THE NEW STEAMER IONA.

Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1537, 15 January 1875, Page 2

THE NEW STEAMER IONA.

To-morrow, at noon, the fine large screw steamer built by Messrs. Niccol and Son, at the North Shore, is to be launched. The vessel is to receive the name of the lona. She is the largest steamer, bar the Golden Crown, ever built here, and as is already well-known, is to take the place of the Rowena in the Northern trade, which has lately developed so much aB to be altogether beyond the capabilities of tbat smart little ■vessel. The lona has been built for the owners of the Rowena, and a few gentlemen at the Bay of Islands. Beyond receiving a rough sketch of the kind of craft to be constructed, the builders were left to themselves to fashion the shape and bearings, and it must be gratifying to them to know that the owners are well satisfied with tho manner in which they have fulfilled their commission. The lona, looked at as she lies upon the stocks, is an exceedingly taking vessel. She has a graceful sheer, and her lines fore and aft are shapely and tapering. Her sides tumble home slightly. Her stem is perpendicular, and she has no head gear. Her stern is just light enough for elegance and speed, without being extreme. In the delivery she has a very clean run, and there 1b a complete absence of any protuberance likely to interfere with the action of the screw. For a few feet right amidships her bottom is flat; both foreard r.nd abaft she has a good rise of floor, though not enough to interfere with the capaciousness of her hold. We cannot help tliinking that her general appearance is slightly marred by a large square hosue on deck aft, but this may be a matter of taste. In every other respect, and the exception is small, she is a beautiful as well as faithfully built ship, and a credit in. every way to the port. Her dimensions, corrected from latest measurements, are as follow j—Length of keel, 137 feet; length on deck, 145 feet; breadth of beam, '20 feet; depth of hold, 9 feet. Her register will be about. 140 tons, and she is expected to carry about 200 tons of cavgo. The rig is that of a three-masted schooner. The passenger accommodation of the lona has been specially considered. Her saloon is on deck amidships. The interior of this resembles the saloon of the Rowena, Ihough of course it is on a much larger scale. The fitaterooms, of which there are six, are all on the titarboard side, as well as the pantry. Berths can be provided for 30 cabin passengers. The saloon is 24 feet long by 16 feet wide. The decorations and fittings are not yet complete, and we can therefore say nothing more than that we understand they are to be very elegant. Adjoining the saloon aft is the ladies' cabin, 12 feet by 14 feet, with twelve berths, not counting the settees. Both saloon and ladies' cabin are well ventilated and lighted by skylights and side ports. The quarters for the steerage passengers are a special feature of the boat. Iv position, contrary to general rule, they correspond with their name, for they are right aft, being reached by five or six steps from the deck. Descending these we enter a commodious cabin, 24 feet long by 15 feet wide, containing 20 berths. A convenient table is down the centre. At the fore end a door leads into the females cabin, which has 10 berths. Both these cabins are well ventilated from above. It should have been mentioned before we left the grand saloon that oh its roof is a fine passenger deck. 45 feet long ariel the breadth of the vessel, which will make a splendid promenade. The length of the hold is 85 feet. The engine-room is exit off from the hold amidships. It is 25 feet long by 20 broad. The engines, which are ready to be placed in position, are the work of Messrs Eraser and Tinne. They have been constructed on the compound principle, with all the latest improvements. The high-pressure cylinder is 20 inches in diameter, and the low-pressure cylinder 38 inches. The nominal horse-power is 60, but the actual working power will be about 300. Should the launch prove successful—which there is little reason to doubt, as the vessel is laid on an easy gradient, and shoidd slide into the water without any persuasion as soon as the shores are knocked away—a steamer is to tow the lona over to Mechanics' Bay basin at once, and place her alongside Messrs Fraser and Tinne's wharf, where she will receive her engines and final touches. The composition of the hull has not yet been alluded to, for one reason among others, that nearly all hulls in Auckland are built of the same materials. The timbers are pohutukawa, and the planking heart of kauri ; the fastenings are copper bolts and treenails. Extra strength is attained by diagonal iron straps inside the timbers. The knees are of iron. The cooking galley is on deck. There is a good forecastle for the crew. .The screw has a diameter of 7 feet 6 inches. Captain Maegrcgor will take command, and we understand that the crew of the Rowena are to be transferred to the Tona. The launch must be regarded as a very important event, as it is a distinct mark of progress in our commerce. As such, we trust it will be in every sense successful. A steamer will leave ihe Queen-street wharf for the North Shore at 11.45 am.

The ship City of Auckland finished clearing at the Customs this morning. Her passengers went on board this afternoon, and she is to sail at daybreak to-morrow morning. The departure of the passengers in one of the North Shore boats created quite a Btate of bustle on the wharf. .

The schooner Gem brings 52 tons coal from Bussell.

The brigantine Sir Isaac Newton arrived in harbour from Dunedin, at sunset last evening, after a good passage of seven days, during which variable winds were experienced. She brings a cargo of Southern produce, and is consigned to Messrs Stone Brothers. The s.s. Star of the South is being overhauled at the Gore-street Jetty. The schooner Advance takes the following passengers to Gisbojme :—Messrs De Thlery and Son, OTUTeara, KeUy, Mr and Mrs Thompson, and four •natives.

The Government steamer- Luna arrived early this morniDg from Tauranga and Wellington. She left again at 2 o'clock this afternoon for Tiri Tiri and the Bay of Islands, taking the following passengers:— Sir Donald McLean, Colonel St. John. Commissioner Kemp, Judge. Bogan, Captain Brissenden, Paora. Tuhaere, Colonel McDonald, Mr G. H. Davies, and Mr Yon Tempsky. The Luna is expected to return in about a week's time.

The Sir Isaac Newton was in company with the schooner Agnes, which left Lyttelton on the same day, till off Mercury Island. The Agnes may be looked for at any moment. The schooners Dagmar and' Strathnaver from Oamaru, with cargoes of flour, consigned to Mr Robert Lamb, are expected at Ngaruawahia. After discharging they are to load back with timber. The ship Glenlora has been shifted from her outside berth into that lately occupied by the City of Auckland, i

The French man-of-war Le Vire, of 465 tons register, commander Captain Jacpuemart, whose arrival we announced last night, anchored off the wharf at | about half-past four o'clock yesterday afternoon. She is expected to stay here a week, and then to leave for 'Tahiti. The Le Vire is a barque-rigged steamer, -#ith screw propellor. She carries seven guns. • Mr W. Brewer has chartered the Hawaiian schooner Dauntless to load for the Eijis. The barque Edith Boseis.now 119 days out from New York, and should put in an appearance within the next few days. ■ It will be seen by our telegrams that the s.s. Mikado left San Francisco with the English mail on the 6th of January. The Mikado left here on the 27th November.

The Amaranth, Grundy, entered inwards at Onehunga to-day from Kaipara, with timber. The cutter Hero, Watson, has entered inwards at 5 Onehunga from Kaipara, with timber and gum. The cutter Dawn has cleared outwards at Onehunga for Raglan, with a small general cargo. '-.; The s.s. TaranaM left Onehunga this afternoon for .-the South,-with the following passengers:—Mrs J. Bell, Mrs Aldridge, Messrs John Brennan, James .*' Roberts, John Sale, Thomas A. Wilson, Broadbent, Sannorman, Marshall, Misa M. Wilson,' and the following theatricals:—Mr and Mrs Collier, Miss May Howard, Mr and Mrs Searle, Mr Booth, Mr Stark, and Mr Saville; Constable Allen and deserter from H.M.S. Blanche. *

The schooner Advance, after, making a start this morning, was obliged to put back owing to having sprung a leak. She is,now alongside the jetty, and her cargo is being taken out.