THE TAVIUNI STRANDING CASE

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9140, 8 May 1908, Page 2

THE TAVIUNI STRANDING CASE

JUDGMENT OP THE NAUTICAL COURT. the captain found guilty Oh NEGLIGENCE. Per Press Association. ; Westport, May 7. The Nautical Court, in giving judgment in :.the Taviuni case this, morning, said ;it came to the conclusion that the cause ot the casualty was* negligent 'navigation on the part of the master, James B 'The * reasons for the finding -were; —The vessel was well found and manned, and was seeking anchorage with the signal against her. Practically—to put it blunLv the vessel was driven ashore at tun speed (because the Court preferred to rely on the evidence of the second engineer as to the time he recorded orders) a few hundred yards from a well-lighted port with unknown dangers on a night which, on the captain’s own admission, was not dirty, hut merely dark and squally with mists hanging over the land. This in itsa ! f seemed negligence of some kind, and, when circumstances were further inquired into,_ it found that the captain—knowing the signals were against him, knowing the’night was not clear, and that a mist was hanging along shore runs on with the vessel with the intention of doing so until he can pick np the red light on the end ot the tip head ((winch could only he seen (•omyaratively a short distance dff in misty weather), without taking the simple—and as the court held-proper and necessary precautions of taking cross hearings at Cape Foulwind and the harbour lights, or using the lead. Other masters might not take those tions. hut the Court considered it to be wrong even to indirectly countenance any lowering of the standard where life and property is concerned. The captain’s certificate was suspended for three months he being ordered to pay the costs of the inquiry, £35 11s. The Court found that after a bhe accident proper been taken to protect. and preserve the passengers and crew, the mails and the cargo; and that the life-saving appliances and signalling apparatus on the ship were in first-classr.order. The red sector on the Cape Foulwind light was a good one, but was not absolutely necessary. No blame was attached to the other officers, FURTHER UNSUCCESSFUL EFFORTS TO TOW THE VESSEL OFF. Wellington, May 7. The Union Company’s tugboat Terawhiti, which has had a couple of unsuccessful attempts to tow -the stranded Taviuni off the beach, arrived hack in port- this morning from Westport. The staunch little vessel accomplished ;a smart run of 30 hours, averaging an hourly speed of about 11% knots. It is reported that another attempt will be made to refloat the Taviuni at the time of tire next spring tide. The steamer is hard and fast, embedded in seven or eight feet of sand, bat there is evidence, how.ever, of the sand clearing slightly fore and aft of the hull.