A NEW STEAMER.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 134, 6 June 1907, Page 3

A NEW STEAMER.

; The official trial trip of the new ! steamer Daphne, which, took place yeu- ■ teiday afternoon, demonstrated ijjiat the vessel is eminently adapted to the Gulf trade, for which she is intended, Tleveloping a good turn of speed, with little vibration, while the. accommodation for passengers and cargo is ample and arrmu-i in the best possible manner. Tux- steamer left the Hobsonstreet "Wharf shortly after 2 p.m., with a large party of guests, representative of the commercial and maritime enterprise of the city, on board. The Daphne steamed about trie harbour, and as far out as the Rangitoto Channel. The engines worked smoothly throughout the trip. Owing to the foul state of the vessel's bottom, from being in. the water for about three months, a full trial of speed was impossible, but in the circumstances the steamer behaved remarkably well. On a previous trial the steamer is said to have developed 11 knots. During the return trip the party assembled in fte saloon, when Mr Dufanr proposed the health of Mr A. J. Farmer, the owner of the steamer and of Kawau Island. The Daphne, he said, was a credit to the port of Auckland, and Mr TVrmer was to be congratulated upon his enterprise in having euch a vessel built r.o cater for the trade in which she was to be engaged. The toast being duly honoured, Mr Farmer expressed the hope that the trade would grow sufficiently to justify the building of other steamers. A number of other toasts, including the builders and the engineers, were also honoured. The steamer was built by Mr W. H. Brown, and engined by Messrs Gibbons and Harris, while the upholstering was done by Messrs Winks and Hall.