THE DELAY TO THE WAKATU.

Patea Mail, 11 October 1882, Page 2

THE DELAY TO THE WAKATU.

The question of the recent delay in the river to the Wakatu was brought up at the last meeting of the Harbour Board by Mr Adams who asked for an explanation. ; The Chairman said that he wished the pilot were present. On the day that the Wakatu was going out he (the chairman), was at the heads- He met the engineer of the Clyde and Captain Gibbons and discussed the question of the steamer going out. Gibbons said that he did not think they could face the sea, the wind being too strong. He left at 11.30 and told the pilot that if the wind Went down he was to let the vessel go. About 1 o’clock the wind lulled and the pilot hoisted the signal for the steamer to go to sea. They had, however, to send for the cattle some distance and then get them on board, and having sheep also to ship, it was some time before they were ready, and at five minutes past high water the pilot pulled down the signal and told them not to go. He thought that the remarks in the paper censuring the pilot were not deserved. Had the stock been there ready to go on board the steamer could have gone out perfectly well, but when it was past high water he thought the pilot was perfectly justified in pulling down the signal. Mr Adams : Did not know the pilot promise to put up the balls at 12 o’clock. The Chairman : He would put them up as soon as the bar ,was safe. Mr Adams: Could not the pilot tell to within an hour when the bar was safe ? The Chairman not being a nautical man could not say, Mr Aitchison remarked that past experience showed that five or ten minutes delay would often be the means of losing the tide, and in the present instance there was more delay than that, Mr Adams :. The mate of the steamer

went down in the morning to make arrangements about the cattle, so that they could go out in plenty of lime. The Chairman : At any rate when I went away the mate was under the impression that he could not go at all. The subject then dropped.