THE TAINUI DISASTER.

Taihape Daily Times, 11 October 1919, Page 6

THE TAINUI DISASTER.

TESTIMONY OF‘ FORMER CREW. I CHRISTCHURCH, Oct. 9.. At the inquest on the victims of the Tainui disaster, Captain wimam Williamson, formerly master of the Taiuui, said. ‘the timber boards in the floor of the holds had no packing rouugl the edges and the door in the after bulkhead was watertighi., but he would not guarantee it was airtight. It was insulated at the end of March, »a month after her overhaul was due. The Tainui came to Lyttelton. She had a. broken pxjopeller blaide aand it» was thought she would have to be placed on the slip_,bul7 the Company intended to send her to Timaru with _benzine. The crew objected, -andtwere paidoff. Sb far a.s wooden vessels went, the Taihui was suitable for the carrying of benzine, but he did not consider any wooden vessel should carry benzine. Iron or steel ships with airtight holes should be used.

In reply to the -Co.ronel', witness said that if there was a leakage from the holds it would go under’ the engineroofn. The Tainui when loaded "was about three feet “lower aft: than"forward. ’

James Powell, formerly engineer on! the Tainui, said there was an insulator mat’ between the boiler and the iron' bulkhead. The filling of the insulation was not good, and was secured with mails. The bulkhead leaked gas, and; they had to keep the boiler casing open I to let the gas rise in bald weather. ii When the casing was shut“ the fumes f We_re-very’ strong in the engine-room. ‘ The planking in the ship was diagonal, , and the bulkhead vertical, making it ‘impossible for the cover to fit tight. Greenwoodcame to witness on Sep- , ‘tem'ber 15, and asked him what precautions he had taken when in the Tainui on ‘account’ of the fumes. \Vitness told him he used to go to bed without a light when the fumes were bad, and had‘ procured an . electrical ‘torch for the firemen to use when they went into i . the bunker.. He advised Greenwood to -get a torch. When the Tainui was - eight hours out the fires would have to be Vcleaned, .and the fires would be drawn on the plates ‘beside the bunker door. Greenwood said a torch would not be much use’, as it was only al short trip, but witness advised him to write and draw the company’s attcn—tion,to the matter. Greenwood asked him 'V.'ll_\_’ he had not done so, and witncss, told him he had after the captain i had bored holes in the bulkhead. The i Tainui was leakingconsiderably in the after hold, and the holes Were bored to let. the water away to ‘the :bilge pumps. The only trouble witness» had in the 1 fore hold was with the gas. He had 1 written to the company once about the state of the holds. The insulation was ' ,poor. and -the holes could frequently . ‘be seen in the insulation, sometimes i as large as eight by twelve inches. A T sailor would, on the nlate’s instructibns, nail a piece of board over the} hole. The door from the hold to the], boiler was not a good fit. He did not’ ‘think the Tainui suitable for carry‘-i ing benzine. He was annoyed when. the holes were bored in the end of‘ the at’?-7-r-hold,‘ considering the holes dangerous, and he drew the managefs attention to ‘the matter. He had noticed the plugs out of the holes when benzine was being carried. No notice was taken of his letter about the holes and he did not think it much use writing about the escape of gas .9 the engine—ro.ozn. «Wooden ships, unless -built with diagonal l)ull«:hear_l boards, were fir to carry benzine. The Taiuni’s- bulkhead and planki-nglwas Vol‘tical, leaving a clear space for gas. from the hold into the stokehold. The same omplierlrto all wooden v'essels.he.~\ ‘had seen, There were. several wooden vessels of this class carrying henzino.' on the coast, and -in evcl'y':case .-th-.oy~| were Sin;pl_jv monaees to the lives‘! On, board. ». Robert Logan, -t’-orniei-"ly soaman ini the Tuinui. "V'\'h”o's ht‘-:‘{5""97.".‘1L1.53)ff in} . March. sai«l he‘ »'J'.‘.:"z;’rl‘ c-'cnnp'laizi:2~:ilso‘laout l Various matters to the"sh'ilYpiilgina'stol' and also Needham. v‘ The 'tllree.ot‘.-tll’e‘nr'l .went over the vessel, and witnessti pointed .‘out nae grounds *of"11iA; complaint. Needhmii...'_=§p_.id. “V‘SZj,l_l:,n bonus do?” V\'itncss replied that he would no longer .<'a‘il‘-’in ‘tile?-‘*T\Té‘£Gl'. VNdl3aham then StoppfllE'.tl'l§”c‘CT’2ilfiiig and told witnessiilie wou}d-*be—~pa~id-«oi? next day, while}: he tra-é, '9.-'.=L::"3«. .r’.2».r- s-.:.rv‘»::"\f'l' 'A. A. 31ci€e"rto;'i,"feo~e~é£n_mqfit"':&h¢s_f' lyst,iga_ve t"echnieal"evidence. John Bucl:-miain Hhy gave evidexicei regarding the iusulxalticrzi of ships; ’- As P. Nolan, who was in charge of the loading of the Tainui, is suffering T from.pneumonia, the induest was adg“.journe‘d sine die, -the coroner remarkf tha't.‘in any event he had not intended to deliver a. verdict until after- . the nautical_ inquiry had been held.