The Evening Star. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1871.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2744, 2 December 1871, Page 2

The Evening Star. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1871.

After wisdom is unfortunately often dearly bought, as is proved by the investigation into the loss of the Ahuriri that took place yesterday. The annoyance to losers, as in this instance, is that when danger is discovered through loss and damage, it is found out that warning had been given to those who had power to ascertain its existence, and that they had neglected to take precautions to guard against it. Those who carefully weigh the evidence given yesterday, though fully agreeing with the verdict, will cordially sympathise with Captain MTCinnon, for, if he erred, it was through anxiety to conserve the property entrusted to his care. He had valuable live stock on board liable to injury by exposure to the gale that was blowing outside, and, in order to preserve them as well as to make his passage, he took advantage of the shelter of the land, not knowing of the foul ground, that some few, accustomed to trade to that particular locality, were alone acquainted with. And even here the wreck was owing to a combination of adverse circumstances that might not occur again in a man’s life time. A consideration of these remote chances will show how little Captain MK'innoN was to blame in the matter. First, and most culpable appear to have been the Government. We do not mean the present administration, nor the Provincial Government. It must have been the Stafford Ministry who were in office in 1807. Captain Thomson, himself aware of the dangerous ground, wrote to the proper authorities that year, pointing out the necessity for survey. Had this been made at once, it might have cost one hundred or one hundred and fifty pounds. This might have been grumbled at by some bucolic Parliamentary financier, but almost certainly it would have been a saving to the Colony of some ten or twelve thousand pounds. Thus the first adverse circumstance was that no rocky ground was marked on the Admiralty Chart. Next we have a gale of wind, leading to the advisability for seeking shelter, and to the temptation of going close in shore to avoid its effects and make a rapid passage. Then the particular state of the tide it was dead low water : an hour and a half earlier, or an hour and a half later at that spot, and the Ahuriri might have glided over the rock without injury. Even tho usual distinctive warnings of shoal water were absent. The heavy rollers did not break upon that rock, or at least not with sufficient decision to create suspicion of danger in the minds of even practised seamen. The whole surface of the ocean was “ feather “ white ” through the heavy gale blowing off the tops of the waves Though on the look-out, no danger was suspected 3 and just at that moment every hand was busied in getting sail on to the vessel. So heavy a job was this in such a wind, that tho watch had to be called from below, and the captain had to take the helm. In that spot Captain Thomson stated that there was usually a bed of kelp. This, although occasionally to be met with in water deep enough to float the largest ship in Her Majesty’s Navy, is alway’s accepted as one of Nature’s beacons: and where present, except in well-known soundings, points out a spot to be avoided. But in this instance that too had disappeared. Nature equally with the Government had neglected to mark the rock. With every appearance of being in a safe track, the Ahuriri rushed on to her fate: ten or twelve feet to the right, or ten or twehe feet to the left, and she might at this moment have been safe in Port Chalmers harbor. The area of the rock as ascertained by Captain Thomson, is about 100 square feet—that is 10 feet square—about the

size of n very small bedroom. There is deep water all round it. On the one side was three-quarters of a mile of water: on the other some three thousand miles. Let any one calculate the chances of a vessel hitting an unknown projection, ten leet across, in a distance of three or four thousand miles, and he will arrive at the conclusion that it is very nearly infinity to one against it. So far therefore as seamanship is concerned, we quite agree with the Board of inquiry, Captain M‘Kinnon has been the martyr of accident, and has very properly had his certificate of competency restored to him. He cannot be seriously blamed for striking the rock : the main fault lay in neglecting to see to it that the scientific precaution of dividing the vessel into water-tight compartments, in anticipation of such a contingency, was carefully attended to. Had any one of them been water-tight, in all human probability the vessel would have floated. But to add to the other mischances, the sluice valves were open, and thus the water had free admission into the hold. Singularly enough all men accustomed to danger hold it

lightly, and place little value upon those simple appliances that might save them. Neither Captain McKinnon nor the mate, when they left Oamaru ever imagined there was any risk of a disastrous ending to their voyage or they would have had the sluice valves closed: and even when the vessel struck, the idea of shutting them occurred to none but the engineer, who from his profession was accustomed to place more reliance on mechanical arrangements than the others. It was then too late. In every other respect the utmost coolness and self-possession seems to have been displayed by both officers and men ; and to this is owing the safety of those friends and townsmen who were so uuexpectly placed in peril. We trust the necessity for attention to the watertight compartments will become imperatively recognised in future. If the Ahuriri had slipped off the rock immediately on her engines being reversed, perhaps not a life would have been saved : whereas had those valves been closed, even had she finally sunk they would have delayed sinking sufficiently long to have completed arrangements for safety. The value of calmness and presence of mind in danger is multiplied and indefinitely enhanced, when to them ,are added those scientific aids which tend to render them effective.