INQUIRY ENDS

Hokitika Guardian, 16 June 1932, Page 6

INQUIRY ENDS

LOSS OF THE KAPONGA. FINDING GIVEN NEXT WEEK. (By Telegraph—Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, June 16. With the calling of Captain Benton of the Kalingo, and Mr Carter, third officed,. to give evidence relating to the signal that the ship gave when she touched the Greymouth bar just prior to the Kaponga stranding, filie nautical inquiry concluded to-day, and Mr E. Page, S. M., announced that the decision would be given on Thursday-next.

Captain Benton said that the Iva Jingo touched, and he felt only one bump, but, after they got away, the chief isngineer and chief officer told him that they had felt a second, very slight, bump. When the ship touched, he ordered the thh'd officer to blow the whistle. It ma'de some sound, but not its usual shriek, but the sound could have quite easily been heard from the signal station. In any case, the noise of the whistle was not usually heard. When the ship had touched the signal usually only consisted of steam rising from the whistle, and he had arranged with Captain Gray, of the Kaponga,.to signs,! if he had touched. He had been trading in and out of Greymouth for thirty odd years, anrl had touched the bar many times. .. , Cross-questioned, witness said t-a none of the old hands on shore would dream of waiting'for the sound of the whistle. .. . r ; ' Mr Page: Three people on shore saw the signal, the harbourmaster, signalman and an officer on the Ivaponga, and ' they all concluded it was your steam blowing off. • Captain Benton said he could bnng many witnesses to say that they *1 knew that the Kalingo had touched. 1 he had blown the whistle a second time he thought it would have been taken on shore to mean that he ■

touched twice. Carter corroborated the ev'dence