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FATE OF SOUTHERN CROSS.
FINDING OF THE MARINE COURT.
The Court of Marine Inquiry in Vic-
toria, consisting of Mr. P. Cohen, P.M.
(president), and Captains R. Wills and
G. B. Ramsay (skilled members), has
issued a report upon Its investigation
into the loss of the barquçntinc South-
ern Cross. The president said that cer-
tain questions had been submitted to it
by the Marine Board, and the replies
were embodied in the report.
The. report stated that when the
Southern Cross left the Port of Mel-
bourne on September 11 she was in a
good and seaworthy condition; she was
properly manned and properly laden,
properly equipped with life-saving ap-
pliances and means of signalling. The
following persons were on board the
vessel when she left port:-F. K. Hodg
man, master; - Watt, mate; and G. F.
Makepeace, boatswain. As the Southern
Cross waB trading under home trade
articles, which allowed fof the crew be-
ing altered at any lime without refer-
ence to a shipping office, and as no
direct evidence was available, the Court
could, not determine who constituted
the other members of the crew on board
at the time of her departure from Mel-
bourne. The Court had no doubt that
the barquentinc was lost. The report
ends:- \ '
"In the-oprnion of.the Court the South-
ern Cross when Well to the southward
of Kinç Island was discovered to be on
fire below, and when endeavouring to
run the ship back for safety she struck
the Reid rocks, or somewhere in that
vicinity, on the night of September 14,
1920. In consequence of the unfavour-
able weather conditions existing at the
time, the nature of the locality, and n
probable explosion below, she broke up
so rapidly that there was no possibility*
of any of the crew surviving."
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