THE SURAT INQURY.-JUDGMENT.

Waikato Times, Volume V, Issue 265, 22 January 1874, Page 2

THE SURAT INQURY.-JUDGMENT.

4-t four o'olock thi* afternoon, in the preienoe of ft crowded court. Mr Strode delivered the follon ing judgment of inqmrv —The Reiident Magistrates engaged in this inqunjr now coni hided, erprou opinion nnrl givn flecnion in tliti matter of tlie losnot the ship Surnt. Thoslnp Suraf, hound lor Port Chalmors, arri\->d i.fftl.f* Const ol Sttwu/t's Islan-1 hctwccii two and three pm on thc> 31st J>cei.iber la(*l, at winch tune land \\n-\ nti'ltted henrin^ Ts" \V about 1G TPiles off, the wind blowing » fine breeyo from W.^.W., and the ibip beiDg steered iNE. coureo by tho magnotio

C" 11,'iu.s unhl abri'.iat oi Brave's lt.-ei, oil the fust <;<>»& ot Bt>ntrt'b IVand,, From this point tho sh p was hiu e\i mow lo the northward, the must or (to use his own word*) " fiivinp ; inqlrnctiom .from lute to Uu*e to the watt at the whrol to InfT without not.eing pirlirularly w >at all oration it made in I»mj o->\irn^," nut} pfc«^d Eujipnki Inland at a dint.ancn, a* e»; mated by the master, o/ t«eive or fourteen miles, bat of / seven mjled ai e-itinidtcd by flip c'n^f offifvr, who&c w*.tcb it < vvi a Fruiu thonot » ooura NB , nmi gradually ap to N X E. »« steored, the resaei p»>iu£ abortt nine knots, until ; Do*: IJiinl light was sighted «t 730 p.m., bearing W. by N. IN., at • distance as it was believed of tO miles at thu timo The oouree was altered to NE. hv E. 4*5 b y the stuiilanl compass, which the master sty* had on'j 8 d -grees of cwtcrly deration ; and to N $E. by the binnacle oo np&ss wuch rncwi that the latter mns quit* unreliab a j and her o Jiirie sUvred until 8 o'clock, when as Do? Island light was k-iujj lost sight of, the Teal's bUpttOsed position wi< marked by the master on a small scnle churt , the only o c he Had of the New Zealand co\rt Ihe be»r.n W bv N, dwt.iuc* as gueased by the mwUr, 22 uiilm. But no effort was mado bj soundings or otuer Lj niuru accurately to doteruiino the ship's position from t'.its time until within afovr mm utes of 10 p.m. The same cou r+e pi of easedly was kept ons land being reported on port bow tor thu second tune by the look-out. The second luftte, who v\as m oliargt o\ tae dt%L, ordered the helm to be put up, the «und being we^t Wuen the ve»W wan coming by the lee, and tho yard* were bein« squat cd, the vessel atruck heafil/ on some bidden danger five or »i* tune? without stoppi-ic »t»" 'A-iy, thu land bem^ from a quarter of a mile to half a mile u*ay. She was th?u braced up on the staibwd tick, irni «tood to sen f>r three quarters of an hour, when she fas hora-to with the tnainrtopssil to tho mast until daylight, as little or no water was made lor the fi>--t hon-. Tho excitement amongst the passengers consequent upon the ship striking wns considerably ullayed about niidm^ht. Freqient sound in^s in the pump, well showci that the vessel was making wuter. Port pothp, and subsequently the firo-oniiino wore started, and worked by the passengers; the 3iarb,oard |>uinp being out of order, was of no sorvice. Between 8; a-ul 4 a in. , of the Ist January, there being about seven foet of waier in ' tho well, the vessel was kept away, and course steered northward along shore, wheu a steamer hove in sight, steering southward. As she neared the Surat the ensign wa* hoisted bj one of the passengers, but immediately hauled down by the master's orders, with threat* Unit he would shoot tiny man who should hoist a flag or fire a gun. When abreast of the steamer it was, however, again hoisted. Union down, and a boat with the second mate in oharge pulled towards the Wanganui, which steamer passed within cm ilo and a half of the Surat without any notice baring been taken, — there being at the time no officer in charge on the deck. From this time everything on bonrd the Surat seems to hfiTe been in the utmost confusion and disorder. Tho boats were lowered without orders, aiwl ail incompetent person permitted to steer the ship. Tlie anchor was let go in Jack's Buy, when about 100 passengers landed there, with 11 feet of water in the hold. Tho cable was olippcl and the vessel beached in Cathn's Bay, where tlie remainder of the passengfa and crew were landed by 11 aou No portion, however, of the immigrants' luggage was saved, notwithrtanding tho fineness of the weather. Wo farther state our opinions on the matter as follows :—(1): — (1) That the master was most blamable in starting from London wtth his sh.p in an unseaworthy condition, inasmuch as he win not provided with detailed charts of the coa»t of New Zealand ; (2) in not taking (when he made the New Zealand coast, to which he and all his otficer3 were strangei&, and when night was setting in) the necessary steps to determine his position with accuracy — not even consulting the New Zealand Pilot, which v.ork he had on board. That the master and chief officer w ore most blamable (1) iir making no efforts to lessen tho leal ; (2) >u allowing to pacs by, at a time when thero was eight feet of water in tho hold, the steamer Wanganui, whose services thuy could easily have secured. That tho master, chwf-oScer, and second-officer wero most culpable (1) in rendering themselves, by insobriety after the vessel atrucL and before ahe nas beached, quite unfit for tho performance of their dutiea; (2) m making no effort uftcr beaching the vesjel and lauding the passengers (all of which was effected by 11 n.m., the day being fine) to save the immigrants' effect*. We therefore come to the conclusion that by the uroi.gful ncrs and default of Edmund Joseph Johnson, master; Abraham i\>re>liu>v, chief, aud Edward Hesselton, second mate; the ship Surat was lost and abandoned in Cathn's Bay on the Ist duy oi January, 1874 ; and we decide tlm.., the certificates of com peteney of HMmund Joseph Johnston, ns' master, be can celled ; tho certificates of competency of Abra'tam Foieehaw, as mate, be cancelled; and tho uM'tifi.»atJ of competency ot E-lward H^Mi'lton, as second mate, be sus,jende 1 for a Ujrm of two years from the 2'jth dny ol January, 187-1,