Wreck of the Lastingham.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 230, 8 September 1884, Page 2

Wreck of the Lastingham.

OFFICIAL INQUIRY. [Per Press Association] . Wellington, September 8. An enquiry into the circumstances attending the wreck of the Lastingham was held on Saturday by Mr. N. S. Wardell (R.M.) and Captains Vanstone and Grant (Nautical Assessors). Mr. Izard appeared for the Collector of Customs, and Mr. Fitzgerald attended on behalf of the owners of the vessel. The first witness examined was John Neale, chief officer of the Lastingham, who deposed that he held a master’s certificate. The vessel was ship-rigged, and belonged to the port of London. She contained a general cargo, and was properly found. She carried a crew of 26 all told, and with the captain’s wife and five passengers (one saloon and the others steerage), there were 32 souls on board at time of wreck. 'The remainder of this witness’ evidence has already been published, although the Press Association have taken the trouble to send it through again.] By Mr. Fitzgerald—He considered that the course which the Captain adopted was the proper one under the circumstances.

John Barton, second mate of the Lastingham, conoborated the evidence given by the chief mate. He added that this was his first voyage to New Zealand. He did not see anyone taking bearings before the vessel struck as he was engaged for some time in. taking in sail, but he understood that the captain took bearings. The wind was as heavy as anything he had ever experienced. When the helm was put down she lay to nicely. Up to 3 o’clock in the afternoon the vessel averaged about seven knots. The chief officer was here with the Lastingham last year.

John Neale, recalled, stated that every effort was made by the survivors to attract the attention of steamers which passed by. He would not like to say that the people on board those steamers saw the signals. One of the steamers passed about a mile off shore, and it was possible for those on board to have seen them at that distance.

Francis W. Chambers, A. 8., deposed—He was at the wheel from 1 to 2 on the afternoon on the afternoon of the day the vessel was wrecked. By the captain’s orders he altered his course from south-east to south. This was at 1.15. They began to shorten sail at 2 o’clock.

John Donaldson, ordinary seaman, said he relieved last witness at the wheel at two o’clock, the course being south. At three o’clock he was told by the captain not to mind the course, but to steer by the wind. Alvariz, one of the three who had gone off to seek assistance at Cape Jackson, relieved

witness at 5 o’clock. This was all the evidence adduced. Mr. Izard did not address the Court, stating that he thought it was not necessary, in the face of the fact that no charge whatever had been brought against anyone. Mr. Fitzgerald also said that he did not think it necessary to make any remarks. The Chairman said—We believe that the whole of the facts necessary to arrive at a decision are before us. We arrive at the conclusion that there was an error of judgment on the part of the master which has led to this disaster, an error of judgment in keeping upon the western tack too long. He should have tried to have run through the Straits—this error was his, and not an error for which the chief officer it responsible. We will put our finding into proper form and submit it to His Excellency the Governor for confirmation- Wc may say at once that there is no reason to believe there was any error on the part of the officers before the Court. So far as the officers before tho Court are concerned they did all that could be expected of them. We feel called upon to make a further remark, because it has, to a certain extent, gone to the public that several vessels appear to have been unobservant of signals of distress made on the coast. We realise that signals of distress made under the circumstances by men standing on the shore backed up by the forest would be very unlikely to attract attention on board a vessel a mile or more off, and we have no reason to suppose that there has been anything like negligence on the part of those on board. The men were under a disadvantage in not having the means to make a fire, and we have no reason to suppose that there was anything approaching negligence on the part of those vessels which were said to have passed during the time the men were on the shore.

FURTHER PARTICULARS. Subscription lists in aid of the survivors from the ship Lastingham have been started. The steamer Napier, chartered by the underwriters, left for the scene of the wreck on Saturday morning to see if anything can be saved. Among the passengers are a number of Press correspondents. Picton, September 6. The launch has returned with the three lost men belonging to the Lastingham. They were picked up by the schooner Maude Graham yesterday morning, which afterwards landed them at Mr. Jones’ station, where the launch brought them from. The beach near the scene of the wreck is strewn with wreckage, and the mast of the ship is visible. LATEST FROM THE WRECK. The steamer Napier returned from Jackson’s Head this morning, but on account of the weather was unable to get round to the side of the Head on which the ship struck. Parties were landed on this side of the Head, and crossed over the hills to where the vessel lay, and found her lying on her port bilge, with the deck slanting to seaward and the masts standing out of the water. INTERVIEWS WITH SURVIVORS. Blenheim, September 8. The three sailors from the Lastingham were interviewed yesterday, giving long accounts of the wreck and their subsequent adventures and privations till taken off by tho schooner, and brought in the steam launch to Picton.

Ward who was first to leave in search o assistance, appears to have subsisted two o three days on tallow candles, washed ashor from the wreck.

All three men speak well of the captain and officers, but Ward says the captain drank hard, and he has seen him unable to stand, though he cannot say how the captain was on the night of the wreck. Grog was served out to the men occasionally. The men speak highly of those who sheltered and rescued them. Ward is of opinion that the officers could handle the ship better than the captain, and that had the former had charge she would now be in Wellington. Ward was look-out man on the forecastle. The men say none of the passing steamers were so close as-to be able to distinguish the officer on the bridge or the man at the wheel.