INQUIRIES.

Globe, Volume V, Issue 581, 29 April 1876, Page 3

INQUIRIES.

THE S.S. BEAUTIFUL STAR. The inquiry into the damage done to the ieautiful Star during the late southerly ;ale, was held at the Custom House, LyMelon, yesterday at 11 a.m., before Alexander iose, Esq, Collector of Customs. Mr H. N. balder watched the case on behalf of tne »wners of the vessel, the Uuion S. S. Co. Captain Pietersen, examined, said—l am naster of the steamer Beautiful Star, of Duncdin. I bold a master's certificate, The ressel arrived in harbor from Dunedin, via [Mmaru, at 11.30 a.m. on Tuesday, 25th, and lischarged grain at Gladstone Wharf into ;bes.s. Otago; then came alongside Screw Pile Jetty on Wednesday at 10 a.m, and took in cargo from s.s. Taupo. As the latter vessel 30uld not discharge her Lyttelton cargo on the wharf, owing to the railway authorities being unable to provide trucks for the removal of the goods, I remained alongside the Taupo til] she was ready to start from the wharf. This was about 4 30 p.m. I had a Sin hawser out to the mooring buoy, and a 4in hawser to the S.E. corner of the Screw Pile Jetty at the time the Taupo went out. [ had received my instructions as to mooring From Captain McLellan, the pier master. I 3id not let go my anchor by his direction. The Tfiupo was lying stem out when she started from the wharf. The 4in hawser, ilthough slacked, carried away, owing, I presume, to the heavy weather. The jtrain of the hawser would have been against the keel of the Taupo. The Star Uien drifted towards the waterman's jetty and touched it. I omitted to mention that there were two 4iu hawsers out aft to the N.E. end of the screw pile jetty ; these held on. I did not touch the waterman's j-itty till I had to let them go in order to steam out. As soon as I got the stern ropes in I steamed full speed ahead to save the vessel. Whilst hauling in the stern ropes the vessel's port side struck the waterman's jetty without much violence: I then steamed full speed ahead away from the waterman's jetty and got clear. The place where the jetty was struck was near the outer end. I steamed out to the mooring buoy, got the line short, and let go my anchor, and slacked the vessel astern and came alongside the N.E. side of the screw pile jetty. I had no suspicion that any damage had been done to the vessel, The starboard side was alongside the jetty. I secured her there for the night. 1 was on board all Captain Gibson, the barboi master, was present at the time and super intended the mooring. The state of the weather on Wednesday afternoon whet alongside the Taupo was very bad, a heavj S.W. gale blowing. The strength of the gab was such that when the lines were slacked to let the Taupo out, the wind forcec the vessel against the watermau's jetty holding her there, so that I could no , get her out with the bow line without tb I assistance of the screw. Throughout Wed I nesday night the gale continued with grea violence, and at 4.30 a.m, on 27th, 1 wa called by one of the men and told the shi] was half full of water. I got all hands o deck, set the steam donkey engine to wor and two hand pumps, and also deck buckets Finding we did not gain on the water, I sen the chief officer for Captain McLellan, tb pier master; he directed me to unmoor, hea-j up the anchor, and steam to Dampier's Ba; Captain McLellan took charge of the vesse and beached her in Dampier's Bay. Aboi 11.30 a.m, at low water, I found a hole c he port side, in the main compartmen libout 2ft below the water line. The ho A-as 4in long. The hold was full of wat and the cargo floating about when v beached the steamer, We obtained a light

ai soon as the tide allowed one to come alongside, and transhipped the cargo. On examining the wateiman's jetty where she touched yesterday afternoon at low water I found several bolts sticking out on the sill pi<C9 in the'] place where she touched ; &ueh bolt heads are sufficient to cause the damage done to the vessel. The time the vessel struck the jetty was near high water. The rise of the sea at the time of striking was from two to three feet if not more. On examining the last bolt but (ne on the sill of the jetty, I discovered that it had evidently been chafed, as it was quite bright at the corners, and all the dirt was rubbed off. David McKenzie stated—l hold a certificate of competency as master. lam chief mate of the s.s. Beautiful Star. I have heard the statement made by Captain Pieterson read to me, and am satisfied that it is correct in every particular. If I were examined in detail my evidence would be the same. The only way I can account for the hole made in the vessel's side is that it must have been caused by one of the projecting bolts in the sill piece of the watermen's jrftty. The hole in the main compartment corresponds nearly with that portion of the vessel's rail yist above it which was brokeu when she struck the jetty, but never expected that the vessel had received any damage to her hull. I turned in about 10 p.m. Wednesday night, and had no reason to suspect anything was wiong. Robert Johnson stated—l hold a certificate of competency as a second class engineer. I am sole engineer of the s.s Beautiful Star. [ have heard the statement made by Captain Pieterson, and I am satisfied that it is true to the best of my kno '-'ledge. On Wednesday night wa kept steam up all night, on account of the weather. The engine room compartment is separate from the other compartments of the hold, and watertight. The sluice valve in our compartment was closed. If the sluice valve had been open the leak in he nnin compartment would have been discovered immediately the water began to come T was in the engine room on the Wednesday afternoon when the vessel struck the watermen's jetty, bat had no suspicion that any damage had been done to the hull. The engine room is right aft the main compartment. I have seen the hole in the plate in the main compartment, it is between two and three feet below the water line. I have seen the hole since the ves«el was dry. My impression is that the hole was made by the vessel grazing against a bolt in the sill pieca of the watermen's jetty, and by the sea dliving the vessel against the bolt. The plate where the hole is shows a scraped, mark in front of the hole for about two feet; I have been to the watermen's jetty this morning, at low water, and have seen the bolts in the sill-piece They project about one and a half inches. They are quite sufficient, in my opinion, to account for the damage. Captain Hugh McLellan stated—l am pier-master for the port of Lyttelton. I directed the captain of the Beautiful Star not to let go his anchor, and instructed him as to mooring alongside the Taupo, which he carried out properly on Wednesday, the 26th about 10 a.m. I was not present when the vessel struck the watermen's jetty, nor when the Taupo left the screw-pile jetty. Op Thursday morning at 4.45 a.m. I was called to Captain Pietersen's assistance, the vessel beins; reported full of water. When I arrived at the vessel I found all hands pumping ship and the donkey engine going. lat once decided that the safest plan was to beaih her in Dampier's Bay,which ivas doue, it being nearly high water. I found that Captain Pietersen had taken everj precaution for the safety of the bulkheads. Captain Frederick Denham Gibson stated, I am chief harbour-master. Between four and five o'clock p.m., on Wednesday, the 26th instant, as I was coming from the Gladstone wharf, I saw that the Beautiful Star had drifted broadside on to the extension of the waterman's jetty. I ascertained from the captain that his starboard bowline had carried away whilst the Taupo was getting out from the wharf. The captain desired me to let go his stern lines, and he would steam ahead clear of the wharf, and I agreed with him that it was the only thing he could do under the circumstances. It being impossible to haul her off with her broadside to the heavy gale then blowing. Before clearing the jetty she gave several heavy thumps against the jetty, doiog some slight damage to her upperworks and the jetty rails. I eased her with cork fenders ?.s much as possible, and after that she got clear, apparently without any serious damage. Subsequently I superintended her mooring at the screw pile jetty, her starboard side to the jetty, eased sufficiently off to keep her clear fiom the fender piles I have no doubt that the damage occurred to her hull during tin time she was steaming clear of the waterman's jetty. This concluded the preliminary enquiry.