THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 197

Harbour Office, Russell,
24th January, 1878.

SIR, I have the honor to report that a lamp-post
has been erected on the outer end of the Government
wharf, in the Port of Russell, and a red light has
been exhibited therefrom since the 21st of December,
1877.

The light will continue to be exhibited from sunset
to sunrise, and will be visible between the bearings
of West to South. It is elevated 20 feet above
high water, and will be seen about 2 miles in clear
weather.

For vessels coming to an anchor the light should
bear N.E. by E. 1/2 E. and Kororareka Point North,
when good anchorage in 4 1/2 fathoms will be obtained.

I have, &c.,
GEO. BAKER,
Harbourmaster and Pilot.

The Secretary of Customs,
(Marine Branch,) Wellington.

Report of Enquiry respecting Wreck of the "Nellie."

Customs Department (Marine Branch),
Wellington, 11th February, 1878.

IT is hereby notified that His Excellency the Go-
vernor has been pleased to confirm the following
report of a Court of Enquiry, held at Tauranga, on
the 24th of January last, before Edward Mortimer
Edgcumbe and David Scannell, Esqs., Justices of the
Peace, assisted by Captain Joseph Ellis, Nautical
Assessor, into the wreck of the schooner "Nellie," of
Auckland; registered tonnage, 66; official number,
75115; Alexander George Armstrong, master, hold-
ing a New Zealand certificate of competency No. 48.

J. BALLANCE.

"Not only was no special look-out kept, but that no
look-out whatever was kept between the time the
mate's watch expired, at 8 o'clock on Sunday
evening, the 13th January, 1878, and the time the
vessel struck the rocks, which neglect is entirely
attributable to the said Alexander George Arm-
strong, who, taking into consideration the vicinity of
the reef, should either have provided for a look-out
man or been on deck himself. The said Alexander
George Armstrong in his statement attributes the
wreck of the vessel to the incorrectness of the posi-
tion of the Astrolabe reef as marked on the
Admiralty chart, or to the set of the current, or
both; but no evidence tending to the correctness of
such surmises on his part is forthcoming.

"The decision of the Court, in which the Nautical
Assessor coincides, is, that the certificate of the said
Alexander George Armstrong be suspended for and
during a period of one calendar month from this
date, and that the cost of the enquiry—namely,
costs of the Court, £1 4s.; witnesses' expenses, 10s.;
solicitor's fee, £1 1s.—be paid by the said Alexander
George Armstrong, costs to be payable within
twenty-four hours.

"Given under our hands this twenty-fourth
day of January, one thousand eight hun-
dred and seventy-eight, at Tauranga, in
the Provincial District of Auckland, New
Zealand.

"E. M. EDGCUMBE, J.P.
"D. SCANNELL, J.P."

"I, Joseph Ellis, Nautical Assesor on the inquiry
into the wreck of the schooner 'Nellie,' do fully
concur in the above report concerning the wreck of
the said vessel.

"JOSEPH ELLIS,
"Nautical Assessor."

Report of Enquiry regarding Casualty to "Huon
Belle."

Customs Department (Marine Branch),
Wellington, 12th February, 1878.

IT is hereby notified that His Excellency the Go-
vernor has been pleased to confirm the follow-
ing report of a Court of Enquiry, held at Oamaru, on
the 23rd ultimo, before Thomas Windle Parker, Esq.,
Resident Magistrate, assisted by Captain James
Matheson, Nautical Assessor, into a casualty to the
ketch "Huon Belle," of Dunedin; registered tonnage,
42; official number, 32131; Robert George Hughes,
master, holding a New Zealand certificate of service
No. 2062.

J. BALLANCE.

"The stranding of the 'Huon Belle' was a conse-
quence of negligence on the part of the master. It
appears that she left Kakanui Harbour on the 15th
January instant, about 10.30 p.m., with a full cargo
of 130 bales of wool, of which 21 were on deck, and
that in coming out she fouled the South Pier and
carried away the jibboom and starboard cathead,
with other damage.

"The stranding at Moeraki occurred through the
anchors not holding, and the master discovered that
they were foul of the bight of the rope. The wind
blowing hard the vessel was presently driven broad-
side against the Moeraki Railway Viaduct, which
crosses that part of the bay. The stranding took
place about midnight soon after high water, and at
low water, on the morning of the 16th, the Harbour-
master at Oamaru visited the vessel, which was then
nearly dry, but it appeared that the water had
flowed in and out. The cargo was nearly all out of
the hold, and was more or less damaged. The star-
board anchor was hanging to the bow, with the
broken cathead and some of the jibboom gear hang-
ing about it; the port anchor was lying from three
to four fathoms from the port bow, with the flukes
towards the ship. As the jibboom and gear were
hanging over quite loose, the Harbourmaster's im-
pression was that they had been freshly carried away
when the vessel struck. He afterwards learned that
the damage had been done at Kakanui, and gives his
opinion that it was the master's duty to clear the
wreckage immediately after the accident. The mas-
ter had paid out 15 fathoms of chain to the port
anchor, and its being found flukes foremost within
4 fathoms of the bow shows it to have been foul,
and that it was probably shaken loose by the bump-
ing of the vessel. The master was at the helm when
coming out of Kakanui, but when outside he gave
the helm to the mate and went forward (as he says),
and, with the assistance of the third man of the
crew, secured the jibboom and gear to the bowsprit.
This man was not present at the inquiry. The mate
did not see the master secure the jibboom and gear,
and from the evidence of the Harbourmaster I do
not believe it was done. As the night at that time
was clear, the wind off shore, and no sea under the
land, I regard this omission on the part of the
master as an act of serious negligence, and endanger-
ing the safety of the ship. If the anchors had fallen
clear they would probably not have held the vessel,
but this probability does not diminish the respon-
sibility, nor reduce an act of negligence to one of
trifling omission. A possible means of saving the
vessel was rendered useless by neglect, and that
I think justifies the suspension of the master's cer-
tificate for six months. The certificate is a New
Zealand one of service, No. 2062, but was not
handed in on the enquiry, as the master said he had
mislaid it. I think that he may be ordered to pay