A LONG TOW.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 92, 25 May 1914, Page 3

A LONG TOW.

Press Association. ' WELLINGTON, May 24. The Union Steam Ship Company's steamer Kaiapoi arrived here yesterday with the Norwegian barque Lilla in tow. . Adelaide was left on May 10, and the 1900 miles was covered at an average speed of six knots in hour., This is a record tow to New /Zealand waters. Very, stormy weather prevailed during a large portion ,of the voyage, and at times there was a risk of the barque breaking away owing to the rough seas. By skilful handling of the tow-lines, however, ,tlie steamer hung on to the sailer. Occasionally both vessels used sail to steady the strain on the lines. The tow from Adelaide to Wellington is by no means , a record; for long-dis-tance* towing in Australasian waters. Some years ago the Sydney-owned collier Duckenfield towed the dismasted Bhip Samuel Plimsoll from Sydney to Albany, which is a longer distance. A notable tow accomplished about five years ago was that of the well-known tug Champion, with the dismasted 2500ton ship Leicester Castle from Auckland to Sydney, which occupied fourteen days,* in very tempestuous weather. About seven years ago the Liverpool-four-masted barque Galgate was totally dismasted off Cape Horn while on the passage from Cardiff to Pisagua (Chili). Under jury-rig, Captain Griffiths got his big, unweildy ship safely to Eio de Janeiro, whence she was towed by the tug Sarah Joliffe to Liverpool for repairs. The big ocean-going tugs belonging to Rotterdam have the finest record for long deep-sea tows. Some years ago two of these big tugs towed the great floating dock, Admiral Dewey, from England to the Philippine Islands, and on another occasion they towed a floating dock from Newcastle-on-'yyne round Cape Horn to Callao. The Lilla was a Norwegian barque which put into Adelaide dismasted on the passage from Delagoa Bay to Newcastle. She was subsequently purchased by the Union Steam Ship Company, who will convert her into a coal hulk at Wellington. The Kaiapoi is a collier of 2003 tons register, owned by the Union Steam Ship Company.