GREYCLIFFE DISASTER

Hokitika Guardian, 11 January 1928, Page 4

GREYCLIFFE DISASTER

Si 111‘Ai ASTERS’ PROTEST. .Australian & N.Z. Cable Association.) SYDNEY, Jan. 10. A meeting of twenty-lire shipmasters at the Merchant Service Guild, adopted a resolution that .Mr Justice Camphell’s finding in connection with the G're.ycliffe disaster involved physical impossL bility, inasmuch as it was impossible for the Tahiti to approach the Grcyclilfe I rom any direction from ten degrees to ninety degrees on the port quarter, and to bring about an impact with tlie Greyeliffe with any part of the Tahiti except tier stern. Captain Lawrence, General Secretary of tlie Merchant Guild, said that there was no mark anywhere on the port quarter of the Greyeliffe, indicating or corresponding to the blow from the Tahiti’s stern.

Shipmasters also express the opinion that if tlie collision was brought about by tlie Tahiti with tier stern strikin tlie Greyeliffe to twenty degrees, as found by the Court, it would not cause tlu> Greyeliffe to take up tlie position which would eventually and shortly afterwards allow tlie Tahiti to again strike tlie Greyeliffe at an angle from forty-five to seventy degrees at a spot on tlie side of tlie Greyeliffe forty feet ahead of tlie place where tlie Court held the first impact took place. The meeting also determined that theposition should not lie allowed to remain as it is, and further meetings aro to lie held.

INQUEST PR OCEED IXG S. SYDNEY, Jan. 10. At tlie Greyeliffe inquest, Captain Hildebrand, First Assistant Harbourmaster, gave evidence that the sailing directions for Sydney Harbour, which were issued by the State Navigation Department, were obsolete. He preferred to rely on his own local knowledge. He added that more often than not sailing directions were not observed by outward-bound vessels. The Navigation Department was now pre paring new directions.