MARINE INQUIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 May 1919, Page 4

MARINE INQUIRY.

WRECK OF THE QUEEN OF THE SOUTH. COMPASS DEFLECTED Bsf MAGNETOS. By Telegraph.— Press Association. WeEington, Last Night. An inquiry was held into the wreck of the Queen of the South. Mr. O'Regan appeared for the Seamen's Union, Mr. Myers for the owners, and Mr. Kilotldie for the master. Captain J. R. Owen, master of the Queen of the South, detailed the vessel's movements until she struck at 5.16 a.m. on the 10th inst. The compasses on the Queen of the Sou,th were adjusted last May, when they showed a deviation of two degrees east, but witness had found that the ship steered a good course in spite of this deviation On the night of the occurrence the vessel would come under the influence of the flood tide half way between Pencarrow and Cape Campbell. Its effect would be to set him to westward. The course he set should have carried the vessel nine or ten miles on" Cape Campbell. There were two cases of magnetos aboard the Queen of the South. They were electrical instruments charged with magnetism. It was two days after the wreck that he learned they were on the ship. He thought they were on the top of .the cargo. The top of the hatch was about ten feet from the binnacle He had sinqe experimented with a magneto, and found it would deflect the compass at a distance of from eight to ten feet.

, Mr. Kirkcaldie gave a demonstration to the court of the extraordinary influence of a single magneto on a compass. Captain Owen said ,the rock wMch the vessel Btruck was about seven and a-bilf miles out of the course which he had set. Even if he had known there were magnetos on board he would not have known they could affect the compass. In reply to Mr. O'Regan, witness said there was no look-out man posted when the ship struck. Such a look-out man could not have seen more than 'the officer on the bridge. On a small boat a lookout man was unnecessary. Captain Owen said that when the vessel struck be could not seo the reef or land Prank Lawton, mate of the Queen of the South, Mid that when the vessel struck he reckoned lie was nine or ten miles off land. He was about to call the captain soon after the fog came down, but the vessel struck the reef before he did so. Captain Clifford, adjuster of compasses gave evidence in regard to the deflection .of the compass alleged to be due to the magnetos. He said that such a cargo should not be less than fifty f ee t from the compass. From his experiments, it *as reasonable to suppose that the ffi, affeCted Q " een of *»

win ?°"1 a,lnol,nee d that its decision would be given on Monday morning