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March 10, 1902.]
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
Re-examined--When he first saw the green light of the Skramstad, he could not deter
If he had stopped mine what her course was. his vessel before the collision, the Perla might have run into bis ship.
By His Lordship-He did not know how long it took a steamer to be brought to by reversing engines when she had a speed of 7 or 8 knots
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propeller came out of the water. After seeing whether the Skramstad's crew needed assistance, the Tai Cheong steamed over to the Kowloon side and anchored.
The
Re-examined-In his opinion the Perla struck her at about a right angle. She slided off the Tai Cheong on to the Skramstad and struck her too. When the two vessels were fast he did not notice whether the effect of both ships going astern was to slew them round.
no other By His Lordship-There was European but the captain on the bridge. The starboard anchor was ready for lowering down into the water; it would have had to be lowered, however, and the cathead unhooked in order to anchor.
first witness. He stated that on the 20th from 5.45 to 6, to clear the Tai Cheong from November last he was master. He started a the Skramstad." When it was seen that the voyage in the afternoon. He left the moorings co'lision was unavoidable the engines were stop- about 5.15 and proceeded towards Lyeemun ped and put full speed astern-not before. În
Cross-examined-He was aware that they for Swatow. He saw the Perla when he left the rough log there was no entry about the
were under a port helm up to the time of the moorings. She came from the Hongkong engines being put full speed astern. The clean
He heard the order of the He could not say shore. She was ahead of the Tai Cheong. The log was not made up from the rough log. the collision. Tai Cheong was going a little faster than the From the time when he first saw the Skramstad captain Hard aport." Perla. Ho bad been captain of the Tai Cheong up till the place where he first saw her green how far the Skramstad was distant at that He felt the engines working astern. since 1896. He was steering a course about light, she was showing her red light. The Tai time.
Cheong was under a port helm all the time | That was about three minutes before the colli- north-east by east across the mouth of Hung. hom Bay. About the middle of the bay he put after the look-out reported the lights of the sion. At the time of the collision they were
Skramstad.
laying on to the Hongkong shore. The fact the vessel at full speed. Just before this he saw the red light of the Skramstad. They were There was no risk of collision at all when he of the engines being reversed and the helm put The first risk of hard aport was that her head would pay off to about three-quarters of a mile off. On sighting first saw the Skramstad.
starboard. The Skramstad was heading for the these lights he ported the helm and continued danger was when the Skramstad continued to
Hongkong shore just about the same as them. full speed. The next thing was that he sighted show her green light. He therefore kept run. the Skramstad's green light. He kept on the oing down under a port helm in order to pass The captain must have noticed how the ships swung round very much batter than he. On course he was steering and blew the whistle inside. He did not starboard bis helm and once. There was no answer. He blew the run out into the bay because he thought the the forecastlehead before the collision the boat- He Skramstad would pass free. As soon as he swain, a Malay, was on the look-out. He was whistle again but there was no answer. then put his engines full speed astern and blew thought there was danger he blew the whistle not working at the anchor with the crew,
port anchor was lashed before the collision and the whistle thrice. The only answer was from three times. He did not stop his vessel to see the Perla. She was about five ship's lengths what course the Skramstad might take because the starboard anchor was fished and was hang- off on the port quarter. That was when he he was on his proper side of the channel. ing outside level with the forecastle-head ready for lowering down. The Perla came into col. blew the whistle three times. At that time When he first saw the Skramstad he was
come across on Skramstad bad the
his steaming at about 7 or 8 knots. The full lision with them, striking them under the starboard bow. She had already crossed. his speed of his ship was 10 knots. Full steam bridge on the port side. There was very little bows, and was distant about a ship's length or was not up. He considered this part of the time between the two collisions, and the Tai one and a half ship's length. When he saw channel to be narrow and always kept to star-Cheong and the Skramstad were fast when the board. He had never passed a mail steamer Perla ran into them. It was then that the į there was a collision he went full speed astern
a push and blow the whistle. The Skramstad was then on the port side when entering the Harbour Skramstad asked them to give her
ashore. about four ship's lengths distant and was passing from Lyeeman Pass. The Perla on this occa- across her bows. He put the helm hard aport.sion was keeping almost the same course as the The Skramstad passing across his bows showed Tai Cheong. She came within about 30 yards her red light just before the collision. This of the Hongkong shore. She must have been
I was about 300 or 400 yards from the shore. under a hard-a-port helm to have come over and
At the time of the collided with them. The sun had just set. collision the Tai Cheong had a good deal of way on.
She had been going astern about two or two and a half minutes before the collision. After she struck, the engines continue: full -speed astern, but the vessel could not get He went on to free of the Skramstad. the forecastle head to see what was wrong. He asked for the captain, who told him that they had three or five feet of water. He asked whether they wanted to beach the Skramstad. The answer was that she was sinking and that they wanted her beached. He thereupon went half-speed ahead and pushed her a little further in. But being afraid of the rocks he went astern and slipped out. When he got clear of the Skramstad her bow sank at once some eight or ten feet. He sent the boats- they wain to ask if
wanted assistance and afterwards steamed over in the direction of Kowloon. The Perla W83 about five ship's lengths off when he began to go astern. She could not stop herself in time and ran into the Tai Cheong amidships on the port side. She slid off and struck the Skramstad's star- board anchor; then she backed off and pulled it out.. The look-out was being kept by a Malay on the forecastle head. He reported sighting the lights of the Skramstad; the first The officer was on the forecastle heid too. crew were on the forecastle head lashing the port anchor. The quartermaster, a Malay, was at the wheel. He carried three engineers, all Europeans. The first engineer was below at the time. The Tai Cheong was hung about fifteen minutes in the Skramstad. He went half- › speed ahead for about two minutes. He pushed the Skramstad about two ship's lengths. He had been at sea since 1872 and had hold a German master's certificate since 1893.
Cross-examined by Mr. Morgan Philips-At the time the Perla crossed his bows, he was on the bridge. He went down once, when he went up to the bows. From the time he left his moorings up till the collision he was on the bridge. The boatswain reported the lights of the Skramstad. He had seen his mate's log It was written up next morning, from a rough note on a piece of paper. Both this rough note and the log were written on this morning. In the mate's log it was stated that at 5.30 they passed the Perla on their port side and sighted the Skramstad showing her red light which was reported by the look-out to the officer in charge." The officer in charge was himself. In the rough log it was stated that the collision occurred at 5.45. In the clean log it was stated that "after going full speed astern for about three minutes, the Skramstad suddenly ported her helm, and we collided with ber" also that "we tried for about 15 minutes,
years,
E. Wierkin deposed that he was chief officer of the Tai Cheong at the time of the collision. Since then he had acted as captain. He bad been at sea for 18 years and had had a master's On the 20th November certificate for 8 the quartermaster, a Mulay, was at the wheel when the vessel left the Harbour. He had since left the ship. When the ship left her auchorage on the 20th he was on the forecastle head, accompanied by the boatswain, and four sailors, lashing the anchor.
The Court adjourned.
Tuesday, 4th March.
E. Wiebkin, the first officer of the Tai Choug at the time of the accident, was again put in the witness-box. He was at work on the forecastlebead when the lights of the Skramstad were reported by the look-out to the captain. He heard one short blast of their whistle and then saw that their ship was going to starboard. There was another short blast from their whistle. Then there were three blasts blown. When he looked up he saw the green light of the Skramstad. She seemed to be heading for the Hongkong shore and afterwards swang round towards the Kowloon side, wh le the Tai Cheong swung round to the Hongkong shore; that was shortly before the collision. As the Skramstad approached, he thought she would strike them on the starboard at the after end, but she swung round and the Tai Cheong
the collision was and swung round
saw the collision the port side. When he
unavoidable be jumped off the fore- He could see the Metropole Hotel castlehead. not far off; he could not say what distance. The engines of the Tai Cheong were working After she when she struck the Skramstad. struck he went again on the forecastle-head and saw the crew of the other steamer. One of them shouted that they had 5 feet of water and shortly afterwards 8 feet and said "By-give Then he us a shove ashore; we are sinking." felt the Tai Cheong go ahead. The two cap. tains shouted out to each other. His captain What for did you take the wroug veer ?" said and the other captain asked “What for did you take the wrong veer?" When they got clear of the Skramstad she sank by the bows and the
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See Din, the Malay boatswain of the Tai Cheon, said he had been at sea for 33 years. On the evening of the collision he was on the ook-ont. The Tai Cheong was going out of the Harbour by the Lyeeman Pass. He saw and reported her lights to the captain; the first · time he saw a red light and then a green light. He reported "Port bow, red light" the first time; on the second occasion be reported
Green light, starboard bow." He reported nothing about a white light; he did not see a white light. He saw that the steamer whose lights he had reported was approaching them. When she came close to them he ran away,
Cross-examined-The first report he made of the Skramstad's light was Port side, red light." He meant by that that he saw a red light on the port bow of the Tai Cheong.
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A. Böhmar, European boatswain of the Tai Cheong at the time of the collision, deposed that he had been at sea for 21 years. On the day of the collision they left the auchorage in the afternoon. After leaving the anchorage he was first of all on the bridge, but was afterwards called down on deck and remained down there until the collision took place. He was super- intending some work on deck. He did not see the lights of the Skramstad. He heard the com- Afterwards be mand twice "Port helm," each time accompanied by a short blast of the whistle.
Hard aport" and saw the heard the command telegraph moving to "Hard aport" and heard three blasts of the whistle. He saw a steamer
He ahead then. but could not make out whether it was the stem or the stern that he saw. thought she was going to strike the Tai Cheong on the starboard side, and called on the quar- termaster, who was working there. They were not very far off the shore. He could read the name of the Metropole Hotel. That was just After the collision the before the collision. ships remained fast, but he could not say for how long. He was running forward to the forecastle to see what was wrong when he got orders from the first officer to sound the bilges. He found no water and went back to the forecastle-head. Then the Perla ran into them amidships. As long as the two ships were together he remained on the forecastle- After clearing the Skramstad he got head. a boat out and taking two quartermasters with him pulled over to the Skramstad. He could
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