LOSS OF THE PROGRESS

Otago Witness, Issue 4029, 2 June 1931, Page 21

LOSS OF THE PROGRESS

FINDING OF NAUTICAL COURT SEVERE CENSURE OF TUGMASTERS TRIBUTE TO RESCUE WORKERS. WELLINGTON, May ?9 . The Nautical Court to-day delivered judgment in the Progress inquiry. The court consisted of Mr E. Page, SM Captain Worrall, Captain Cartner, and Mr F. W. Granger, engineer assessor. After reviewing the evidence the court said; ‘ In considering the events of the night it must in justice to those concerned be borne in mind that a rapid and unheralded change in the weath-r conditions took place during the night. In the afternoon and early part of the evening the sea in Cook Strait and Wellington was a flat calm. There was an entire absence of wind. Shortly after J p.m. the wind started to rise and by midnight it was blowing strongly from the south-east with rising seas, which increased until, at daylight, a moderate gale was biowing and heavy seas were running. Most of the actions and decisions of those whose conduct was called in question in the proceedings were taken or made before the unfavourable change manifested itself.

Me think that the prudent course for the master of the Progress to have followed when he spoke the Opawa inward bound, at 7.35 p.m., was to have asked that vessel to tow him into port, bught was on him and he was in a locality notoriously awkward for a helpless vessel. He states that the idea of asking for a tow from her did not occur to him. The position was different when at 9 p.m. the Arahura, outward bound spoke him. To have asked her—a passenger and mail boat of some size to put back and tow him into port would have entailed substantial expense to his company. The weather was still good and no danger seemed likely to occur before the time of the tug’s arrival. Sub jeet to this comment the master of the I rogress displayed resource and seamanship in his efforts to save the vessel He and his crew did all that sailors could do.

“ When shortly after 9 p.m. word of the trouble reached the harbour master, we think that, having regard to the fact that to his knowledge the owner’s representatives were also aware of it and had been asked whether they would authorise the Harbour Board tug to go out to her he acted promptly when, failing to get any request from them within 30 minutes, he took it on himself to order the tug go and fetch the Progress in. We think that thereafter she got away with reasonable expedition. The owner’s representative, as soon as he learned of the breakdown, ordered steam to be got up on the tug, but he deferred giving the order for her to go to sea so that ho might get into touch with the owner. We think his action in so doing caused a delay of a little over half an hour in getting the crew down on the vessel and consequent delay in getting the vessel away.

“ In our opinion the Toia set out on this night much undermanned as to deck hands. These consisted of one man of the regular crew and two men, seamen no doubt, picked up from the Harbour Board . staff on the wharf—three deckhands in all, though the harbour master had given instructions that the master of the tug was to take what additional men he required. On these men devolved the whole of the manual operations in cidehtal to getting in contact with the Progress and the passing of a steel towing hawser to her and the recovering of that hawser on board again. During most of their operations they would be completely out of sight of the master on the bridge and without any semblance of control or advice or guidance by him. “ In the exigencies that must from time to time arise iu such operations the master evidently realised that they needed help and direction, for, after the carrying away of the line that was passed to the Progress he got the owner’s representative, who was on board, to take the wheel and he went down on deck aft to help the men to get the heavy hawser in. He gives as one of his reasons for leaving the Progress after daylight arrived the fact that the men were getting exhausted. Probably the feeling that the crew was inadequate was one of the factors that caused the master to refrain from a second attempt to take the Progress in tow. Under favourable conditions three men would be sufficient, but for a hazardous operation of this sort at night-time and in heavy weather three were utterly inadequate. We think there should have been, in addition to a larger deck crew, an officer directing the men and a helmsman to relieve the master at the wheel and enable him when be desired to see and direct what was going on. “ There seems to have been on the Toia a lack of foresight and a lack of attention to detail, militating against success. Some emphasis was at the hearing laid on the fact that the engine-room skylight carried away, allowing water to get down into the engine room. These skylights are steel framed and of some weight. Inside each when closed is a pin to secure it. The skylights were shut, but not as on a night of this sort they should have been secured. They were kept shut merely by their owu weight. One of them was thrown open by a sea and water got into the engine room. It

was shut down again, but still not pinned. The next time it was thrown open it was torn off its hinges and thrown across the deck. More water got down. The crew had then to endeavour, in exposed and wet surroundings, to cover the skylight opening with canvas. An embarrassment of this sort occurring when there were already more than sufficient difficulties to contend with doubtless had <m effect on master and crew. It coni] « C J? eell avoidcd by a Httle forethought. The task confronting Captain Campbell when he went to the Progress was not an easy one. His vessel, however,’ is a powerful tug designed for salvage work, and when an emergency arises some risks must be taken. We entertain no doubt that he should have made a further attempt, if necessary more than one, to take the Progress in tow. At the hearing some emphasis was laid on the proposition that in the circumstances it was unsafe for Captain Campbell to have gone to leeward of the Progress. In our view such a manceuvre was unnecessary. The Progress had to the knowledge of Captain Campbell despatched a second messenger which was carried by the tide in the same direction as the first one—namely, to windward ot her. This messenger could have been picked up just as the first one was. The alternative which Captain Campbell had at his disposal, was an efficient line-throw-ing gun, which from windward could baldly have failed to establish connection with the anchored vessel. In either of these.manoeuvres he could and would have remained to windward of the Progress. His first effort to get a towing hawser aboard all but succeeded. His second, aided possibly by the use of a heavier messenger, may well have met with success. M hen once the towing hawser hai been got on board and made fast to the Progress the powerful tug would have had no difficulty in bringing her to port. ’ The foregoing remarks apply to his operations during the hours of darkness. An examination of the position of the 1 rogress by daylight, lying as she was a mile from the nearest rocks, would have disclosed to Captain Campbell that there was ample water for him to inanceuvrc in, on whichever side of the Progress he chose to go. His action in abandoning her after daybreak is indefensible. Assuming that he was rijjht in the opinion that he could not in the conditions prevailing at daylight ffive her present help, he was not to know that. some improvement of wind, weather, or tide might not make it possible for him to get hold of her. He should have stood by her.

“With regard to the action of the master of the Union Steam Ship Company’s. tug Terawhiti in refusing to go out, his plain duty was to put to sea and go to the help of the Progress. He does not suggest that he could not get out, but bases his decision not to go telephoned report from Beacon Hill that the Progress was then about a mile off the rocks. If that were so he would have had adequate room to perforin whatever manneuvres were necessary, but in any event he should have gone round to see if any help could be given. The failure and'return of the Toia must, we think, have influenced him considerably. He was probably reluctant to tackle a job that had proved too much for the other tug. “ Some three months before her loss the Progress, when leaving the wharf at Wanganui, fouled one of'tb.e mooring wires of a dredge anchored there. The question, arose whether there was some association between that incident and the fracture of the tail shaft. In our view the evidence does not disclose the probability of such an association. Our finding is that the breakdown of the Progress was due to a fracture of the tail shaft and her loss at Ohiro Bay was consequent on such breakdown. We are of the opinion that her stranding and loss could have been avoided if either the master of the tug Toia or the master of the tug Terawhiti had carried out the duty asked and reasonably expected of him. No order will be made as to costs. Mr Page also delivered his verdict in the coronial inquiry into the death of the four victims of the wreck. He found that the deceased were drowned at the wreck. “ Mention should be made,” proceeded Mr Page, “of the gallant efforts of those who from the shore Endeavoured to save the lives of the crew when the vessel struck on some outlying rocks. Into the swirl of waters that intervened between these rocks and the shore several swimmers ventured in a gallant effort to rescue the sailors clinging to the halfsubmerged rocks or struggling in the water. Amongst those who essayed the task were R. Alfano, A. Pottinger, lan M'Hardy, and Constable Hammond. Two of them each secured his man and rescued him. The other two were beaten back. One was with difficulty himself rescued by boats that meantime had been launched. Fishermen, members of the life-saving club, Constable Baker (who was injured by the capsize of the boat in which he was working) and others, with the aid of boats 'bore a hand in the rescue work. But for these efforts it is doubtful whether any of the crew would have made the shore alive.”