KAPONGA INQUIRY

Hokitika Guardian, 7 June 1932, Page 2

KAPONGA INQUIRY

THE EVIDENCE

(By Telegraph—Per Press Association)

WELLINGTON, June 6.

The first witness was Captain Grey, master of the Kapoiiga, who -said that alter loading the ■■'hip, it was barbound for three days iu company with the Kaiingo. He kept in close "'Communication with the harbour authorities i.i’.l the time, waiting for an opportunity to put to sea. On May 27, it was high tide at 4.5 p.m. He consulted with the harbourmaster, and the pair went out in the Harbour Board s tug at 1 p.m., to take soundings on the bur. .Along the course of outward bound ships, they found the jlca-st water at nineteen feet. It was about haif-tije. On the inward course, thy depin was 20 feet. The Kaponga )va| up to sail at 3 p.m., and the 'Harbour; mu-ter told witness, in conversation, that the ship would have about 22 feet of water on the bar. The Kulmgo sailed about 3.30, and witness left the wharf about 3.50. Kinship was drawing 17 feet, ten forward and 18ft. 6m. aft. Conditions on 'the bar were practically smooth, really better than he had expected, the swell having ceased to all intents and purposes. Abreast of the tip, the-ship lost way, and pul-ed up. “We felt nothing,” said witness. “Blie just drew up. There was no sonsutiou'uf any kind.

To a question, he said, that it there bad beet) any swell it would probably have helped them. They would have bumped, and’ that's all, possibly. He took the sounding about 4.45, about forty minute' after high water, All the soundings showed eighteen lent at the time the ship stopped, and when lie took the soundings, he was on the direct course of the white beacons. He had been going slow, but after stopping, rang for full speed, in the attempt to keep on the course he was on. The .ship did not move, aud in c p le- of his (efforts ..swung , across the. river mouth, and lie touched breakwaters both fore and after, holing the fore and after peaks. In response to witness’s signals, a tug. had come out, but as the tide was ebbing, little could be done. Before the tug arrived, the Eaitoke had left the wharf, and passing under the Kaponga’s -stern, backed in and passed ,a rope aboard, but went ahead too soon, aud the- messenger was dost. The captain ,of the Kaitoke .signalled he could do no more, and continued on the 'voyage. Witness went- on. io -sav that when the tug came again next morning, the fore and- aft peaks were filled with water, adding about 400 tons to the ship, and increasing the draught about 16 inches. He detailed the. further attempts to get the ship oft, and how they commenced to throw cargo overboard. The weather was making, and about 2 o’clock on Sunday morning, it was decided to abandon the ship, which •tied a heavy list -to starboard, and was leaking jn the engine-room. Witness said that after stranding, the second officer reported to bhn that ns the Kaponga was swinging, the Harbourmaster commented to hint that he thought that the KaJingo had touched tin* bar.

Jo a question, if there was any hurry to get away, witness said that they just waited for -suitable conditions to cross the bar.

If you had thought it unsafe, would you have waited longer?—Certn-n-v.

MORE EVIDENCE BY CAPTAIN

WERE SOUNDINGS CORRECT. WELLINGTON, June 6.

C-iutinuing Ins evidencie, Captain GVay. said tlmt the Kaponga was not fully loaded, she being about 70 or SU tons light of her full load. He knew of no precautions which could have been taken to find out the safety of the bar conditions that were not taken on this occasion.

Witness said that he had asked the master of the Kalingo to signal if he touched the liar The usual practice ;if Greymouth, he said, was to hoist the ball at the end of the signal yardarm, when an outward vessel signalled, by whistling, that she had touched the bar. Witenss was too busy swinging his own ship to watch the Kalingo, as she crossed the bar, but there was no ball at the yardarm. To Mr Kitehinghani (counsel for the Greymouth H rhour Board), witncsF sitid that he Jiad heard that the captain of tluv Kalingo, in reply to an inquiry, bad stated that lie did touch on file bar when going out, and had blown Into whistle; but no sound bad eventuated. *

.Mr Page: If you Lad known that the Kalingo had touched, would you have gone aivosslCaptain Grey; Xu. Decidedly not! Mr Pago: Well, now, Captain, wliat, is your explanat ion o; the tragedy ?

Captain Gray: Wolf lily explanation is that there was insufficient, water on the bar.

Mr Page: Well, that is obvious; but what do you say wn , in err l r ?

Witness said it appeared to him tit there was something wrong with llv soundings taken in the morning. He ponlfi not say where llie error had occurr«d.

The President: Captain Gray, wliat is your explanation of the casualty? Witness: The explanation is that there wasn't sufficient water on the bar.

The President-: Weljl, that is obvious; but wliat is the explanation of the apparent error somewhere?

Witness: It's very hard to say wliat the ii'ctmil explanation is: but it appears to me m w t-luil there was something wrong with the soundings.

The President: Something wrong with the soundings that were taken

oil the morning that you went out on the tug? Witness: Yes' That’s the only explanation I can offer-. - Tim 'President: Can you suggest where the error may have arisen ? 'Witness: No, Sir; l can't.

The President: Do you think that your draught was more than IS feet 6 inches?

Witness: No. It was not. It would he less when I got to tile bar, because we would be in salt water, and it would be lighter. Al t' *• further questioning, the captain. said that his theory cl the strand mg was that, when taking the soundings, they must have missed taking soundings on the ridge ot the bar. Tlie Captain said lie thought that the- signalman should have seen the Kaliugo’.s whistle blast, even il it bad not been accompanied by a sound, 'I he practice of giving a blast on the whistle i tile bar was touched hadbeen 1 ini established one at Greymontji for many years. Jl he (Captain Gray) had got a message to tlie effect- that the Kalingo had touched, then he would not have sailed, but would have waited for other conditions. He' suggested that a system of drag soundings be taken, as now, but with ’a greater.' frequency, and over . a more extensive area. It would' make for safer, conditions than with the ordinary procedure. He thought * that the trouble was still there. There was still Hie risk over the bar.

The President: However, as far as your vessel was concerned, your proposition is that you had wrong information as to the depth of water? Witness: Yes-wrong in OHiintion. The President: Do you think you were on the correct line? Witness: Yes.

The President: You say you drew the attention of ono of your officers to it? Witness: Yes,

! Thomas Ewart Bevan. chief officer, said the master had said to him, when he told him to get the ship ready to leave, that if the Kalingo touched the bar, he would not take out the Kaponga.

James B. Gibson, second officer, said that while the vessel was .swinging the Harbourmaster told him he thought that tlie Kalingo had struck. The Harbourmaster was so close that witness could have “touched him with bis hand.” The. Kalingo, at that time was a mile away.

To counsel for the Greymouth Harbiior Board, witness said that when the- Harbourmaster had told him this, he thought it mote in the way of a joke than anything else. He said, in fact, that ’f that was so, it would he harder for them, because tlu-y were drawing a foot or two more. Tbo second engineer was standing behind witness at tlie' time, and he had three sailors of his watch. Witness did not report this conversation to.the captain, because he thought that if the Harbourmaster was serious, he would have told the Captain himself. Witness, continuing, said lie had not mentioned the incident in tlie statement he had made before the Collector of Customs at. Greymouth, Counsel: What would you say if the Harbourmaster denied altogether that lie had taken part-in any such conversation ?

Witness: Well, there’s only one thing I could say, Counsel: What would that be? Witness: That he was lying, Leslie Lawrence Clark, third officer; Oscar Harold Dibner, chief engineer; an ( ] Henry William Jnsay, second engineer, also gave evidence, Jnsay gave evidence corroborative of that given by Gibson with regal'd to the remarks that passed when the Harbourmaster was on the He thought that the Harbourmaster’s tone had been jocular. Tlie Harbourmaster said at the end: “Well, it’s only a soft bottom!”

Witness said he had seen the escape of steam when the Kalingo blew her whistle, but, he did not hoar any sound,

To the President, witness said he knew when he saw the steam that the Kalingo had touched, and ho knew also irom the remarks between the Harbourmaster and Gibson, that the Kalingo was drawing less water than the Kaponga. He realised that it concerned the Kaponga a good deal, but he thought it was Captain Cox’s duty, and not his. to report to Captain Gray. The second officer was busy with the wires,

Captain Gray, recalled, said that the Harbourmaster would have bad an opportunity, he thought, of getting into touch with him before he left the wharf and lotting him know that the Kalingo had touched; but tliero would have been no difficulty at all if the Signalman had put up a ball at the yardarm. The hearing was adjourned.,