THE NAUTICAL INQUIRY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1683, 13 April 1886, Page 4

THE NAUTICAL INQUIRY.

CAPTAIN THOMPSON'S STATE MENT.

Blenheim, Monday. ,: The, preliminary inquiry into ihe cause* of the Taiarcu disaster, was held' this p.vening before Mr Paisley, Collector of Customs, and Captain Lambert, Nautical Assessor. ; Captain Thompson stated the ship left Wellington at. if. Bo a.m. on Sunday, the 1 1th instant ; a strong N.W. breeze was blowing; eteered S. by W., the usual course is S. £ W , but oh account of the strong N.W. breeze, kept £ of a point m more than usual .till 3.30 p.m., 'when we were abreast of Cape Campbell, and the course was altered ; the wind then fell light, and came down from the SiE. suddenly ; kept tp S.f W. It was rain.ing heavily and blowing hard, and the sea came ud very suddenly. I was on deck till 6.30, and she then, as far as I oduld see, seemed to be a good distance off the land. The mate was on watch on the bridge. Before going lelow at 6.30 I told the mate that it he thought theressolwas getting closer m or the weather came on thick so as to lose sight of the land to let me know. About seven o'clock he cams down and told me that he could see land on the port bow; I ran up immediately on to the bridge ; the} 7 were putting the helm hard a-star-board when I got there. Stopped her, and went full speed astern ; she took the ground at the same time. The chief engineer came up and said it was of no use going any further astern, as, she was making water. Gave orders then to have the boats out. and the passengers put into them.. Told the second mate to try and run a line on to the beaci). . He; could not affect a landihg a£ all. Got a line over the stern, towing the boats on to.that ; airt he boats were fast to i*. c - Xi \ ce : pt the captain's. The mate > got. into my boat, and we let her. droD" astern alongside' the others. When we had got alongside the first lifeboat I told the 'mate to go into her and take charge, and then we dropped further astern. When we came to the last boat the carpenter missed it. and we drifted away. The second mate was m the last boat, and . he came after to to give us a tow buck. He . towed us for about an tibur, but could not make anything of it, and he sang out that he would have to leave go. I told him to , let go, and we drifted away. Kept as close into shore as we could to avoid being blown to sea. There was a heavy sea running. Tried to make Cape Campbell, but could not,' and steered for the Wairau bar, where we arrived at 2 o'clock on Monday. Everyone m the boats had life bouys on. Did not take any soundings, but the usual pre. cautions were taken. There was nothing 1 wrong with the compasses, so' far as I know. They were corrected seven or eight months ago. Some magnetic in- : fluerice, with the strong current setting ' m, may have caused the accident. The wind where the Taiaroa struck appeared to come more from the south,, but the sen set m strongly from *he south-east. Two lad.\ passengers and the stewardess were m No. 1 life boat. James West (carpenter) deposed that the vessel was steered S. by W.- all the way till Cape Campbell was reached, when the wind changed suddenly to S;E., blowing hard, with a heavy sea. Abnut 5.30 the weather thickened. The vessel was off: Waipapa at 6.30,' and between 7.10 and 7.15 she struck. The hdats were got out m rotation. The captain got into his boat last, and I was told to hold on to the line, but was not able. The Taiaroa waSs drawing lift aft, and 7ft forward. The sea was breaking right over the bridge, and there was a heavy >ea on deck before we left. She bumped heavily the whole time after she struck. Samuel Dairy inple (chief engineer) deposed that everything went well m the engine-room till the vessel struck. I was on watch then ; it was twelve minutes past hc von. Tho engine-room clock struck a minute or two before the vessel struck. The telegraph rang full speed astern. Obeyed the order promptly and went full speed astern for about 12 minutes, the ship bumping heavily all the time. When the engines were stopped there was about four feet of water m the engine-room and stokehole. As soon as the engines were stopped I went on deck. The boats were being cleared away, and I again went down to the engine-robin. There were about five or six feet of water m the ro»m thun, and the fires were out. She was letting m tho water m the en-gine-room and stoke-hole door on the weather side of the deck. Not being able to do anything below, the second engineer and myself closed the door aud went on deck to lond a hand to lower the boats. All Inuhlh were off the deck rtt that time except the crew, who got into the captniti'g boat. The boat we took was (m the weather side. We launched her across the deck, and lowered her on the "l«e side. Tho captain and officers did all that whs possible. Tlie bench sneined verv stoiieyj and the ship commenced tb leak immediately. • ' John Mackay(A.B.) gave tile foliowr ing e'vidi'.nci' :— Was at the wheel from two till tour o'clock. Steered S. hy W. Ttif> com-SK wa» not altered while I was *t tho wheel. - Took m fore and aft sails at 3.30, when, the .wind .chopped round slid 1 1«- iiiy to S.E. ' Wail TehVved :it 4 o'clock till 7 o'clock. Came oh •leek at that time. Wati ' on watch as look- out lor-.vard. About 7.15 the vesnel struck. Saw nothing of land. The wather w«Btlii'.'k and dirtr',and it rained lieiivily. The capt 'in and mate were on tlie hridgo at that tiin>-. The course (S. l>y E.) vvim not altond up to four o'clock. The wnatA skeined to be the proper distance off the land when »h« passed Cape Campbell. Have steered th<- smile course on the Taiaroa for 14 months. Tlie inquiry th»n terminated. Th*» depoaitiona will hi f < rwanjed to Wei- ; liiigton. Crtptain ThompHon states' that th<;« .Taiaroa;, ; paßstd' the ' Hanjroto' 1 l fi J oiiV^ north soinHwh«re n«ar : C^fie GJimpf>ell.' She, was steering a course . inside the i aiaroa.