THE Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 1892. THE ELGINSHIRE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2334, 24 March 1892, Page 2

THE Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 1892. THE ELGINSHIRE.

The Elginshire inquiry has resulted in the captain being ordered to pay the cost of the inquiry, which'•' no doubt will be substantial. No doubt, in the face of the evidence the court could not have come to any other conclusion. Everything was done that, according to nautical science, ought to have been done : charts were consulted, soundings taken, and the usual precautions followed to the letter. There is, however, one thing which appears to us inexplicable. The soundings showed thirteen fathoms of water, then ten fathoms, then seven fathoms; yet the master of the vessel continued his journey shorewards until he found there were only five fathoms of water under him. This is most extraordir ary conduct. Had the Elginshire been a well-insured ' old hulk, the whole world would have concluded unanimously that she had purposely and designedly been led to her destruction, bat, »nder the circumstances, , no one can entertain sugh a suspicion for one moment. The Elginshire -was a magnificent vessel, on her first voyage, having on board a valuable cargo, and consequently there is not the slightest ground for such a supposition. Still, when the captain found she was getting into shallow water—when from thirteen fathoms she went to ten fathoms, and from seven to five fathoms, ought not this to have been sufficient warning for him to keep .out of harm's way. If he had been running through a narrow entrance to a harbor -there would have been an excuse for him, but he know that the wide ocean was on the other side of him, and that he would have been safe in ' wai n S a mile or two more ro9 m - How any ma"' * n n ' s senses could have done what Capta'" ll pillar did is inexplicable, but we are thilt the saine ih » l 8 is often done. " Hugging in.? sho f e appears to bo a favorite pasiimo vTrfh New Zealand mariners. In order to cut the journey short and save coal they run j along shore, and the frequent wrecks on our coasts are the results. We think captains found guilty of such practices as these ought to be severely punished, and that the leniency shown by Courts of Enquiry is mistaken kindness. It is very well to temper justice with mercy, but what about the danger to passengers 1 witliont any reference as to the destruction of property. The story of the stranding of the Elginshire is certainly the most ridiculous on record. Nothing in Gilbert & Sullivan's eoraic operas comes near the absurdity of a 4000-ton vessel sailing so near shore that a man on dry | land holds conversation with the crew and j warns them to keep off, while they ask him " Where are we V This is the mo:;t ridiculous situation imaginable, and what makes it worse is that apparently the warning was not heeded, and the vessol was allowed to come ashore.

Extraordinary as has been the conduct of Captain Millar, the conduct of those who took command of the vessel after she grounded is just as inexplicable. The greatest incompetency, supineness, and want of energy appears to have characterised every movement, and, to crown all, tenders are called for the work of taking her out of her present perilous position .' Was there ever such a thing heard of before'? There, exposed to the elements, is a ship which cost £80,000; any moment a storm may get up and dash her to pieces, yet, instead of going to work while the weather is calm, those in charge of her coolly sit down and call for tenders for removing her ! Captain Millar's navigation is certainly not a whit behind the executive incapacity of whoever is res )onsible for this. Whoever he is he ought to go to work by night and day while the weather remains calm, and save as much property as possible, instead of sitting idle for a week or ten days waiting for tenders to be sent in. The Elginshire is the victim of, to say the least of it, apparent incapacity on all sides, and it is a pity that such a fine ship got into such hands.