THE Onau Disaster. THE INQUIRY. Dunedin, June 20.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume II, Issue 11, 22 June 1899, Page 3

THE Onau Disaster. THE INQUIRY. Dunedin, June 20.

The inquiry into the loss of ■ h-3 0 uu vv is ope ay I he^e to-d iv, ivAuf? >lv Northerofr, b.Af., him 3ipKriay Mareiel and BiguelL \lc Ji.n ippejred foi- the Marine Dep u'lin -ut. ->. >j. C.i timer, chief engineer i)I t-M Hi ai "i, fv)i 4 iii3i*ly ol the 'it,:, gi\ r 3 e^ide u;e that lie did u )t i hi.i.c Lj it the On ili was ov roi*i•> id -doi the List trip. When he »\ r . iod fie vesoei, the bunker lid-. w),a ilwiys bai'-'ly seoiwvd a.id svo.Vv.hl iljwj wifn a largi key. 111I 11 always saw to that hnns-df. le no/oi 1 knew the coal (o sliifi iv th ■ 0 uu. Tlk* Oiil.y time he \vh in her in bad we ithtr sha was flying liglit. \. A. 'Scott, now a farmer, bat formerly chief, said that, m sn.Mkmg to Captain Brewer m VTiy the latter said iluit he had to out the Ohau into to get the iii Ider repaired on tho pateat slip, and that it was a good thing they. had done so, as they had discovered flaws in it; He give witness to understand that rep lira had been effected. If anything went wrong "with the radder, witness would have sei s vil. If pat oa the starboard tack the Vessel would drift to Cape Pallif-er. John William Johnson, who hid toeon an A.B. on the Ohau, said that the only 'time "he 'met rough weather in her she was light. Timber on'" deck would not interfere with navigation, and would only make' it awkward, to get about. He never felt nervous in the Ohau, and so far 'as lie knew she was never overloaded. Captain W. J. t/ray 1 , title surveyor, said that he had measured the Ohau, and approved of an application for a load line' disc." He s<t,w it .marked. He did not think th it tlie freeboard was sufficient. In his opinion it was too deeu. There was no difference between winter and summer load.line. The Ohaii was a strong, goo 1, sound sea-boat. He had no ihoory as to how the ' vessel fouufiei'e'd.' ' \ Captain Cameron, marine superintendent for the Union Oom T pany, said that he had inspected the Ohau in April, and found her first-class in every respect She was an expensive ship to build, and was built as well as anything that ( is turned 'out -now 1 . In his opinion she could safely carry all the cargo she had. 'He would have had no hesitation' in 1 going to aoa in lier.' From the first he, believed that the Ohau had not foundered, but that she was lost through some mishaps such as the machinery breaking down". 'When the Ohau was built they made a new departure in raising the hatch combings, and strengthening tli<3 ' hatches. k He '' did not kuow of a single instance of a vessel in the coal trade having hatches washed off; If this had happened to the Herald it was before the Union Company goi, her. R. B. Williams gave evidence as to the Ohau being well provided wiih stores. v ; ", The inquiry wa"s "adjoTirde^ !s, 'JJiursdaj, , - ■