ENQUIRY INTO THE WRECK OF THE S.S. STAR OF THE SOUTH.

West Coast Times, Issue 104, 17 January 1866, Page 3

ENQUIRY INTO THE WRECK OF THE S.S. STAR OF THE SOUTH.

Tho investigation into tho cause of tho wreck of the above vessel commenced yesterday, bpforo G-. G-. FitssGerald, Esq., R.M., Mr Patten (Collector of Customs), and Captain lloberstson, Marino Surveyor. It occasioned little interest, very few uninterested parties being in attendance. As will bo seen, tho ovidonee of Captain Hodgo and Mr Gannon, tlio supercargo was alone heard, thero not being sufficient timo to finish' tho enquiry at ono sitting. Charles Hodge, being -sworn, deposed : I am a master, mariner, and hold a ccrti- ' ficato from tho Board of Trade, Tho * number of the certificate is 15,192. Tho vessel I last commanded "was tho steamship Star of the South. Sho was iron built, her registered tonnago being 147 tons, her power 45 horso, nominal. Sho is about three years of ago, and I have boon given to understand was insured for £5000. On the • 11th day of December last sho sailed from Port Chalmers under ■ nry command, full of cargo and passengers, bound to Hokitika, but was compelled, through strcs3 N of woathor, to run into Chalky lnjet for shellor. I came to an anchor in tho inlet, and laid thero for twcniy-fouy hours. On Dccombor ->~lstu proceeded on iho voyage, tho weather having moderated, and at full speed steamed through tho entrance, kcoping as nearly as possible in the samo channel as the ono wo camo in by, On getting outside, found the gale still blowing heavily, so again bore up for North Port, whicli is an anohorago in tho inlet. • On our return, and when off tho S.E. end of Groat Island, tho ship struck on a sunken rock. The chart I was guided > by at the timo is ono of Stokos' (Acheron survey) charts, and (tttttoftgliJ had carefully examined it, Kama no rock laid down in the placo \vwso she struck. ' Xheje » * I>DC k VisiW? M W Sfog^ of

tide about a cable's length to tho northward of where wo st'iick, . which is marked on tho chart, f have since surveyed tho position of th* rock on which tho steamer struck, being assisted in so doling by Captain Turnbuil, Harbor Master of Hokitika. Wo found thoro was. about five feet of water on it at low tide, and that it was situated about a cable's length south of tho rock laid down in S'okos' chart, and about tho same distance from tho shore on the right hand going out c f the entrance. Tho rock is a pinnacle, and does not seem to extend far, there being from fivo to nine fathoms close- to, and round it. After the steamer struck, isho remained stationary for a i'^w moments, and then camo off tho rock herself. Bho was backed astern, and then steamed up to North Port. Immediately the ship camo off tho pumps wero sounded, when it was found tho vessel was making water ami settling down fast. She was built in four compartments with tho ordinary waler-ligh.t bulkheads, The deck and engine pump weiv at once sot going to clear tho vess,oi of water, but could make no impression upon it, and it gained on the engine so fast that I doomed it advisable to close tho communication codes. On removing the main hatch it was found tho compartment was full, the foro ono also filling rapidly, and by the time wo reached North Port tho vessel's decks were flush with tho water. ] immediately beached her to prevent her sinking, and then commenced to discharge cargo with the. view of getting her higher on tho beach. On iho following day, December 115 th, I discovered Iho communication, cocks of the fore compartment wero not clo.sed, which mistake at low wafer 1 had rectified. The pumps were then set io work, and tho foro compartniont dried, although it was making at tho rate of five foot of wator in tho 2 1 hours. At high water, hove (lie vessel oil' into the stream, and tried to stop tho leak J>y getting sails under tho bottom, and when they were placed, disconnected tho engino and set both dock and engine pumps at work, and after pumping about three hours and finding tho water did not docrease, wo removed tho sails and beached the vessel on a sleeper beach. ConVmoMccd again discharging cargo at low watoj', working niglifc nml (tny, passenger.-* and crew assisting until she was lightened sufficiently to haul her high enough out lie beach to ascertain the damago done. We beached tho vessel the second timo on tho 17th. On the 19th, we ascertained where the leak was situated, at low water, and partly estimated tlio damage done. Wo funnel a rent about fifteen fret long in the two fivnt plates joining tho keel. Placed bag.} of sand and flour over it, hoping to check the leak by shoring them down tight from the deck. .There war) thon a foot and a half of water in her. The pumps wero again set to work, and, as the. tide made, finding it camo in faster than wocouldpumpitout. tho pumps wero stopped, and all hopes of saving her given up. On tho 21st tho William Miskin arrived, and tho captain and mate held a survey at my request, and reported the ship uusoawovthy ; I therefore gaye 7 up all hopes of saving her. I requested Mr Gannon, the supercargo, to proceed io IJokitika, in iho Miskin, and make arrangements for the removal of tho Star of tho Soulh's cargo to its port of destination. No one but tli c master and nialo of iho Miskin surveyed tho ship at that time. On tho Ist January tlio JCeora camo in, and on tho and and 3rd a .second survey wn,s hold by Captains Turnbuil, Harbor Master of llokitikn, and Joyce, of tho ICeora, who reported she Mas so much damaged that it would bo advisoblo to abandon her, and recommended sho should bo sold for the benefit of whom jt might concern. Byhib^ Wor«hip-«r-Jn my opinion overything was dono thai could bo to save the vessel. There was no misconduct on the pnrl of any of tho officers or crow that could have helped to occasion tho disaster. Tho rock we struck on is not marked on any chart that I over saw. The cargo was all damaged, having been completely covered with water. That in the fore compartment was damaged through tho chief engineer neglecting to shut the communication cocks m tho foro compartment, after T had advised him to do so. I bclievo his not doing so was moro through tho excitement of tho moment than anything else. I do not think it was wilful neglect. To a curtain extent, however, tho Hooding of tho foro hold may bo attributed to this mistake, for although tho foro bulkhead leaked considerably, the pumps could easily keop the water down. I do not know whero tho chief engineer is now 5 l^o wa i J discharged by his own request on the 21st ult. Tho original owner of tho Star of tho South was Mr Peacock, a Sydnoy morchanj;.

By Captain Robertson — When we at-, tempted to leave Chalky Inlet on tho 17th Dee. it? was nearly low water. William Gannon, being sworn, deposed — I am supercargo of the steamship Star of tho South, and recollect tho 15th "Dec, being on bonrd iho steamer that day attending to my duty. The Star of tho South left Chalky Inlet that day, a strong N.W. wind blowing at the timo, and on gotting outside found it was blowing so hard that the captain* deemed it advisableto mix back again. On roturning to North Port tho , steamer struck upon a sunken rock about three miles from tho anchorage. I was in tho dock -house at the time, and folt the vessel striko throo times. I immediately wont on tho bridge and asked the ( aptain what was the matter, lie replying thore was a rock there not marked on tho charts I then went into tho engine-room nnd asked the engineer if ho had turned •full speed astern. Ho said he had given her till tho powov he could. I then returned on deck and sounded tho pumps, and found tho vessel making water very fast. She only remained on tho rock a Jew moments, and then slid off into doop water. „I advised Captain Hodgo to run for tho nearest beach, which ho did ; and, as sjio was settling down fast, he beached her at once. ■ Tho passengers wero then landed, and tho main hatches taken off, when it wan found tho main compartniont was full of water. I went on shore there, and helped to provido some shelter for the passengers, and did not return on board that night. Next day, tho 16th, some portion of tho cargo was discharged very much damaged ; and, as tho vessel lightened, she was hovo highor up on tho' beach. On tho 17 Kh I mado an attempt \o reach Capo Providence, but had to return tho same day. I found tho vessel in the samo placo. On tho 18th sho was removed to another boaoh .about a quarter of a mile oil 1 , as tho eaplaiit thought, by placing her there, ho should bo better ablo to see what damage was dono, but tho wator did not leavo her sufficiently to enable us to get at her bottom. On tho 10th Decembor, I again left for Cape Providence, remaining thoro four days, and when I returned I found tho vessel still on tho boaoh in tho samo position, tho "cargo having been removed nfem tho after hold and lauded. Tho Captain and crpw th[9>-q pinployod, ))\ trying tQ §lpn .ihfi

leak by laying bags of Horn 1 and throwing tlioni down from the dcclc. I did not sec wlicro the leak was. I remained by tho steamer ibr two or Ihveo days and thon cam 6 toHokitika by tho "\Villiam Miskin. v Before I lcfl, a survey had boon hold by tho Captain and chief oflicor of ( lie William Mission, and Mio vessel wns Ibrnially abandoned. I saw not Iho slightest misconduct on Iho part of Iho crow n(. Iho time tho Slav of Iho South struck. J boliovo tlio vessel is insured in iho Pnciilc M'irino Insurance Company for £5000, tho OAMiors having also underwritten themselves for £3,000. Tho wreck was' sold yesterday, Iho 15th instant, for .C2OOO by oi'ciHi' of tho Captain on account of wliom it might ooncern. At this stago of tho proceedings tho enquiry was adjourned' until this afternoon.