NELSON'S NEW HARBOUR.

ITS UTILITY DEMONSTRATED

ARRIVAL OF AN OCEAN

STEAMER

Crowds of people were astir early yesterday morning to witness the arrival of the first ocean-going steamer to the port of Nelson, and the New Zealand Shipping Company's s.s. Rakaia, of 5826 tons register, was the vessel selected to demonstrate to the world the practical utility of the new harbour. The conditions were favourable for the undertaking, the waters of Tasman Bay being as smooth as the proverbial millpond~with an almost entire absence of wind. The Rakaia, which left Lyttelton on Saturday night at half-past six, called at Wellington Heads on Sunday morning to pick up Captain 'Bone, Marine Superintendent- of the New Zealand Shipping Company, and fifteen stevedores to assist in loading the vessel, and then came on to Nelson under r easy steam, arriving off the Boulder Bank at half-past eight on Sunday evening.

At six o'clock yesterday morning, the Pilot and Harbourmaster (Captain Collins) and Mr John Graham, M.P., (Chairman of the Nelson Harbour Board), in Mr M. A. Jenny's motor launch, Naomi HI., went out to the Rakaia, and were followed shortly afterwards by the Anchor S. and F. Company's steamer Alexander, which was to assist the ocean steamer in berthing operations. At half-past six the Harbour Board's tug Gordon, with members and ex-members of the Harbour Board, press representatives, and others, went out to the Rakaia. The party included Messrs F: Trask, M.L.C., G. Talbot, W. N. Franklyn, W. Coleman, J. C. Mercer, A. A. Grace and F. Pettit (members of the Harbour Board), P. Best (ex-member of the Harbour Board), L. J. Frank (of Messrs Buxton and Co., Ltd., local agents for the New Zealand Shipping Company), and Mr W. C. Baigent (one of the' directors of the Nelson Freezing Company, Ltd. The visitors were taken on board the Rakaia,-4nd with the Alexander in attendance, the ocean steamer proceeded slowly towards the new entrance. The narrow cut was negotiated successfully, and the vessel, with the aid of the Alexander, swung round in the harbour, and was skillfully berthed at the wharf without any hitch, insido of half an hour.

By this time a large crowd of spectators had gatfiered to witness tho berthing operations. The main wharf was thronged, and sightseers lined the water front, and all points of vantage on the port hills. Bunting was displayed on the business places at the port, and strings of flags were flying from a flagstaff at Mr F. H. Richmond's residence, "The Cliffs." Speaking from the Rakaia, after she was berthed, Mr Graham (the Chairman of the Harbour Board) said +.ho arrival of the vessel was in fulfilment of a promise made eight years ago, that an ocean liner would come alongside the Nelson wharf. It was a red letter day for Nelson v 'hear. hear), and was the beginning of a new epoch. He hoped on some future occiision to be able to speak more in reference to the whole business, but for the present it was sufficient to know the success that had heen met with. He called for three rousing cheers for the Pilot (Captain Collins) for the magnificent way in which he had brought the Rakaia into the harbour and alongside the wharf, and for the Engineer (Mr J.Barorwman) and the Dredgemaster (Mr J. McHarg), who had carried out the work which made it possible for that to occur which had occurred that morning. The invitation was cordially responded to, hearty cheers being given. Cheers were also given for the Chairman and members of the Nelson Harbour Board.

At the call of Mr Corrigan, a director of the Nelson Freezing Company, cheers were given for Captain .Rone, Marine Superintendentof the New Zealand Shipping Company, the officers of the Rakaia and the New Zealand Shipping Company. Mr Neil Galbraith, accountant in the Wellington office of the New Zealand Shipping Company, accompanied the Rakaia on her visit to Nelson to assist the local agents (Messrs Buxtoii and Co.) in connection with the shipping of the cargg. Captain Collins, the Harbourmaster and Pilot, is to be heartily congratulated -upon the able manner in which he handled the Rakaia yesterday morning. The orders were given quietly, without any excitement, and the berthing of the vessel was carried out without a hitch of any kind. The Rakaia was only drawing 16ft 3in aft and 14ft 6in forward, but her length, 420 ft, required skilful seamanship in the limited sea room. When the vessel swung opposite the wharf there was very little space left between the vessel's stern and the black buoy marking where the dredging operations stopped. Mr M. J.Corrigan,one of the directors of the Nelson Freezing Company, was a passenger from Lytteltoii in the Rakaia.