FIFTY YEARS AGO.

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 18, 21 July 1934, Page 14

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

SOME NEW RECORDS

-The voyage of the New Zealand Shipping Company > s steamer Ruapehu from Plymouth to ■Wellington, ending on July. 14, 1884, created two records. Her steaming', time from Plymouth to Hobart was 37- days 16 hours, and from Plymouth to Wellington 41 days 17 Hours,.'both;-of which were the fastest returned up to that time. The previous best from Plymouth to Wellington was made.by the. Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company's Doric when she completed her second-voyage in 43 days 4 hours. On -her. previous run Honie, the Ruapehu did'the trip in 37 days 20 hours 40 minutes steaming..' On her record trip, she met very heavy weather when past the.Cape of Good Hope, and showed fine seagoing qualities. Before she reached Hobart she had passed the Coptic, the previous record-holder, which had left Plymouth. •on May 29, 1884, two days before her.

The Coptic also met heavy ■weather. Sho was described in- "The Post" as being a sister-ship to the lonic. ' Constructed, of mild, steel at Belfast, she was a,, straight-stemmed four-master, with an elliptical stern. Her dimensions were: Length 430 ft, breadth 42ft, depth of hold 31ft. She had a nominal horse-power of ;550, and made 13 knots on-a daily coal consumption of 48 tons. The hull had seven watertight compartments, and was fitted with three refrigerating engines, ,to take about 40,000' carcasses of mutton. Her loading of 24,000 carcasses for Homo markets (6000. from Wellington, 8000 from Napier. 6000 from Lyttelton, and 4000 •from Port Chalmers) was the largest up to that time taken from New Zealand ports. . .' .: •

In reference to the proposed Orient.il Bay slip, a contributor in "The Post" of July 14, 1884, entered a vigorous protest. "At the present time, " he stated, "the approach to the'bay-is very seriously marred by the slip in. use at. Clyde' Quay." He went on to complain oftlio smoke nuisance, and of. the 'illcgjil hindrance tii traffic by ropes and chains stretched across the, rpn/i, every time a vessel is hauled up.'!'.lt.was. suggested that, the slip should bo constructed a few hundred.yards beyond thebay. The letter

concluded by requesting all interested m foreshore, preservation to "stroll round tho rocks" and sign a memorial placed at his door.

A Reutcr cable from New York received on July 18, ISS4, reported that a search expedition had rescued the Arctic exploring vessel Creeling and six of her crew in Smith's Sound. Baffin Bay.

July 12.—Arrived at London, Waipa from Tort Chalmers: Candidate. from Napier; Tantallon Castle, from Lyttelton ; Amazon, from Auckland; James Wishart, from Lyttelton.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. H. K. Jlcßnin (Lower Hutt).—The name was siic:t incorrectly. Caiitaln David \V. Bone was the author of the article quoted from "The Listener" on June 30. "Sea Pup."—A correction has previously appeared. It. Mackay (Bulls).—As far as can be ascertained the Westralia made her last trip in the Welllngton-Blutr-Melbourne service in June, 1021. leaving Wellington on June 21. The Ulimaroa. and the Kiveriim then ran in itlie trade. The Westralla is now a copra hulk in the East Indies. A. C. Gilford.—Heceivcd. Tho Zealandla was ( - not built until ISGO. The Kensington, however, arrived at Lyttelton on July IS, 1562. after a voyage of 1(52 clays from • London. She came via the Cape of Good Hope.