THE WAIRARAPA DISASTER.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4877, 15 November 1894, Page 2

THE WAIRARAPA DISASTER.

' The Enquiry. I' ■.■' i■ j • ■. \vY'.v-' (Bj Tolegiaph —Piess Association) j -Auckimnd, Wednesday., ; ,V I The enquiry into the wreck of ■ tlio TVaivarnpa was resumed to-day .Mr Moyes, .cluof othceiywlio wag recalled, said that whon ho fonnd ; ' the fojj keeping thick, M was nfmid to go to the. captain .with the. second officer and protest against the'ship ; going on at such ut speed Jjecanso.it would:; have, been presumption onwitness' pari to go up to the enplaiu auddictato to lnni, or to offer any advico. beyond what ho did when lie asked the. captain when lib was going to slow down., If tlioy. had got to ' Auckland all light,'and .ho lifid romonstated with the captain, theywould have been at variance afterwards, The captain would lmvo *'sftt" dn lnnij ho thou^lifc. Capta,in Clay tori: 'Had yoti suffieient confidence in yourself to know that fclio Captain was- going wrong nnd that you were all rushing to death ? i, . fitness i .1 liad not--tiiWiiintcst conceivable idea, wewei'6 rushing'' to death;,- All that J'-vas afraid dfwas getting on the Poor Kuigltis. Mr' Moves asked,,'thej;Boiibh for' perniission to explain', wliat-j'to tho Bench' and iotho world at laVge,; might scein an act; of cowardice, but : was assured he could doso iit a later ; stage; ;/''' V. Continuing his evidence, the chief' officer said that on Sunday morning lie liad a cciiivorsatioii with Captain ■Mcintosh about acurront ivhicli was: seen off tho Three Kings,- . Captain' Mclutosh said," Oh,that is tho current that Captain Altaian reported about three or four months, ago, when he got 30 miles out of his position to the nor'ard.". -This.currant would account for the Wnirarapa getting further to the north thaii alio ought to have liceu when making the Kings. Mr Cooper: Supposing you had recollected this current,.and had by dead reckoning placed tho ship in an absolutely dangerous position, would you have gone tip to the captain and remonstrated with him ? Witness: Most assuredly—at least. I would have advised him if I liad had any intimation that we were in danger; but'when there was no' danger there was 110 fear. If I thought we were in danger'l would, have gone to the master.and offeredmy views—not remonstrated, for lie is still master, _ Which sido of Mokohinau light, did Captain Mcintosh oxpeet-to pass' on? ( " .! Tho side nearest the land, with tho light 011 the port side. The evidence of the second ollicei 1 of tho Wairarapa, Mr Clark, ( was then continued. - Ho stated that ■ when the lino was being sent ashore,' Moycs was down below lciuling ; .aU possible help he could. Witness diti " all ho could; it was only with ono hand that he could work. Tho chief < officer said ho wa% cramped ; that was why he wont up in the rigging. During the time the line was being got ashore, passengers kept shouting out orders. In consequence of that, witness sang out to them to keep quiot, and lot the chief officer direct operations, Witness went ashore a, long time after the chiof officer, aitd' when he went ashore Moyes was much blocked about, Witness could ■ not walk, and had to crawl along; The chief officer yelled out orders pretty loudly about gettiug ropes, ; . How was it there was suoli/t'romendous mortality among mmon 1 and children as compared witlrTtlie officers and ship's company? You seo people wero rushing out. ' out of their cabins wliilo we wero - 1 gettiug tho boats away, Tho waves 1 swept the women and children- off. 1 If there had been- n fog signal on 1 Makohinau light would it not have •' ' helped you, Not in the present instance. It would have been very eouvonient if 1 we had been nearer. W, A. Tullock, fourth officer also gave evidence, ' Mr Clark was again re-called, ■ Mr Northcroft: Thoro is an order 1 in tho Union Company's regulations 1 for boat drill once a week. Whenwas the lastdrill held ? ' Six months ago,. ■ - Can you say why there was no boat drill ? !- I think because the captain was very ill, Tj(i; TOT.\i,Nt;,inii:i( The purser, Mr Fenwiek, deposed that 187 passengers' left Sydney—--9- saloon and 93 steerage, The total number saved was 82—34 saloon and 48 steerage, and those lost-60 saloon and <ls steerage, Of tho crow there were 65—45 saved and 20 lost, The Court then adjourned,