WRECK OF THE DEVON.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 599, 3 September 1913, Page 5

WRECK OF THE DEVON.

MARINE ENQUIRY. THE CAPTAIN'S EXPLANATION. A marina inquiry into the wreck of I the. steamer Devon opened on Monday. ! at Wellington, before a cuurt consisting of Dr McArthur, president, and | Captains Bollons and Black. ] Captain Counce stated that the j Devon went ashore about 7.43 p. m. ! When he picked up Penearrow lighthe continued on his course for Somes' Island light till a squall obscured the light. Tne squall lasted about five j minutes, and afterwards he picked up | what he took to be the red light of j Somes Island. When he found himself in the reel j light he ported to get into the white i sector again. Shortly after that he j saw he wag too close to the rocks on : Pencai'row Heads, and he went hard to starboard. The vessel refused to ! answer her helm, but he thought the j stern would swing round a bit, and he j put the engines full speed astern. The vessel struck rock? heavily abaft the bridge. He could not see ' any rocks ahead, but. as he saw rocks j a minute later, he stopped tha engines. I The. lights went out a few minutes i afterwards, and the firemen came on : deck, paying water was coming into ; the stokehold and into the engine ■ room. The vessel. continued Captain j Caunce. struck about a cable length j from Lower Penearrow Light. His j speed was about ten knots. The night was rough, with squalls and strong wind. The vessel was seriously damaged, and he thought .practically a total loss. ! In reply to counsel, witness said his explanation of the disaster was that he took the Falcon Shoal light to be the red sector of the Somes Island ' light, and took what would have been I a correct course in that case. viz. to ' turn towards Penearrow Falcon was i a fixed light, and was exactly on the blend between the red and white ;ee- ! tors of Somes Island light If Falcon j light had been an ccculnting light it ] would not have been -possible for the ; wreck to have occurred. He did not think it was necessary when he pot into the red light to go ; out to sea again, but tried to pick up i the white sector. i He took the red light to ba the red | sector, not the shoal light, because the j setor was a sixteen-mile light, and the shoal lignt only about a four-mile light. Both lights were of the same kind —fixed. FINDING OF COURT. Wellington. Tuesday. The Marine Court of Inquiry gave its decision to-dav regarding the wreck of the steamer Devon. In the opinion of the court the cause of the stranding was that way was not taken off the vessel so as to ; allow of her Being handled expediti- ! oualy in narrow waters: that the master mistook lights, and that the vessel was navigated too closely to Penearrow side of the entrance; that the stranding was contributed to by the default of the master, who was ; a stranger to the port, in not having made himself acquainted with the leading lights of the port, and when these were obscured by the squally | conditions of the weather prevailing '■ at the time, in not heading the ves- [ sel out clear of the land to await , clearer weather or daylight. ' The court imposed on Captain ; Caunce a penalty of three months' | suspension, and ordered him to pay | the costs of the enquiry, £l6. I RE-HEARING APPLIED FOR. Wellington, This Day. Mr Myers, counsel for Captain Caunce, of the Devon applied to j the Minister of Marine for a re-hear- i ing of the case, but was refused. '