WRECK OF THE PENGUIN.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3122, 24 February 1909, Page 5

WRECK OF THE PENGUIN.

THE NAUTICAL ENQUIRY. The inquiry into the wreck of the Penguin was continued at Wellington yesterday. Captain Kennedy, of the Mapoorika, stated that he had been engaged as master for the Union i Company in the Picton-Wellington service some years ago, and had Captain Naylor under him as officer^ The latter was an exceptionally careful and reliable man. On the Saturday following the wreck witness passed through Cook Strait with, the Mappurika, bound from the West Coast to Wellington. It took Mm 2& hours to do 13 miles. Only previously had he experienced, ' extraordinary flow of the u'ci? au ide. "■ When there 13 n» Mr H'erffiiai. * Strait it is sagight visible fa t*K '*y of a captaia ;esfeed that it is the dk. *"• were the o> put out to sea, li GhiK ule, what would bappefi? At Witness: It could not be doli& ,I'most every point on the New 2ea» and coast the weather alters. It night be ea>hn at the Brothers and a ;ale blowing at Terawhiti. if & aptaln followed the course suggested le would be stopping and pulliag out J1 the time; You must run your hip to a> position. You must keep her going—Yes, im }ook Strait; where there are undue nfluences against you. Continu ; ng, witness admitted that here were "undue influences" igainat a< ship'in> fcidai- waters. £a

Cook Strait the tides were very strong. A> captain, did not always get the t ; de he expected. Thos Eckhold, captain of tfce s Opawa„ who crossed-from Wellington to Blenheim on 12th> February, said he did not notice anything extraordinary in the currents.. He-ran his ship from 4.15 p.m. (the time he left Wellington) till 10.30,. when bet stopped to take soundings and aHer«4 his course two points; One had to anticipate variations in the current in crossing Cook Strait.. ToMrHerdman: Witness allowed: one point for the tide and the wind. The Opawa steamed seven knots pahour. The captain of the Penguin, in allowing one point, and considering his vessel steamed; 12. knots, would be making an ample allowance. On Saturday morning witness found himself in the bight off Port Underwood. His boat had been. affected by the tide to a considerable extent. It was a strong fluocl tide, bat it was not exceptional. Captain Sydney Gilbert Stringer, assistant superintendent of. mercan* tile marine and surveyor of ships*, sail he Tat surveyed the Penguin in July, 1908. The compasses were adju td in December last. The vessel was in thorough.going ordu?: in July. The boats were particularly good. A small hatchet only was required for one boat, and the bread in tna raft was renewed. Witness inspected the falls of.the boats, and they were all in good order. He understood that they were renewed i«i 1907. There, was nothing to prevent the boata being rapidly lowered. The boats were very a&essible, and.could.be handled with great ease. To Mr Levi,: The boats on the Penguin would acommodate 139, people, and the rafts 44; This: was considerably above the Government requirements. Arthur R. Thompson, puuaer on the Penguin, said that the ship's ' papers had been lost. There-was no reliable record of the number of passengers carried, Witness went to. bed aboijt 8.30 on the night of the wreck* He was aroused, by the bump.. Witness got ashore on a, raft. Mr Myers:. That is what I cannot make out;, you.were all supposed. to have your places at the boats. Witness replied, that he assisted with different boats. The boats on the port side were lowered to the rail. The captain's boat, on the starboard side, was lowered with three or four members of the crew in it to look after it. Witness did not see the boats, getting away from the ship.

TWO MORE BODIES RECOVEREa By Telegraph—Press Association. WELLINGTON, February 23. The body of a big; man, dark, ar.d fully dressed, except for coat, boots and socks, came ashore at the Oterangi cable station to-day. A coat matching the vest on the corpse was washed up yesterday. A second body was recovered this afternoon. It had no head on, and from the coat worn, the remains appeared to be those of one of the stewards of the Penguin. The bodies will be brought into Wellington overland to-morrow. Neither has been identified so far.