GREYCLIFFE DISASTER

Hokitika Guardian, 29 December 1927, Page 1

GREYCLIFFE DISASTER

JUDICIAL INQUIRY. (Australian & N.Z. Cable Association.) SYDNEY, Doe. 28. The inquest on the victims of the Greycliffe-Tahiti disaster, on November (3rd. was resumed to-dav, hut adjourned till to-morrow. The Coroner stated that it was imjxjsslble to continue both the inquest and judicial inquiries at once, a.nd indicated that if material witnesses from the Tahiti had not completed tlieir evidenee to-morrotv. he would not. allow them to leave Sydney. The Coroner added that unless the Union Steamship Company gave an assurance that the Tahiti witnesses would he detained in Sydney, he would issue summonses, and they would ho detained legally. The Judicial Inquiry was resumed before Air Justice Campbell and two assessors.

The Captain of the Tahiti gave evidence that the impact was not felt on the Tahiti, hut the Greveliffc appeared to fall to pieces like a barrel. Referring to speed, he said that up to Miller’s Point, the Tahiti was doing four knots. Full speed was rung when passing Garden Island. After passing Garden Island the Tahiti’s course was altered slightly to port, hut just before reaching Garden Island, the course if the Tahiti had been altered in order t:> avoid a Navy launch. 'The Grey-i-liffe was an a parallel course with the Tahiti after passing Garden Island. He thought the speeds of the Tahiti and G'reycliffp were about the same just, prior to the collision. Captain Ahlwell estimated that the Tahiti was doing about seven and ahalf knots. About two cables past Garden Island the pilot put the Tahiti a little to starboard.

Counsel then asked Captain Aidwell what- the Grove.! iffe did. Then witness commenced: “I then saw the GreyefifL* ” For a moment he appeared on the point of collapse, hut after resting, said he felt upset whenever he thought about the collision. Captain Ahlwell then resumed. He was looking at the Grevelido, and saw her swing to port quite hard. The pilot said: “Good God!’’ and immediately gave an order. The Greveliffe had swung over not less than four points. The pilot gave orders: “Hard aport,” “Strip,” “Starboard.” and “Full astern.” These were all given practically simultaneously. AY it ness saw that they were carried out. AVitness added to the helmsman : “Put her hard over.” The vessel started to swing slowly at first. Captain Ahlwell said: “She is always like that—.slow to start, hut when she gets going she swings like a saucer. A few more moments and the trouble would have been avoided. If the Greyel iffe could only have squared up, there , would have been no collision.” He had heal'd the First Officer order the Tahiti's boat to he launched, hut he ' saw plenty of other boats coming up, ,

and thought that the* risk of the Tahiti's boat overturning would add to the confusion, so he decided not to launch them. Orders for the Tahiti to change over file helm and slop engines were all given within a minute of the collision, which was impossible to avoid as barely half a minute elapsed. It was only a mailer of seconds. If Iho Grc.veliH'e had noL altered her course the Tahiti would have passed the forry al. a distance of approximately one hundred feet..

Counsel directed witness’ attention to a statement attributed to him on reaching New Zealand, where he was represented to have said to Die police that the Tahiti was “travelling at a moderate speed, but f cannot say how mum - knots.”

Captain Aldwell, in reply, said he was very tired when the police interviewed him in Wellington, and was taken unawares. Tie did not intend to tell them how many knots, as he considered they would not understand. Witness continued : When he was interrogated bv the police in Wellington, he had been navigating through a fog for thirty-six hours continuously, and he was not (it to make a statement.

Alter cross-examination. Captain Aldwell. in reply to Air Justice Campbell ns to the reason that, led to the Tahiti being swung to port, said he thought that was the only thing to do to attempt to avoid a collision. Tt was hard to tell what the G revel ifFc was going to do after she had swung the way she did. Witness had often thought since that the Tahiti might have avoided the collision if she had kept straight ahead. Tt would have been n narrow shave, hut he thought sometimes they might have managed it; but that again would have depended upon the course taken by the Grevel iffo.

Lawrence McMiirricli. chief engineer of the Tahiti, gave evidence that all the lengines and appliances on the Tahiti were in good order. He was unalde to give any estimates of speed. Tt was not possible in the harbour to judge the speed of a ship from the speed of the engines. On the day of tiie collision the Tahiti was working

with two boilers out of commission. The engines were not warmed up by the time the collision occurred, and would not have been working to full capacity until the ship was two hours outside the Heads. Roderick MacLeod. Quartermaster, at the helm of the Tahiti when the collision occurred, deposed that when he saw the Grovel iff e he was steering for Shark Island. The Greyelifl'e was steering a parallel course, and about three minutes liefore the collision the G revel iffe was close under the Tahiti's

bows, when lie got an order hard astnrbonrd. The course of the ferry was so altered that she cut right across the course of the Tahiti. At the close of to-day’s evidence. Afr Justice Campbell offered no objection to an application by counsel that the Tahiti’s witnesses he allowed to leave with the vessel to-morrow at midnight-.