The Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954) Tuesday 17 May 1921 p 4 Article
RECENT CHANNEL FATALITY.
PRELIMINARY INQUIRY.
EVIDENCE TAKEN IN CAMERA.
Mr. W. O. Wise, Police Magistrate, was appointed recently under The Wrecks Inquiry Act, 1874, to inquire into a casualty on board the steamship Bass whereby Benjamin Lewis, 30 years of age, married, and with two children, lost his life off the Pilot Station, in the River Derwent on April 18 last, held a preliminary investigation yesterday at his office, Public Buildings. The proceedings were in camera.
Mr. P. L. Griffiths appeared for the master of the vessel (Captain Driscoll), Mr. W. M. Hodgman for the owners (Bass Steamship Co.), and Mr. A. G. Ogilvie for the relatives of the deceased.
Several witnesses were heard, and Mr. Wise will now make a report to the Governor in Council, upon which it will be decided whether or not any further inquiry is necessary.
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THE BASS FATALITY.
The Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954) Wednesday 1 June 1921 p 4 Article
THE BASS FATALITY.
Mr. W. O. Wise, Police Magistrate, who, under the Wrecks Inquiry Act, 1874, recently held a preliminary investigation into a casualty on board the steamship Bass, whereby Benjamin Lewis, aged 30, lost his life through falling overboard in the River Derwent, has handed his report to the Attorney General (Hon. W. B. Propsting). The report is not yet available to the press, but it is understood that it recommends that no further, inquiry is necessary.
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THE BASS FATALITY.
The Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954) Saturday 18 June 1921 p 6 Article
THE BASS FATALITY.
The Police Magistrate (Mr. E. W. Turner) has fixed Thursday morning for holding the formal investigation into the casualty whereby a man named Benjamin Lewis lost his life from on board the steamship Bass when off the Pilot Station, in the River Derwent, on April 18
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The Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954) Tuesday 28 June 1921 p 6 Article
THE BASS FATALITY.
THE QUESTION OF LIFE LINES.
DECISION RESERVED.
An official inquiry into the death by drowning of Benjamin' Lewis,, a mem- ber of the crew of the river steamer Bass, who fell overboard from that vessel on April l8, when she was off the Pilot Station, waa held at the Hobart Police Court yesterday, before the Police Magistrate (Mr. E. W. Turner). Mr. P. L. . Griffiths' appeared for the master of the vessel, Walter Driscoll, and Mr. A: G. Ogilvie for the widow and relatives' of the deceased. Capt. Javis, nautical assessor, attended:
Kenneth Gilchrist; a deck hand on tile Bass, said' that the accident happened as the result of a case of apples falling from one layer in a stack to another. Lewis got out of the window of the wheelhouse to put it back, and went along the side of the stack of cases, and slipped and fell overboard. Witness shouted to the skipper, and the latter rang up the engine-room, stopped the vessel, and ordered a life-buoy to be thrown over. When Lewis fell overboard there was a fishing boat about 50 yards away, and the fisherman jumped into his dinghy and pulled towards the man in the water. In the meanwhile the Bass was brought round. He could not say how high the cases were stacked on the boat. There were no life lines round the sides of the cases to prevent people falling over- board. There was no attempt made to get the small boat out from tho Bass. Apples were stacked all over the ship, but they were not so stacked as to prevent the boat being lowered.
Tho Police Magistrate: Did you notice that before or afterwards, or are you only guessing?-Inoticed it be- fore. ...
You say.there were two boats?-Yes,
one aft and. one forward.
And there would have been no difficulty in getting the aft one out?-No.
To Mr. Ogilvie: He thought that the Bass had a list when she left Cygnet, but he could not say to which side. The apple cases were packed right up to the side of the vessel, and the only way to get to the apple case which fell was to get through the window of the wheelhouse. If anything happened in the front of the vessel a man would have to get out of the window to attend to it. No one ordered Lewis to pick up the case, but it was part of his duty to do so. . -When Lewis fell overboard the engines of the Bass were not reversed. The forward boat was built round with cases, and there were sacks of turnips and other vegetables inside it. Lewis told witness on a day that he could swim."
To Mr. Griffitlis : There were no bags of vegetables in the boat aft. They were just in front of it. He could not say whether there was one bag or two. The boat could, have been swung out clear of the rail. There was nothing to prevent that/....
Mr. Griffiths: -You said at the first inquiry that Lewis got out of the window, and then appeared to slip on the port side and go overboard-Yes.
And now you say tthat he walked along the stack some 10 or 12 paces before he slipped. Which is correct ? The last. .
And you were asked at the preliminary inquiry this question: "Do you still adhere to your statement that Lewis got out of the window, and then appeared to slip and fall straight over- board," and on that occasion you answered, "Yes."
Ernest Stewart; a second deck hand on the Bass, said ' that Lewis could have got on to the stack by an alley way, but by getting out of the window he was on the top of the stack immediately. Lewis seemed to catch his feet as he got out of the window, stumbled a few paces, and pitched overboard. There was a slight swell at the time. He had not reached the case of apples when he fell over.
To Mr. Ogilvie : You say that he stumbled about four paces, equal to about ten feet, when he fell?-Yes. .
And that he had not reached the case of apples?-No.
But at the first inquiry you said that the case of apples was only about five feet from the wheelhouse?
Mr. Griffiths: -He also said that Lewis took six paces.
Mr. Ogilvie) : So you are wrong either way'. At the first inquiry vou told Mr. Wise that after he got out of the window Lewis stood up on his foot.
To Mr. Griffiths : The starboard side was built up higher with cases than the port. Lewis got through the window, and the next thing witness knew he was gone. '
Alfred Kuhe, a passenger on the Bass on the day of the accident, said that he first knew that something was amiss when he heard a cry, "Throw a life- buoy overboard." He jumped up and saw Lewis in the water, apparently something like 100 yards away. He saw the fisherman Bennett in his boat, and he seemed to be nearer to Lewis than the boat was. Bennett pulled over towards Lewis according to direc- tions shouted to him by the skipper of the Bass. Witness saw two coats floating on the water after Lewis went down the third time, and he surmised that when deceased sank the force of the water pulled the coats up over his head. At first Lewis seemed to be making an effort to swim, and he went about it as though he knew how to. He estimated that Bennett was about a minute late in getting to the spot where Lewis sank. ;
To Mr. Turner: There were cases in the stern of the vessel, but he did not think they would have prevented the launching of the dinghy. He was not sure. He did not notice the boat in the bow.
To Mr. Griffiths: The case of apples which fell was lying well up on top of the stack, very close to the middle line of the ship.
Thomas Bennett, a fisherman., said that on April l8 he was off the Pilot Station drifting without a wind. The Bass crossed his bows, and he suddenly heard a blast on her whistle and a shout, "Man overboard," and saw an object in tho water about 10 yards away. He sprang into his dinghy, cut the painter and pulled towards the object. He shouted for directions to the crew of the Bass, and, following their instructions, pulled up between two coats which were floating on the water. The Bass, meanwhile, came around slowly. He spent about half-an hour searching, but could find nothing but the coats.
Mr. Turner . it has been suggested that a boat lowered from the Bass could have got to the spot more quickly. What do you say to that?
Witness: I don't think they could have, because I was so close.
You said at the first inquiry that you could have got there and back while a boat was coming from the Bass. Do you still think so?-I think so.
Do you think that a man -could have drowned in such a short time?-I don't think that he could have swum hardly at all, or else I must have got him.
To Mr. Griffitlis: The sea was perfectly smooth, and there was so little wind that I had to get the paddles out to make headway.
Mr. Turner spoke of the uncertainty of régulations with regard to the carrying of life lines on steamers.
Mr. Griffiths said that words in the regulations, which had significance when they were framed were now left without reference to anything.
Mr. Turner : We will carry on with the facts, and if there is anything to be gone into we can do so.
Walter Charles James Driscoll, master mariner and master of the s.s. Bass, gave evidence that on April l8 he carried :1 deck load of apples from Cygnet and channel ports to Hobart. At one of the out ports it was found necessary to put two extra tiers of cases on the port side, because the coal was all in the port bunker in order to trim the vessel. That put the vessel on an even keel, but the working out of the port bunker gave her a slight list to starboard. When off the Pilot Station he was writing out the manifest in his cabin, when he heard a blast on the whistle, and he stepped out and asked Gilchrist, who was at the wheel, what was the matter. He replied that a case had fallen over, and witness saw it lying well forward, a little to port, amidships. It was quite safe, and he told Gilchrist to let it stop where it was. Cases were-stacked under the life boat in the bows, to stem of her and a little up one side on the inside. There was only one bag of vegetables shown on the manifest. The cargo round the boat would not have impeded the swinging of her out. She was boxed in except in front and on the outside, and as she was swung outboard she would move away from the fruit. The port alleyway was open and the after dinghy was quite clear. The fruit was stacked about seven and a half feet high, probably about a couple of inches above the planking of the upper deck. After going back to his cabin he heard a cry, "man overboard," and he telegraphed the command "Stop" to the engine-room, and ordered a lifebuoy to he thrown overboard. He brought the Bass round past Bennett, who was in his fishing smack, and as he passed Bennett he looked under his sail and then jumped into his dinghy and started pulling: Witness did not make any attempt to lower a boat, because with a boat already in the water he did not see the use of doing so. With a deck load on," the load would be as high if not higher than the bulwarks.
Mr. Turner: Unless you carried them round the rigging. Of course here they were not up at all.
To Mr. Ogilvie : There are no regulations, other than general regulations, concerning overloading? We have a Plimsoll mark, beyond which we must not go.
Mr, Turnor: And beyond which you did not go on this trip?-No.
To Mr. Ogilvie: I- brought the Bass round and got back to within about 70 yards of Lewis when I saw him go down for the last time.
Mr. Turner: Do you offer any explanation as to why the life-lines were not run on this' occasion?-Well I never saw anyone use them and the deck hands object to them. . .
Before this accident did you ever have them up?-Yes, on one or two occasions.
Mr. Griffiths said that he thought that the Court would be satisfied that the case which had attracted Lewis's attention was well in board. It was very arguable whether if the life-line had been up it would have made any difference at all. If Lewis had been able to swim all the circumstances were favourable, , because the sea was smooth and Bennett was handy and acted with great promptness, and was on the spot long before a boat from the Bass could nave got there. He thought the only question to be decided was whether the presence of life - lines would have made any difference.
Mr. Ogilvio said that deceased's relatives had no quarrel with what happened after the accident, but before it. There was no doubt that all vessels trading were required to carry life-lines four feet above the cargo. : -. ,
Mr. Turner: That seemed to be the intention originally.
Mr. Ogilvio said "that. in spite of the portion occasioned by the repeal of some of the regulations there was no doubt that the intention was what he had stated,. , and he desired to press that view strongly.. There was also, a "section which laid down that the owner or master should be liable for improper loading. There must have been improper loading for a case to become displaced, as it was the case falling which had occasioned the tragedy, because Lewis had gone on to the cargo to replace it.
Mr. Turner said that he would try and find out from the authorities what had been done in the matter of the by- law relating to life-lines.
Mr. Griffiths asked that the decision regarding Driscoll's certificate might bemade at once. ' .
Mr. Turner, after deliberating with Captain Davis, announced that they could scarcely return the ticket at once, but they would endeavour to arrive at adecision at the earliest possible moment, so as to free the certificate if it was going to be freed. They did not think that the Court would be doing its duty if it gave up such control of the ticket as it held. Decision would be reserved.
Close
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The Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954) Saturday 18 June 1921 p 6 Article
THE BASS FATALITY.
The Police Magistrate (Mr. E. W. Turner) has fixed Thursday morning for holding the formal investigation into the casualty whereby a man named Benja- min Lewis lost his life from on board the steamship Bass when off the Pilot Station, in the River Derwent, on April 18.
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THE BASS FATALITY. PRECAUTIONS AGAINST CASUALTY NOT TAKEN. CAPTAIN ORDERED TO PAY EXPENSES.
The Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954) Thursday 30 June 1921 p 5 Article
The decision of the Court of Inquiry,
which consisted of the Police Magistrate (Mr. ,E. W. Turner) and Captain J. Davis, as assessor, into the circumstances attending the drowning of
Benjamin Lowis, a deckhand on the
s.s. Bass, on April 18, was announced
yesterday by Mr. Turner, who said that
from the evidence the Court found that
whilst the Bass was making a trip from
Port Cygnet to Hobart on April l8
with a cargo of apples, carried both
below and on deck, and when the vessel was off the pilot station, the deceased, without any special order to do so, went out of the vvmdow of the deck-house on to the top of the deck cargo to replace a case which had fallen over.
When starting to walk to the case he lost his balance, either by slipping or some other cause, and fell overboard.
The steamer was stopped, and a fishing boat which was in the vicinity was hailed, the captain of which (Thomas Bennett) at once rowed to the spot
where deceased was, but he sank, and was drowned before he could be reached. Although life lines were carried on the steamer for use in accordance with
the regulations of the Hobart Marine Board, they were not on this occasion fitted up, and due precaution against such a casualty was not taken. "In this respect," the report added, I've considered that the master (Walter Charles James Driscoll) was at fault,
'and we order him to pay the expense of this inquiry."