The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1893-10-20
STOTT BLAMELESS.
so SAYS TIE COURT OF
INQUIRY INTO THE
MI0WERA DISASTER.
But One OF the Principal wit
nesses Differs. and Gives His
Opinion OF the AFFAIR.

The court OF inquiry that has
been in session for the past few
days has finished it's work, and the
findings are now being transcribed
and made ready for forwarding to
the board of trade in London. The
court, which was composed of Jas.
III. Wodehouse, president, and
Captains Freeth, Mist and Berry,
found Captain Stott free from all
blame in the matter of the strand
| ing of the Miowera and returned
him his captains certificate. The
findings will be sent to London by
the next steamer.
Opinion Of the justice of the
courts decision is much divided,
but the general opinion especially
among sea-faring men, is that the
captain was wholly to blame for
the accident to his ship. One of
the most important witnesses who
appeared before the court, said last
evening:
''How such a farce of acquittal
can be gone through, 1 do not see.
The captain was given the best of
all the evidence produced before
the court, and it seemed to me that
none of the witnesses were asked
any questions that could hurt him.
l know | was not, and very good
care was taken not to ask me my
nf fha
"The case stands like this. The
ship was telephoned at 7 80, and
was then ten miles off. At z so
the pilot left the wharf accompa-
MED by Mr.. Reynolds and Mr.. Nc
Weigh of the board of health, and
Louis Kenake of the post office. 1t
was impossible to get away sooner,
for the boat had to be lowered and
the lights made ready.
"When the pilot was half way
out the ship was a mile and a
half or two miles out to sea on the
eastern or Diamond Head side Of
the channel. Just after the fourth
and next to last light was lit the
pilot noticed that the red light on
the port side of the ship was in
sight. He Immediately went out
to .. meetp hssff sHHs s 1 Gould reach her
she had struck on the reef and was
hard aground.
"The captain claimed that he
had no intention of trying to come
into the harbor without pilot.
What, then, was he doing so close
in shore? AS to his thinking he
was further away than he was, and
saying that Diamond Head was not
in sight, that is nonsense, for the
second mate of the Miowera told
me that they had sighted the head
some miles at sea and that the cap
tain had taken bearings from it.
The night was perfectly clear and
the head was plainly visible to the
pilot and those in the boat all the
time they were lighting the lamps.
Captain Stott's great plea was
that he lost sight of the green light
on the custom house. That light
is put there principally for the use
of the pilots and coasting vessels,
and for those that are familiar with
the harbor, and if man insists on
acting as his own pilot he should
know just where such a light is
placed.
"The chief officer of the Miowera
told me that they saw from the
ship the lights on the buoys being
lighted. He spoke to the captain
about it but he, instea9st fete wGAss
only gave LeraI1on of the executive al
: advisory council, 1t Oi e.Opp-Ag,
lniorminR 1r.Iers to slow down to
half speed. If they were SO close to
land that they could see the small
lights on the buoys, it certainly
seems as though any captain would
know enough to stop his ship, un-
less he intended coming in without
a pilot. The chief officer also told
me, and others, that if he was ever
asked at home how and why the
accident happened, he should not
hesitate a moment in saying that
the captain was entirely to blame
in the matter. He was convinced
that he intended to come in with
out pilot.
In the face of all this, the
"court" acquits the captain and
gives him his masters certificate
| If the underwriters deal as gently
with him, I am greatly mistaken
and will not claim to know any
more about seamanship."