ACCIDENT TO STEAMER.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5269, 2 May 1928, Page 2

ACCIDENT TO STEAMER.

TANUVHA KOPU BRIDGE. SUPERSTRUCTURE DAMAGED. About one o’clock on Monday morning the .well-known s,teamer Taniwha, en route from Auckland to Paeroa, was passing through the swing span of -file! new bridge over the Waiiiou River at Kopu when it is thought that the span suddenly swung back and struck tiie vessel.

It is supposed that this was caused by the man in command of the swinging machinery failing to brake sufficiently strongly to counteract the forces of the wind, and that when the span once compienccd to swipg it .was not possible to check it. The vessel struck the span, with considerable force. Very extensive damage was sustained by the Taniwha, her fore stay being broken and the port shrouds carried away. Tiie vessel’s bridge was forced right: back to the funnel, and tiie steam steering gear was. smashed, as were the engine J ,rooni telegraphs. Thq whole wheel-house and charti-room werei crumpled up, and the binnacle was; wrecked. It was necessary to resort to the auxiliary steam steqr’ng gear, and when the ship reached' Paeroa it was found necessary to dsitaaaitle tiie whole of the bridge superstructure. Thq Taniwha leaves to-day for Auckland, where she will go into dock to bo repaired. Luckily, no injury was done to the hull.

In addition to the damage, to the boat the unders.tructure of the bridge also suffered, a number of stanchions being bent and knocked about.

Owing to the electric navigation lighting system and the engine tele* graph being out of commission Captain J.. Freeman, who was in command, had to have all his. instructions repeated by word of mouth through the skylight down to the engine!-.rooin.