11.—13

18

RETURN of Wrecks and Casualties to Shipping reported to the Marine Department, &c.— continued.

Name of Vessel, also Age and Class. © trr *4"" cf Number of Nature of Number Place where Casualty occurred. Wind. Date of Casualty. Rig. © O Lives Lost. Direction. Decision of Court of Inquiry, &c. Name of Master. 'assengers. Cargo. Casualty. Force. 1884. .ug. 10 General Stranded ; parti, loss South Head, Akaroa Harbour Light .. Vessel was on her way from Dunedin to Lytelton, steering the ordinary course, when she struck on a rock in a dense fog. Before casualty speed was reduced from eleven to eight and then to four knots an hour. When fog was so dense, master should have directed his course more to the eastward and made more frequent use of the lead. Accident is probably to be attributed to the presence of a possibly imperceptible but still very strong current. After the vessel struck, extreme order prevailed, and the boats were handled and manned, and the safety of the passengers provided for Ship was being worked into the harbour, when she grounded on a shoal through master not making sufficient allowance for the state of the tide No blame attaches to master or crew. The vessel being run too far to leeward was caused by the misdirection of the semaphore arm, which was made to point in a wrong direction, an accident which arose from the insufficiency of the pilot staff at the New Eiver Current running out of river slewed vessel to northward James Tozer. Eingarooma, s.s., 9 years Schooner 623 46 15 N.W. 23 Genevieve M. Tucker, 14 years Barque.. 519 13 10 Coal Stranded; no damage Half a mile S. of Ward Island, Wellington Harbour N.W. Light .. W. Dow Wood. 24 Augusta, 13 years Brig'ntine 138 Coal Stranded; total loss Point Island, entrance to New Eiver, Invercargill W.N.W. Moderate Eobert Murdoch. Douglas, s.s., 2 years Stranded: slight damage Stranded; rud'r-post broken Stranded; total loss North Spit, Waitara Eiver Walter Francis Norbury. 29 Ketch .. 60 1 General W.S.W. Strong breeze 30 Jane Douglas, s.s., 9 years Schooner 75 12 8 Ballast.. Bar of Manawatu Eiver N.W. Moderate Casualty caused by striking when crossing the bar James W. G. Fraser. Sept. 1 Lastingham, 7 years Ship .. 1143 6 General 18 One mile from Jackson's Head, Port Gore, Cook Strait i N.W. Gale .. Loss of ship attributable to error in judgment on part of master in that, after ascertaining his position off Kapiti, he put her on starboard tack, and left her to drift, on chance of picking up the Brothers light, instead of running through Cook Strait. When upon the starboard tack, she went much farther to the westward than he allowed for, and entered Gore Bay, where she was embayed, and, striking on the rocky beach, became a total wreck. Master was lost in vessel Vessel filled through plug coming out, and capsized Alexander Morrison. 26 Abreast of Waikawau, near Kennedy's Bay, Auckland, about 3 miles off shore 27 Nor ah, months 11 Schooner Timber, logs Capsized; parti, loss N.W. Moderate George Eoff.