FOR THE ISLANDS

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 30, 5 February 1891, Page 5

FOR THE ISLANDS

TWO NEW UNION STEAMERS

THE OVALAU AND APOLIMA,

Still more new steamships are building at Home for the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand, and the already splendid "red-funnel" fleet will be further reinforced shortly by two fine powerful steel steamera of fair size for the South Sea Island trade. The Union Company have found that to keep pace with the rapidly increasing trade between Auckland and the chief Pacific Island centres, they must have specially adapted steamera with full provision for fruit - carrying, after the style of the s.s. Taviuni, their new steamer which haa just started running in the Melbourne - Fiji service. Tbeie are now two steel boats building on the Clyde, nearly approaching completion, and they .should be out here from Glasgow in three or four months, ready to take up their island work. One of them is to replace the well-known Wainui in the Tongan and Samoan trade, and the other is to replace the Taupo and Arawata and other boat? which have from time to time been employed in the Company's Fiji-Auckland service. The chief feature of the new steamers will be their special facilities for the carrying of tropical fruit and produce, so as to ensure their landing in the colony in perfect condition. Both vessels are to be of about 800 tons net register, with a carrying capacity of 1,200 tons. The specified dimensions are :. Length 230 feet, beam 31 feet. They will be of the spar-deck type, and will be fitted with triple-expansion engines, and have forced draught, the speed of each to be about 12 knots per hour. Both will bo supplied with all the latest appliances in the way of labour-saving and other contrivances, and are to be fitted up with the electric light. They are expected to be launched on the Clyde either this or next month, and will then be brought out to this port via Australia. The steamer for the Fiji trade is to be named the Ovalau, after the well-known Fiji island of that name, on which is situated the town of Levuka. The other boat, to run from here to the Friendly and Samoan Groups, will be called the Apohma, after a small but historical islet lying between the Islands of Savaii and Upolu, Samoa—reputed by the natives to be an impregnable spot in old war-times. Both the steamers will have their headquarters at Auckland, and will run regular and constant trips bence to the Islands, •