DREDGER MAWHERA.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13336, 30 January 1909, Page 11

DREDGER MAWHERA.

The following nxe a. few particulars of the drcdf-T ilawhcra. which is duo to axriv* ait Lvtto'.ton from Renfrew, via ports. The Jluwh?ra is a twin screw, stem w]!. combined bucket laild-er, suction arrd diwihargin«; pump, hopper dredg-cr. and has been specially constructed for the harbour rmp:ovom«:s now in rrncro-s at Greyinouth by -the old-established firm of Messrs William Simons and Co., Limited, London (works, Renfrew, Sootlond), to the order of tht. Greymouth Harbour Bonrd, ar.d is 175 ft in. lcusjth, between perpendicular*, 32ft luculded breadth by lift 6in moulded dopth, acH is divided into eight watertight ocinparfcments. Tho hopper capacity is 500 tens, dredging depth 3Sft below water level, and tho speed per hour (3oad«d) i« ten knots. The hull and machinery have been built under tho special Al eurvey of Lloyd's Reg* ist-er of British ard Foreign Shipping, and tho bucket and pump dredging outfit cmtxdiee all the. recent improvements, including specially heavy anchors and chains tiesrt«*l by the Board of Trade. Th« bucket ladder is of strong dceign, and works in a central stem well, being arrajyg«l so that the buckets can tircdajo close v.d io a wharf faoo, also to cut the di«dger'e own flotation. wliilo for heavy ground rock pick buckets a:e provided. Tho suction pump is fitted with a suction. j:ipo capabl* cf dredging to a depth o{ 35K, nnd the diechaxginß pump can. deliver th-o spoil Ihrcugh a considerable 1-eugth of floating and fixed piping for land reclamation, which is a feature tha.t ie now receiving the attention of harbour authorities throughout the wotM. Chutes are also provided for loading tho epoil into borgea alongside when required. Tlk> vessel is propelled by two eets of inverted direct jcticg-, triple expansion, etii- ,- fac< condensing engine*, which R>ro also axrarrgiod for Ariv'npr the buckets, through powerful gearing, at varyinff speeds., alefl tJie suction and discharjrinir pumps either In oonjunedon with tho buckets or separately, »3 roquir'_d. Thio boilers aro two in number, and are consbructed in rtoel to Lloyd's ard Board of Trade requirements for a workic? pressure of IGOlb per square inch, being fitted with modern corrugated furatujce axd the usuai iiiimiriitinjs. A full outfit of auxiliary" ma-, cJiin-ery is Tupplted, 'jinct "'includes a powerful bucket- ladder eteam hoitrtin. engine, epecially powerful steani mooring winohos, which axe designed to operate three chains eoch, a separate steam htiist for controlling the suction pipe, and a derrick crane at the alter erai, while the boppor dooie oan be raisod by sl*atn or Jfan-d as required. ComJ bined siteam and htir ; id gea.r ia fitted o-i the cnviyating bridge, «lso a Lord Kel(rin compass, and there is a. complete installation of elecfcric lighting , , comprising arc uTjd incacdesoont Isinps tor working at night-time. Hepeating telefrraphs axa arranged to lcmid from the briclge and dredging , positions to the exgiise-rooiu, for directin y tho various operations. The main enRirms are fitted with direct acting steam and hydraulic reverting gear for auick handling, ■and there is a full equipment, comprising independofft centrifugal circulating pump*, nuxiiiary condrnecr, feed water hcat'or tnd filter, duplex donkey feed pump, ar.d general donkey. Comiortabte accommedation for tho officers ar.d crew is pTovided. with tie neces-sary galley, oooldng utensils, etc. Tho contract was signed on 3rd February la.fft, ar,<l the was Icu-rochcd witn aietm up ready for work on 33th September, being named by Mies Wilhelmina Brown, young>aAt daug-htor of Mr Wβ. Brown, chairman cf Messrs Simons and Co.. Ltd. Tho dredging trials w«to undergone at Crai<rcrrdoran, ard tho triaila were run on the •mea.srared mile at Skelmorlio on tie Clyde, borti on Sth October, to the satisfaction of the Board's representative , the dredger filling its hopper in 50 minutes, ard regi'tering a mean epetd of over ten knots (leaded) peir hour. the completion of the trials the veccel wai d-ocked and prepared for the voypge. ard left Renfrew on 23rd October, finally clearing , the Tail of the Bank, Grecnock, r.iext day. Cagtuin H. Waymati bein'j in charge, and Mr H. Raymond, chief engineer. On tho voyag-o out the dredger has put. in for reals, •etc., at Alsriere, Port Said; Perim, Co'cTnbo. Tandjons Priok (Java), Fremantle, nnd Melbourne, and cleared the latter port I or 21«t ifiet.

iAfteT docking at Lyttelton -t&e dredger proceeds to Grevmouth. and will be pot -to , work immediately, j It may bo mentioned that Mesfis Simons

—cd Co., the -nil-era, war. —lt_b___a_ _» 2810, and _re the original patent-as of _u» prixcipal improver-carte in dredging P——it. being tho inventors of tho hopper dredger, etc., the Mawhera being -their No. 468. and in the fifth dredger constructed by _x__ ix. Now Zealand water-, including- the Lytteltor. Harbour Board's dredger M_nc_t_ter, __t at Dunedin, Rubi Seddon nt Wostrort, _sd tho Muz-uku at Bluff, the last-room-tiorted v—jsW working principally in rock. Messrs Simons and Co. - lepralent—tiv_ in New Zealand is Mr F. "VV. 81-key. consulting engineer, ot Auckl*—d. who will supervise the work to be done at Lyttelton, snd hind over the vessel to the Grey—louti. Harbour Bo_rd.