THE BARQUE EMPRESS OF CHINA.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 1062, 22 November 1877, Page 3

THE BARQUE EMPRESS OF CHINA.

OFIJ.OIAL lITQCriKr. An inquiry was held at the Custom-House, Lyttelton, yesterday, at 11 a.m., before Alexander Rose, Esq., Collector of Customs, regarding the injury done to the Empress of China by bumping on the rocks near the South Head on November 17th. Alfred Griggs stated —I hold & master’s certificate of service, No. 22.5, Marine Board of South Australia, lam master of the ship Empress of China, of Hobart Town. On Saturday, November 17th weighed anchor from Port Lyttelton at 4.50 a.ra. with light S.W. wind and bathing. On proceeding down the harbor the wind fell light and all at once died away; tried to stay the vessel but found she would not stay; then tried to wear her, but the ship would go neither one way or the other, lying in the trough of a N.N.E. swell. At H a.m. we let go the port anchor, the wind coming from the S.S.W., tripped the anchor, but the ship would not pay off, all the after canvas being off her. VYc gave the ship more chain and brought her up again. Seeing that the ship was going to cant with her stern to the eastward, then lowered a boat and ran a hedge out, but the hedge did not hold and the ship tailed on to the South Head with her stern touching the rocks, then ran another hedge out and hove the ship clear out of the shore. The ship bumped heavily aft for about twenty minutes before wo could get her hove oft’; at 8 a.m. the pilot came aboard, and we put another line in the pilot boat to run another small hedge further out, having meanwhile hoisted a signal for a steamer. The s.s. Wan aka came down to us and offered to tow ship fo town for £25. I, as master, engaged the s.s. Wanaha to do so, and sent the tow-line aboard her, and when all was ready, slipped the port bower anchor and thirty fathoms of chain, and two buoy ropes twenty-four fathoms long, also two buoys, then slipped the hedge and the whole of a new warp with buoy and ten fathoms of buoy line. The steamer then towed the ship inside Lyttelton Breakwater, when we brought up. The s.s. Aharoa has since brought the anchors, chains, buoys, Ac., to town. At 11.80 a.m. two marine surveyors and Mr Walker came on hoard. Wo pumped the ship dry, then sounded her, let the pump stand for six hours, when the surveyor came aboard again and sounded the pumps. They found she had made thirteen inches of water in the six hours. On Sunday, November 18th, sounded the vessel at 6 p.m,, and found she was only making one inch per hour. On Monday, 19th, at 3 p.m., had the vessel towed on to Dampier’a Bay beach by steam tug Titan, and the Harbor Master coming aboard made the ship fast. The ship being so much by the head we could not ascertain exact quantity of water in the well. On Tuesday, November 20th, at 9 a.m., surveyors came down to see ship’s bottom, but could uot ascertain what damage was done, vessel not being sufficiently out of the water, discharged forty-five tons of ballast from aft, and at 4 a.m., on 21st, hove the ship as high as possible on the hard. At low water shipped the rudder, which had been raised at the time she struck an inch and a half. It was a patent rudder, so shaped that in the event, of any injury being done to the keel there would be nothing left to support it, there being no pintle or gudgeon. The damage done to the vessel is as follows — The false keel was ragged as far as the raizen rigging, the main keel being uninjured. Two sheets of copper wore torn off, and two planks in the bottom rubbed. The leakage has been caused entirely by the vessel straining owing to bumping. The vessel’s sharp bottom makes the leakage appear greater. Ten minutes pumping every twelve hours is sufficient to keep the vessel clear. There appeal's to ho no other damage done to the vessel.

The chief officer, Fred. Martyn Yip an, gave corroborative evidence.

John Eussel Gourlay stated —I am a marine surveyor. I hold an appointment as marine surveyor for the American Shipmasters’ Association, In company with Captain Sprout, surveyor to Lloyd’s Agency, I went aboard the Empress of China on tho 17th of November, at tho request of Captain Griggs, to hold a survey on tho vessel, and found her making somo two inches of water per hour,the rudder and steering gear wore disordered and out oi place, the wheel being broken, her appearance

leading to the conclusion that she had been striking heavily aft. We recommended Captain Griggs to have the vessel placed on the slip if possible, but finding there was not sufficient slip accommodation in Lyttelton for vessels of this class, recommended the vessel should be beached on the hard, stern on, to ascertain, if possible, extent of damage, and to have temporary repairs effected sufficient to enable her to proceed to another port where there is proper dock accommodation. Wc surveyed the vessel this morning, and find that to all appearance the only damage done is that the false keel is ragged and a few sheets of copper torn off. When these repairs are effected there is nothing to prevent the vessel proceeding to another port. The vessel appears to he well found. John Beaton, an A.B. belonging to the Empress of China, gave evidence corroborative of that of the master and chief officer. This concluded the inquiry.