LOSS OF THE KARU

Hokitika Guardian, 25 March 1926, Page 1

LOSS OF THE KARU

STARTLING ST AT EM ENTS

BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSN., COPYRIGHT. AUCKLAND, March 21. The Court of Inquiry as to the wreck of the Kant opened helore Mr 1 utlen S.M., and Captains Braidwood and Owens. Assessors. Mr Meredith. Crown Solicitor, in opening, said that Thus. Halliday, who Went as far as Hokianga in the Karu, and then left her, had made some rather startling statements. He had made the statement that, while working below, he tried the ship’s plates with a penknife, and had lound them coated with rust, and also that tlm. plates were so thin that he pushed his penkife through. He had had an argument with the captain about the payment for working lhe hunkers and the cargo, and lie had used this as an excuse for leaving the ship at Hokianga. bul his real reason, he said, was that he considered the ship unsale. Captain Tomlinson, Surveyor of Ships, said that when the Karu was in Auckland, he inspected her foremast and life-saving appliances. He saw her survey cerl ilicates issued in New South Wales in January, which covered the current year. He had received no complaints about the vessel. There was no official inspection of lior hull, as far as he knew. Captain Richmond, master o! the Karu. said that the vessel did not touch the Whan gape bar when crossing. hut in berthing there she had touched a pile with her stern. An examination showed that there liad been no damage. Her timber ear,go was stored so that there was absolutely no room for movement. The Karu was towed out. When in the vicinity of the bar site* touched something once. Foundings were taken and these showed no sign iff any leakage. flic weather got had. He reduced the speed. At. 8 o’clock he turned the ship over to the Chief Officet. A little later the Second Officer reported water in the hold. The speed was lurtlier reduced. The shit) teas practically hove to. 'i'he wind was blowing very hard. The pump could not cope with the water. He got the lifeboats out. and set a, coarse to run lor sin

About daylight tlio ship l« 1sl stoonna;

Captain l?iohmond was oross-exami tied at length by Mr Seolwyn ifa.vs. At one static the chairman said that they lmd listened for twenty minutes and had a few words from the witness and all the rest from Air Alavs. Asked why he continued to sound the vessel for hours after the hump, witness said lie was following the ordinary precautions of the sea. Asked wlmt caused the wreck, witness said the possibility of having struck the bar. some wreckage, or a sunken log coupled with the very heavy weather. The only evidence of a hump was touching on the bar.

Herbert Alexander Htllfot'd said he noticed a single light hump as the Kam negotiated tlio bar. Oscar A. Varitnan, A. 8.. said lie had put a cement tilling in the forepart of the ship. AVitness had known of no leakage in the hull. He had felt three humps when the Kant crossed the bar. The second hump was very heavy.

To Air Valla nee: AVitness said the cement filling had been applied to a portion of the hull in Australia. This was because a jxtlo had struck the plates and started a rivet, causing a leak-. Two of the men had gone in swimming to locate the leak. The fault was made good at Auckland and Hie filling was removed. The timbers were to prevent damage from poles. The inquiry was adjourned.