THE TAUPO INQUIRY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5502, 14 November 1878, Page 3

THE TAUPO INQUIRY.

(From the Dunedia Morning Herald , Nov. D.) An inquiry was held at the Supreme Court yesterday afternoon into the circumstances under which the Taupo struck upon a reef while steaming from Tauranga to Gisborne the . other day. The Court Twas composed of Mr. R. H. Leary, J.P. (chairman), Mr. Registrar Ward, Captain Thompson (harbor-master), and Captain Leslie (master of the ship Calypso), the two last-named gentlemen sitting ia the capacity of nautical assessors. Mr. B. C. Haggitfc represented the Crown, and Mr. James Smith watched the proceedings in the interest of Captain Andrew. The following is a summary of the evidence : Findlay Macarthur, chief officer of the Taupo, produced his certificate of competency, and deposed that the vessel left Tauranga about 8 o’clock on'the morning of the Ist November, bound for Gisborne. The distance between the two places was abouj; 200 miles. It was witness’s watch from 8 to 12 o’clock. Nothing happened during his watch on deck, excepting that when passing East Cape Island a light was seen on the island, and a boat was lowered to see what the light was. It turned out that (some Maoris were fishing on the island, and the boat returned. The ship was stopped during the boat’s absence. When the voyage was. resumed, the ship was steered S. h B. by the bridge compass until half-past 10. Witness could see the coast line, which appeared to be five or six miles off when he left the deck at 12 o’clock. At half-past 10 the course was altered to S. % E, That course was kept during the remainder of witness’s watch. Captain Andrew gave that course. The alteration of course sent the ship a quarter of a point nearer in shore. The second officer relieved witness at 12 o’clock, and was given the course S. J W, The usual course steered was S. h E, along that coast before that night, but it always took the ship too far off shore ; and on this occasion, for the first time, the course was altered to S. £ E. On the previous trip witness had found that steering a course S. £ E, had taken the vessel too much off shore, and he had hauled her in a point on his own responsibility, telling the captain of it before leaving the deck. About an hour and a half after witness went below ho was roused by the vessel striking on a reef or rocks. He went on deck and ordered the boats to be cleared away, and the carpenter to sound the pumps. The captain was on the fore part of the bridge, and the vessel was off the reef by this time. Witness then went all over the vessel and found she was not making water. The vessel was stopped immediately after she struck. After finding that she was dry, went ahead again, and nothing more happened till she reached Gisborne.' There the Collector of Customs came on board, and witness told him in reply to a question that the vessel had struck. He asked if it might not have been an earthquake that was felt. That was the first witness heard of the earthquake. When the Taupo arrived at‘Wellington she was put on the slip. Her bottom was dinged in a good deal on tho port side from the after davit to tho fore part of tho bridge, a distance of about 30 feet. There is a shoo on the sternpost and rudderpost that was put on after she struck on Fish Reef some years ago ; tho forepart of this shoe was started, tho corner of the plate turned up on each side, and two bolts were put Excepting for a littlo paint being scratched off, tho starbord side was not damaged so far as witness saw. The vessel was on the slip at Wellington two months ago, and there was not a mark on her bottom then.. Nothing l had occurred between tho time of her coming off tho slip and tho time of striking on tho 2nd inst. to cause tho damage described. Witness's orders to tho second mato before going below on the night of the Ist were to coll the captain if it came on thick, or if ho was doubtful about anything. -Witness himself called the captain, and told him the night was fine, anti that the laud was visible all along, to which the captain replied " all right,” It was 9.30 when wo left the East Cape. , Witness here traced on tho chart tho different positions of tho ship, and said : “ If the course given by me to tho second mate when I left tlw deck had been correctly uteoxed, X believe it .would have kept the vessel clear of. the land.” After further reference to tho phart, witness said: “Tho rate of speed from East Cape was ten miles an hour, and steering

a S. } E. course for an hour and a half from the position in which the vessel was at 12 o’clock the ship would have been off Tokamaoaho reef.”—By Mr. Smith ; My fixing the position of tho vessel at 12 o’clock is more a guess than anything else; and my fixing the position which tho vessel should have reached if properly steered by the course given at 12 o’clock is also a guess.—By Mr. Haggitt; I did not look at the chart that evening. We did not use a lead-line. We had a patent log on board, but did not use it. The engineer told me tho ship was travelling ten knots. The land was not sufficiently visible to recognise any particular point.—By Mr. Leary ; I believe there is a tide on the coast, but I don’t know how the flood tide runs, or at what rate, not having looked at the chart to see.—By Mr. Haggitt : The man at the wheel steers by the bridge compass.—By Mr. Leary ; When I gave the second mate the course, he replied, “ South quarter-east,” Edward Patrick, second officer of the Taupo, handed in Ins certificate, and said : X relieved the first mate at 12.15 on the morning of the Ist inst. He gave me the course S. E. I told him I thought we were too near the land, and asked him how far we were off. He answered, “ Nearly two miles.” I saidj “ I don’t think we are more than one.” I asked him if he had called tho captain. He said he had called him at 12 o’clock. I asked him again whether S. J E. would take her clear of reefsand everything. Ho said, “Yes,” and then went away and loft me. I did not see the captain until after I saw a reef on the weather bow, when I called him. The night was dark and cloudy during the whole of my watch, aqd I kept a good leok-out. I attended particularly to the course, and told the man at the wheel to keep her S. 4 E., so as to keep her clear of everything. I saw that the helmsman attended to my instruction. Shortly before one o’clock I went on the forecastlehead to the man (John Leonard) on the look-out. I felt uneasy, and asked him if he thought we were too near, and if he could see anything. He said “ No,” and I returned to the bridge, and again told the man at tho wheel to keep her S. -J E., nothing to the southward. About ten minutes after I returned to the bridge I saw breakers close on the starboard bow. I ordered the helm hard up, and ran to the captain’s door and called him, telling him there were breakers close on the bow. By the time he came out of his cabin she had touched on the reef. She first touched, then gave a roll to starboard, then to port, and then she was all clear. Everyone turned out, and the captain gave orders to sound the pumps and to got the boats ready ; but finding nothing was wrong we kept on our course again. I heard nothing about an earthquake till we got to Gisborne. The breakers were quite close when I saw them. X was the first to see them. I was at the wheel helping the man to heave the helm over when the look-out reported breakers. I saw him running aft to report, but did not hear him sing out from the bow. This was my second trip in the Taupo ; previous to that I traded on the East Coast for four months in tho Wanaka, of which I was second mate. The usual course from East Cape to Gable End Foreland is S. 4 E, ■* The Court adjourned at a little after five until Tuesday morning.