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Index Narrative Crew Lists for the Avalanche Passenger Lists for the Avalanche Crew Lists for the Forrest The Inquiry The Rescuers |
The following month an official enquiry was held into the causes of the collision and the conduct of the two Masters. This Enquiry lasted from the 3rd to the 9th October 1877, with L. Jones and G. T. Holt acting as the Assessors. As there were only three survivors from the Avalanche, detailed information as to events aboard that vessel were impossible to obtain. The Two Able Seamen who had been on watch, could only state that having heard the report of the red light of another ship being sighted, they were some time afterwards ordered to go on the Poop to brail up the spanker. Also that it was only after they had got on the Poop that an order was given to hard-up the helm. The Third Officer who was below until the vessel actually struck, stated that he heard the light reported a quarter of an hour before the collision and that it was eight or ten minutes later that he heard the order to "hard up the helm". From this evidence it appeared that for some time after the red light of the Forest had been reported, nothing whatever was done on the Avalanche. She had been kept close hauled on the port tack until at last the order to "hard up" was given and she went off some four points before the collision occurred. The Master of the Forest stated that he first saw the green. light of the Avalanche twenty minutes before the collision, it was then 2 1/2 points on his port bow. He watched the light as it drew ahead of him until it was about a point on the port bow, then he lost sight of it, not seeing it again until the collision occurred. The Forest look-out man however, who was on the top-gallant forecastle, had kept it in sight all the time reporting it a second time when it drew ahead, it then suddenly turned to red and almost immediately the collision occurred. This statement was confirmed by a man who had been on the main deck. The Forest's Master thought his view of the light had been obscured by his ship's foresail or it's high topgallant forecastle, he went on to say that after seeing the green light, not knowing if his vessel was close up to the wind or not, he ordered the man at the wheel to luff, which was done about the same time as he lost sight of the light. When he saw his sails lifting, he gave orders to keep her full, when her head fell off two or three points beyond her original course. He then ordered the helm hard down, and as she was coming up again to her original course the collision occurred. It was clear in the opinion of the Court that it was the Avalanche's duty to get out of the way of the Forest either by passing ahead or astern as she thought fit, but whichever she elected to do, it was her duty to do it in sufficient time. This being so, the onus was upon her to show that she took the proper measures to avoid a collision. After carefully considering all the evidence, the Court came to the conclusion that the Avalanche did not port her helm as soon as she should have done. That she continued on her course long after she saw the red light of the Forest on her port bow until finding she could not clear the other vessel, ported her helm too late, the collision being the result. The Court also blamed the Forest's Master for having manoeuvred his vessel after he had lost sight of the Avalanche's light and before he had ascertained what she was about to do. The Forest fell off some two or three points beyond her original course, and it was as she was coming up again that the collision occurred. The Captain admitted that if his vessel had not fallen off there would have been no collision and that if he had known what the other vessel was doing he would have let go his lee forebraces, have kept his ship up in the wind, and thus prevented her from failing off. For failing to do this the Court thought he was to blame, but looking at his long service of some 26 years as Master, and his good conduct after the collision, they thought that they ought not either to cancel or suspend his certificate. However they severely reprimanded him and expressed their opinion that one of the Forest's boats should have been in the davits ready for launching. ^ back to top ^ |