PROGRESS INQUIRY

Hokitika Guardian, 21 May 1931, Page 3

PROGRESS INQUIRY

further evidence

(By Telegraph — Per Press Association) WELLINGTON, May 21. Henry Edward Alc'Clellaud, engine surveyor of ships, who surveyed the hull of the Progress last November, Said- the condition of the hull and engine room was good. Tile, tail-shnlt was in' good order. Witness did not see rust on the tail-shaft. Every ship should carry a spare tail-shaft. Captain W. J. Keane, marine surveyor, said that he found the ship to be in good order last November. Giving evidence this afternoon at the “Progress” inquiry, the signalman at Beacon Hill, Frank Edward Puddick, said that lie was on duty till 10.30, in the evening. About seven o’clock-he saw. a small ship, and called her- up. She replied she *was the “Huia.” Hie saw no sign of the Progress. The. first he heard of her was at 8d25-Vciock from the Opawa. Witness-,, -expj a i nc d that Captain Copland could' probably see the light from Beacon Hill when trying to call up the station, and probably he thought that, when witness was speaking to the tyas.; answering the Progress. the" Opawa’s message, Captain: Holies’ house, andy'a : X iady : lie was not at home! He then tried to get Captain Spfeiice and'Captain Petersen, of

the Harbour Board, hut he could not get in touch with them. He then rang the watch foreman of the Pilot StafF, and told him the Progress’s position.

..aptain Petjerson rang witness at 9.50. Later Captain Spence rang, and when told the state of affairs, said “We’d better get the tug down.” Captain Holm rang later, and witness told him that the sooner the tug was sent tlito better, as the wind and sea were increasing. At, 10. A) p.m. the Progress asked if the tug was coming, and witness replied, “Within a Pew minutes.’ That was the first and only communication lie had with the Progress. Witness went off duty, and returned at 0 :a.in., when lie thought the Progress ! was in the same position as the night I before. About 8 a.m. Captain Holm 'and Captain Wilson, of the tug “Terai whiti,” asked the conditions. When I told the “Tola” had put hack, Captain Wilson said, “Well, if the Tola, can’t do anything, it’s no use me going, down!’’ Witness at 10.50 a.m. saw the Progress Hying two small flags j _N,C.—which meant “In distress. Want immediate assistance.” dhe position of the Progress had changed very little at that time. At 11 o’clock he got a message from the loia, through the wireless station, asking the position nt the IVogncss. Witness replied that the Progress was about one mile off Island Bay, with distress flags up. The Toia was now on her second visit to the Progress.

Mr Page: Where had; the Toia been in the meantime?

Witness: Into the whaid'. She passed through the Heads at. 7 A a.m. going to the wharf; returning through

the Heads at 10.15 ~a.m. He could

see the Progress using her sails, and lie passed th 0 remark, “By jove, the old Progress is going to get out of that without tine- assistance of the Toia now!” The Progress, however, fell back into the wind, and at 11.30 a.m. she passed out of witness’s view. Mr Kirkcaldie: Why did the matter of reporting the Huia become a matter of importance in your mind? .Witness: When I heard that the Progress was signalling me, I wondered what I was doing. 1 looked up my log. I found that at about that time 1 was signalling the Huia. Von think it was a coincidence that t aptain Copland was signalling you at the same time as you were signalling the Huia?. ft was a coincidence.

If the Progress could see von signalling the Huia., the Progress must have been in your line of vision? It was in the line of vision of my light, hut not in my line of vision in the station.

Can you account for the fact that between the time that she passed Sinclair Head and the time she passed into the harbour at 8.25, you got no message from tine Opawa?

Yes, I can. The Opawa would lie obscured by Palmer Head all the time.

A BREEZE BETWEEN COUNSEL. WELLINGTON,; May-20. ; ■ Air Kjrkcaldie questioned Puddick concerning 1 his ' failure to send signals to the “Progress” at 8.25. Ho asked: You knew - front A)pawn that -the Pro-

I ' .. a ; gross was in'-'the Straits'-without her ■ propelloi-?—“Yes.” I At ten to nine you saw the Araliura steam all round her?-^y‘‘Yes.” ! And you had. no communication with the Master until E0.205«-“No.” You never sent a single message, or word of cheer, or told him the tug was coining?—“No—not until 1 was asked.” ■■■' >y But you had been ringing up people on shore?— ; “Yes,,..J got^husy It Was twenty to ten be'ore you got a message about uemjing the tug from town?—“Quite right.” Air Mazengarb:’ If this liad&been a passenger vessel in distress, could you have done any more for her than you .did?—“Not a bit.”

How long have you Been employed by the Harbour Board?-—“Nearly fifteen years.” Have you known a tug to be sent for before?— “Yea, often.” Have you ever known it to be dispatched with greater promptitude than it was dispatched on this occasion? — “Yes.”

Or any case of emergency when it has taken longer to dispatch a tug than on this occasion ?—“No. I don’t know of anv occasion.”

So in your fifteen years experience, this is the record for slowness? Mr Treadwell, appearing for t'no tu gm aster, here rose to his feet, saying: “The question is put in such a way as not to hell), hut to he offensive! To compare the time’it. .takes a boat, to go out under circumstances which were entirely different when the boat went out on other occasions, if of no assist-ance-to you sir, but merely offensive to inv client.”

Mr Page: Yes. I don’t think this witness will assist us. I don’t'think we -must hear you further on this point.” At Phe end iof Pnddick’s evidence. Air Kirkcaldieisaid that it was obvious when the Araliura steamed all round the Progress‘ that they had linen seen. He submitted that it ought to be shown definitely whether the Progress had boon drifting in an area obscured from the signalmen by Palmer Head, or not obscured No signals had been received from the Progress between 7 p.m. and 8.25 p.m. The Court agreed to ascertain the limits of the obscured patch of water.

Hector M. Mackay. Signal Station watchman, who was on duty from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., gave evidence of telephone inquiries from Captain Holm and *Sneiiee to' witness.' He 'considered' the Toia reached the Progress at 12.25 a.m.

To Mr Treadwell, witness said flnt when the' Toia went up to the Progress, it lfad gone up very close as far as he* could see. Edwin Havelock Wilson, master of the Terawliiti. the Union Company’s

tug, sai ( | that he got, definite orders shortly ’before 5 a.m. to get the tug ready and to go out and assist the Progress. He was told the Toia was out there,, and appeared to have bad difficulties in getting a line to the Progress, owing to the severity of tire weather. Further elaborate preparations wore neeUssarv. It was hot a question of raising steam. It was a question of making things secure and seaworthy.

Mr Prendcville: What time did you get away?—“Ten minutes to seven,” With a. crew of eight and. Captain Holm- aboard-/ they -went down the harbour under easy steam,' taking in .lendars. Near Ha Is well Point, they passed the Toia,: an ( j witness hailed him and asked what the weather', was like but there. The Toia replied tliern was a very heavy sea Tunning just ]Kist Seatoun. Witness saw, by the behaviour of the vessel, that there was a very heavy sea. lie went into Seatoun Wharf, and fang ■ Bbaopu Bill. He wanted to confirm the .report from Toia ami to -find the position of the Progress. “The Signalmen' told me that tho Progress was then about a mile off the rooks,” said witness. “There was only ■•ohe procedure then. AVe (bmmunicafied with the. Island Bay fishermen, 'asking if one of the big launches could get oilt of Island Bay if necessary, and run a line ofF to us- They stated that it was' ' low water, with the ,sea breaking lioav.Hv at the entrance, and no launch could

get out;” Witness continued: “I reluctantly declined to proofed any ' further, as (lie only means left that' 1 could see of getting communication, or .rather getting a Hue across to the Progress, would be to nurse the ship 'through the Heads under easy steam and proceed' to gea. on an angle that would bring me south of the Progress; then turn round and manoeuvre inside between the shore and the Progress! The effect of his cables being down would prevent me crossing his bow. Under tile ’•circumstances, I. wasn't prepared to take that risk to go inshore under the existing weather conditions.”

Air Watson: “Do you mind telling me what orders you got? AYere you told to go out to tile Progress or not ? AVitness: “To go out to the Progress,, and try to get a line on board.” Captain Holm ..was* down on the wharf an hour and a-qnarter before the ship was ready? Witness; ‘.‘He may-, have been. He wouldn’t take much notice.” “Did he complain to you of the delay?” AVitness: “T don’t think so. H ,j wouldn’t do that. I didn’t take much notice.”

“Did Captain Holm protest while you were going down the harbour n»u ask you to go full soeed’” Witness; “He didn’t. and, if he i had. I wouldn't have taken any notice 1 of him. T put her at full speed, and i f-Mind that tbe men could nof handle the fenders, so T slowp-i down.” Witness said he had gone into the Sen *-01111 Wharf to yet later in formation. • Things might haye . changed j

while lie Iracl been going down tile harbour. ' He did not con.,iiK i* i :u , •

could do anything in the lulls that, the Signalman spoke of. If lie i.

would have gone out. After ringing the Company’s officer, ami saying, t.ia-* lie was not going out, he was p.pared to stay inside to see if the wen tiler improved. He might have to nisi Lied this to Captain Holm, but tli 'loia was going out witn t aptaii* 8 ncc. and they did not want two tugs there. Air Watson: “Did not Captain 11 bln urge you to give it a go?” -■ - Witness'? “Oh; " ■ yosT'' : TTe nugij. have!”

Mr' Alazpngarh: “Was voiirf* decisio to \t.b' out affected in a'->y Avav by tli tact that the Toia returned and passu you in the harbour?” Witness: “None whatever.”

If it would have been perilous V you, did you not know they were i dire peril ?

Witness; “Yes they were in dire peril.” Well, didn’t you think ym ropl take a little risk and go out there and try to help? Witne s s: “If I had. 1 would not liave; returned to the wharf. I kirn* wha'f Vh'y ‘sld]Cwill'd'b.'”'' 1 What apparatus have you for send ing a line across?

AVitness: “No equipment'. We throw heaving linos by hand.” What equipment has the Toia ? AVitness: “I lydieve she lias a-line-throwing gun, lint I have never seen it.” Have you ever, bad anv experience with a line-throwing • gun ? “Once. That’s wily I don’t urn* them.” You say it’s dangerous to the crew of a small vessel in a heavy sea ? “That’s my opinion.” WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY ? Mr Wilson: Can you tell nv* what is the procedure? To-nielit if a vessel outside the Heads, in distress, bavin? lost its protpellor, signals urgently, what is the procedure to get the tug out ? Witness: ‘H’hat’s for the Harbour Board to answer. Beacon Hid is controlled by the Harbour Board, not by my Company, the IJnion Company.”

At Dn> time lie got the inessap''. said witness, it was" impossible to do anything to save the Progress; and tfio lives of those bn it without the help of a good launch. ' ,

'Mr Treadwell indicated that the examination of this witness-;would take some time. ' ' • * ■}

The .Court then adjourned until tVr morrow., ; A . . >.- . . * , '