CAUSE OF MISHAP
THEORIES OF ENGINEERS Many speculative opinions as to the possible causes of the mishap to the Tahiti have been advanced by marine engineers in Auckland. As yet, no definite information in this respect has been received from the disabled vessel. It is generally held however, that the tail shaft had fractured near the stern, and the propeller, still fas tened to the broken end of the shaft, had pulled out and was lost. It is seldom that a tail-shaft breaks cleanly, it being usual for the broken ends to twist badly, making it impossible for the piece attached to the propeller to go overboard. If it were a jagged break, the driving end would be whirled round at a high speed until the engineers could throttle down and it would be quite possible for the broken end to crash through a bulkhead and thus allow a flow of water Into the vessel. In the case of the Tahiti, it is held
by sonfe that the bearings through the hull and in the ballast tank bulkhead have been fractured or twisted to such an extent that there has been a free flow of water past the tank into the tunnel aft of the engine room. The shafts of the Tahiti pass from the engine room into a tunnel, which runs the width of the ship and which can be made watertight by the closing of a door in the bulkhead. Aft of the tunnel is the dft peak ballast tank and from this the shafts pass through the hull to the propellers.
experienced in the vicinity of the Tahiti, Dr. Kidson, Director of Meteorological Services, said there was no warrant for the sugestion emanating from Auckland that bad weather was possible. The absence of recording stations in that area made it hard to tell, the exact condition prevailing, or likely to be experienced, but indications pointed to the weather in that locality being better than has been the case for some time. There was no reason for anticipating any change for the worse for some days to come. The winds would be light to moderate trade winds.
THE SUN Stop Press
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Bibliographic details
Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1053, 18 August 1930, Page 1
Word Count
363CAUSE OF MISHAP Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1053, 18 August 1930, Page 1
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