealand. T'>e point i* low ; a lonsj, low reef lies off it, and any sea at all on the coast causes a vapor to arise which obstructs the land. That makes it hard for a master to bi« distance off the land. I generally run abreast uf Wai papa before eh-inging my counse at all. I unrest that a red cu<'ing light should be pl:\eod on Slope Point which would cover the dangerous part of WaipapH. Alyo on Dog Island a light with a red sector showing over the Tooy Hock. It would be much safer to have both these suggestions carried out, but we might do without the cutting on D-g island. The danger of Toby Rock causes us to hug Waipppa. In heavy we«tber we always stop -till daylight before we come to Waipapa Point. Captain {Sinclair, of the Arawata, deposed : 1 agree with what Captain Chatfield bas said, excepting that when the weather is moderately clear I always sight Dog Island light before changing my course. 1;e light which should be on Slope Poiut' should be white seaward with a red arc S. 46 W. which would run rifiht across toby Rock. By tbis means boh dangers would be avoided by one I have paa.-ed Waipapa about 236 tu>>e:s nearly always in the dark or at dusk. CbarlecStc ward, able se.«:naii, deposed : I relieved Denz when he went to get hi« coffee at about five minutes past five o'clock on the morning of the wreck. He gave me the course weat. I kept hei west, T saw ni land, and heard nothing. When 1 came aft the second mate was ou the bridge. I believe I saw the captain corning down from tbe bridge as I went aft, but I will not swear to it. She struck ab: ut 10 minutes after 1 took tbe wheel. I caw the second mate coming aft to tbe captain's room, which was just abaft the main mast. That would be about five minutes before she struck. They spoke together. The captain saDg out, " Hard a-starboard 1" Before tbis I had noticed him looking over the port side. He ran and helped me to heave tbe wheel round a-sfarboard. She aDswered her helm, but I cannot how far she came round, hhe struck imt.oediately afterwaidsahfMt a minute ajter tbe captain rushed to tbe wheel. T stuck to the wheel until she broke tbe pear. She lifted the wheel up three times, and the gear all unshipped. I let go the wheel, and then can.rht bold of it again. 1 did not like to ru:; away, so I stayed there a few seconds. Fir.ding T could be of no further use I tben went forvard.

•J".)bn able seanian, deposed : I relieved Barnutt on the look-out about fi *■ or ten minutes after five o'clock ou tht of the wreck. When I went forward I saw the loom of land, biU viot tbe beach. I heard nothing. I loiti.ed towards the bridge, because I had orflorn always to keep a bright look-out, but I saw nohody on it. I saw someone aft. I don't fhink I was on tbe forecastle head more than from five to eight minutes when the ship struck. Just about a minute before she struck I saw the foam round the vessel and thought she was in some current. I did not sing out about it. I did not fhink the foam meant any danger. I saw nothing else and heard nothing before she struck. The foam w-i* not like water breakiutf .over rocks. It -.VMS hoilinjjr. Ju*t as she struck I wai? i»> fie act of coming aft to see what made the foam so comical like. Then she otruck aft and wi-nt me spinning. I gut ashore from the mate's boat. I don't i- coll ct freeing anyone ou the bridge at'ier I went on tbe look-out.

. The last witness to-day was George Lawrence, who swam ashore from tbe first boat and sent a messenger to the telegraph office. He said be did not say anything about danger, only to send essistauce immediately. Ou concluding his evidence Mr Simpson said that Lawrence should be highly complimented frr his pluok in swimming ashore. It was a very brave act. At 5.30 p.m. the proceedings were adjourned fill Saturday. Dunedin, May 13. A meeting of the Tararna Relief Fund Committee was held yesterday. The ( nly cases brought under their notice have been one each from Oamaru, Port Chalmers, Wellington, Auckland, and Dunedin. They were all relieved, and sen? to tbfir respective homes. Fiom this it would appear that there is no dietress to warrant the getting up of a general fund, and that all the cases are such as can best be met by the local chiiri ies. Should any further cases come to litfbt tbey will be considered at a meeting to t)e held in about a week.

The Harbor Master, in his report to the Harbor Board yesterday, strongly that the Government should establish fog signals in connection with lighthouses along the coast. Tbe ketch Good Templar left for Waipapa ou Wednesday, taking boats and a party of men for the scene of the wreck of the Tararua. Tbe Government intern) at once to commence diving operations at the wreck for the old Stiver.