THE BOAT ACCIDENT AT NELSON

Patea Mail, Volume IX, Issue 1074, 17 August 1883, Page 2

THE BOAT ACCIDENT AT NELSON

Full Particulars. Following are particulars of the distressing accident to the pilot boat at Nelson, on tbc 14th ; The Wanaka was brought into harbour just before three o’clock, and an inquiry has been held before the Collector of Customs. The most important evidence given is as follows:—Win Pagran, A.B. on board the steamer, deposed :—I was on deck at the time the pilot came on board. The pilotboat took the line from me. He (the pilot) made two or three attempts to get on board, but did not succeed. After three attempts, Pilot Lowe managed to get aboard, and he then told the boat’s crew to shove off. We were head on to the wind ; at the time the pilot boat left us they sung out, “ Haul in the line.” She was heading outwards to son. Th°y took the cant ont of her, and I heard a cry. I could net distinguish whut the cry was. A sheer round was made by the steamer to see if we could get nearer the boat. When we had got round, I heard a cry from the pilot boat, “ Steam ahead ; we are all right; we lost our oars,” and this was the last. I beard “We lost onr oars” distinctly. I have beard the statement of Wm Marlin read over, and he has only staled the troth. I was placed with ihe others ready to jump into the boat if called upon to do so. Captain Neville stated : I was on deck from 12 last night till the vessel came into port. I was on the when I first saw the pilot I eased and stopped the engines, and burnt a flare-up as a signal to the pilot, and was answered immediately from (he boat. There was a good sea running, but not worse than I have seen when the pilot has been taken on board previously. Owing to the range the pilot could not get on board, so he told me to haul out to seaward, which I did. He then got aboard, after one or two attempts, the position of the steamer having made a sort of lee for the boat. When the pilot got on board, he ordered the boat to leave. After about a couple of minutes he asked me if the boat was clear, and I said I thought so; he then ordered the helm hard aport, and to go full speed ahead ; the vessel was then heading north-west, the wind being eastward of north. The pilot’s order was obeyed, and the ship came round for the purpose of heading to the lights. I then heard the men in the boat crying out. This was fully ten minutes after the boat had cast off; and, meanwhile, nothing had happened to lead me to suppose anything had gone wrong. I could not distinguish what was said in the boat, but I heard several voices. The cries came from about abeam on the port side. It was too dark to distinguish the boat, which must have been 100 yards away. The cries were of distress. I called the pilot’s attention to them, and asked should stop her and go full spglpi astern. He said “ yes,” and I acted accordingly. I then sang out for all hands to clear away the lifeboat. I handed the ship over to Pilot Lowe, and went to assist in getting the boat ready. When doing so, I heard the men in the boat cry ont “go ahead.” The cry came from under the stern. I sang ont to the pilot to go ahead, and then finished getting the boat ont of the stocks and swung over ready for lowering. The sea was very- heavy and broken at this time, and in my opinion it was not safe to lower the boat. I went into the boat and called for a crow, when the second mate and two of the crew responded. We heard no more of the missing boat or crew. The steamer came round again, but still we saw no trace of cither. We then signalled to the shore with all the means we badsuch as blue lights, rockets, flare np, and fire beacon. We kept cruising about until seven o’clock and then anchored. If a sufficient crew had volunteered when the boat was ready, I should not then have had the boat lowered. There was no refusing to man the boat. Between six and seven, shortly after daylight, 1 saw on 6 of the life buoys (thrown over by the mate) come back close to the ship. The tide changed at five o’clock. I had a man stationed at the mast-head to keep a look-out, but he saw nothing of the boat. About nine o’clock I sent a boat ashore with the intelligence of the accident. Jas. P. Lowe deposed : lam pilot and harbourmaster of the port of Nelson, I left home at 8.15 this morning, It was very dark and raining. There was no force of wind. The boat was manned by the usual boat’s crew and myself. The crew consisted of W. Reader (coxswain), William Morrison, Richard Thomas, and C. Johnston. We went out of harbour under sail, sailing to the bell-buoy. We put a light on the buoy, and then took to the oars. There was comparatively little sea on as I was going out. I have gone out of harbor in a great deal worse weather. We had no difficulty in getting out to the steamer. We pulled easy until we picked np the steamer’s light. I then answered the steamer’s signal with a, flare-up, and kept it burning about four minutes. About ten minutes later the ship came up to where we were. 1 had some difficulty in getting aboard, as the ship was end on to the sea. I sang out to the captain to heave ship into the wind so as to make a lee for ns, and he did so. I then got on board and took the usual charge, and gave the orders to go slow ahead, and sang ont to the pilot crow if they were all right, the boat being then well c/car of* the vessel. Some one answered

me, ami then let go the boat’s head, canting to the eastward. After the boat left the ship, she made a complete circle, and got on a course to come into the harbour. About ton minutes after the boat left the ship, I heard a cry from the left side of the ship, between ns and the magazine, I stopped,the ship from going ahead, and went full speed astern. I was on the bridge, and some one passed word up to go ahead, and I went ahead at once. The helm was hard a-port, and the ship came back into the old bearing, and as near as I could to where I first heard the cries. I neither saw nor heard any more of the boat. Capt Neville left me on the bridge to get- the life boat ready, but in ray opinion it was not safe at the time to lower it, the vessel being in broken water. I have since examined the boat, and found the lower gudgeon twisted, and from this gathered that the rudder had become unshipped. The tip of one of the rowlocks was bent. There was no other damage done to the boat. The bow and stern sheets were both gone. .The excitement at the port prior to the arrival of the steamer’s boat at 7.30 was very great, for the pilot’s boat had been found, and it was not then known that the boat had communicated with the ship, and it was thought Mr Lowe Was also drowned. The firing of the Cannons at first caused alarm, but nothing could be done till after daylight, A telegram was received from Mr James Mills, General Manager of the Union Company, expressing great distress at the terrible disaster, and offering to detain the steamer to search for the bodies, but this was not accepted, as the vessel could do no good in searching in shoal water.