THE TAINUI INQUIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 October 1919, Page 10

THE TAINUI INQUIRY.

INQUIRY CONTINUED, ' ■ By Telegraph.—Press Association. Christchurch, Oct. 7. The inquest on the victims of the JFainui disaster was resumed to'day. John McLeod, engineer, gave evidence that on the Friday previous to the disaster Mr. Greenwood, the Tainui's engineer, asked him to send a couple, of men to clean out the bilges, as Captain Wilcox, the shipping master, required the work to be done. Mr. Greenwood added that the condition of the benzine cases had caused Captain Wilcox to order that 'the cargo be discharged from the after hold on the Timaru trip. William Robert EoskeUo, apprentice, Mid that he and his mate, Charles Kos/kello, proceeded to clean the bilges, the lulkhead, and the afterhold. They did not go down to the floor of the ship. They found benzine, grease, and water in the bilges, and. the fumes were something awful They cleaned the grease away «o that the benzine, and water could be pumped out of the bilges. They were not pumped however, when, the pumping, stopped He did not know who ordered the pumping to be stopped, but when,. they left there was still three inches of water and benzine in the bilges.' The -fames could escape to the boiler and furnace, as there was a clear space at the end of the furnace hold. There were holes in the lining of the afterhold, and the leaking benzine could easily escape into the bilges.

ToMr.Buehanan (counsel for owners): Be used the electric light. The bilges, when he finished, were as dry as they tasually were.

Chrischurch, Last Night. P. B. Carmichael, licensee of the Royil Hotel, Lyttelton, stated that Greenwood, .the engineer, seemed to be apprehensive ihat something was likely to happen, and asked witness to take charge of his month's wages. Later in the day Greenwood said he would wire the money to

* niece at Palmerston North. Greenwood informed him that he did not like benzine ' cargoes, as benzine was likely to get into the stokehold. John Radcliffe and William John Print; gave evidence as to the condition and stowage of the cargo. The last-named said his theory regarding the explosion was that the nails in two cases migh^

lave been grinding against one another,

S using a spark, which ignited the fumes, as causing the explosion. A sudden jar of some kind might have caused the .explosion. Felix Newfield, delegate at Lyttelton for

the. "Seamen's rTJnion, aakl lie - was'- asked < .^fey;'the'.crew, what. he, thought of the **cargo, and replied that he would not go to sea in the vessel, even if .he had only one loaf of bread in the cupboard and no prospect of getting another. In his opinion, the veVsel was not suitable'for' carrying benzine. His belief was that the explosion took place in the stokehold',

and the reason that the two forward hatches were blown off was that the fire lan along 1 the bilge, and the-point of least resistance, the hatches, were, burst open. He did not think that ploughs .weighing 13cwt. should have been placed among the benzine cases. In the time that tlw Tainui was loaded sufficient care could ■not have been taken to prevent ascertain amount of'the cargo shifting. -In the course of an explanation why he had not ordered the men not to sail, witness said that if he had delayed the ship till the next morning they would have pumped the benzine over the side, and there would have been no proof of the danger to justify the delay. •George Sme'.lie, clerk in the employ

«rMhe Refrigerating Company, said" that in consequence of the benzine leaking into the engine-room on a previous trip, repairs were carried out. When Captain JVilcox examined the ship on September 15, he said the repairs looked all right but the proof of the pudding would be in ' the eating, Wilcox also remarking that if there was any leakage on the Wanganui trip the Tainui would take no more benzine from Lyttelton. Witness asked the mate the reason for putting ploughs in the hold, and he replied that there was room for them there. Archibald Walker, surveyor for Lloyd's

Register, expressed the opinion that initiated holds constructed like the Tainurs , icere better fitted for carrying benzine than were the ordinary vessels which carried benzine from America to the Dominion, particularly so in connection "with the division between the holds and the bilge. The inrjue9t was adjourned till tomorrow.