THE BANKS' PENINSULA.

Press, Volume XLVI, Issue 7313, 18 May 1889, Page 4

THE BANKS' PENINSULA.

Yesterday morning the new twin-screw steamer Banks' Peninsula arrived in Port. She is to enter into the Bay trade on behalf of tbe Peninsula and Akaroa Steam Navigation Company, of which Messrs Kinsey and Co. are the managing owners. She will make tbe third steamer now in that trade, the others being the a. _ Akaroa, managed by the same firm, and the 5.3. Jane Douglas, managed by Messrs Cu_and Graham. Although we say she i_ for the Bay trade, yet we understand that tbe new steamer will also be used in developing tbe Chatham Island trade with this Port, which alone should prove highly remunerative to her owners, besides being a boon to the islanders, who are now only connected with us by quarterly trips. The Banks' Peninsula is oailt of steel, aud is a thoroughly substantial boat, reflecting credit on her builders, the Grangemouth Dockyard Company, and Mr Robert Brown, her engineer, who bas supervised the construction, for which purpose he went Home about a year ago. She is l_>_t long, and has 20ft beam, having a draught of ift 9in. A topgallant forecastle is provided for the crew, and the ladies' cabin is amidships, which is entered from the deck by a door on the port side. The general saloon is right aft, and is capacious. On either side of the approach to it are two enclosed cabins, abaft of which is the stewards' apartments, with the pantry. There is no unnecessary lumber about the deck, which impresses itself for its clearness. The navigation of the vessel is done from a fine broad bridge, just before the beam. Her rig is that of a fore and aft schooner, her build that of the clincher style, ami she has an elliptical stern. The arrangements for working cargo are particularly good, the fore batch being worked by a winch on the forecastle head. She also has two water ballast tanks, which filled are equal to ten tons, and her hull is partitioned off in four water-tight bulkheads, thereby ensuring safety in case of any serious accident. The engine-room is probably the finest part about her, which is all good. She is fitted with two compound surfacecondensing engines, steam for which is supplied from one steel boiler at a pressure of 1001b. There are four cylinders, two each l_in and two each 27in, the length of stroke being 18in. Her nominal horsepower is 62, indicated horse-power 430, and her speed is guaranteed at twelve knots per hour. The makers of these engines, which aire really good, are Messrs Hntson and Corbett, of Glasgow, who have put an excellent finish on the whole of their work.

Of the passage out Captain John Gibbons reports:—Left Grangemouth on tbe 9th February with a strong N.W. gate and heavy snow; got through the NortbSea, and passed Dover on the llth February. Had fine weather then to the Bay of Biscay, when a strong gale from the west was experienced. The ship labored heavily, but behaved exceedingly well. Arrived at Gibraltar on the 19th February, and lay there three days, and after cooling proceeded down the Mediterranean Sea to Port Said, which Was reached after a fine weathar passage on March Ist. Coaled again, aud passed through the Suez Canal, where a sand-storm was met with, which delayed the ship one day; thence fair winds through the Red Sea, and light N.E. trades through the Indian Ocean to arriving at Point de Galle on March 29th. Coaled the same day and proceeded to Singapore, which was reached on April 7th; pushed on aad arrived at Brisbane on May b_i. Coaled again, and left for Lyttelton on the Bth inst., arriving at Godley Heads at 7 __. yesterday, having experienced fine weather to making Cook Straits on Wednesday; thence to arrival strong South - west f_al _ Captain .John Gibbons was well known hare as ___ter of the barque Lurline, in Mr C. W. T_•_. r'semploy. He has with him a. mate Mr Thus. Whitehead, and as second _,t_= Mi W. B. Manley, late of the Norman __vLe_L Captain James Malcolm _>n, late of the Antelope, takes command o. the __ Banks Peninsula bete, and we hav_ not the _ligh|pst doubt that, with this mariner's experience on the coast, tbe steamer will b_ a Kr___t success in the tirade she ia to be e_s__ed ia. The Peninsula and Akaroa Steam Navigation __}_i.pa_y are also to be complimented on their _____ ia bringing out such a fine little steamer, which is an honor to the Port of I_ Melton aad all connected with tor.