AT THE PORT.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14667, 16 May 1913, Page 7

AT THE PORT.

EXCELLENT WEATHER

After a beautifully fine night, with a warm nor'-west breeze raising clouds of dust in tho town, but making a pleasant change on tho water-front, the southerly onco more took charge of tho weather, and yesterday morning broke cloudy and cold, with threats of rain. Thero were a few drops of rain about 10 a.m., but towards mid-day, tho weather became much finer, with occasional breaks of sunshine, and the conditions wero altogether perfect for the largo crowds who poured through by every train from Christchurch. The southerly bocame somewhat boisterous last evening, but it came from a beautifully clear eky, and with a steadily rising barometer, thero is probability of a continuance of tho good weather which has favoured tho Now Zealand sinco she arrived in Lyttelton. In spite of the fairly strong breezes, the monster ship is lying snugly at- her berth, as if she wero no bigger than a coaster, and is not causing tho slightest anxiety regarding her safety. The weather and the Port are on their best behaviour, sensiblo of the great honour conferred on Lyttelton by tho berthing of the big battle-cruiser.

A NEW ZEALAND RECORD.

Thero seems to bo every probability that tho numbers of visitors to tho big ship at Lyttelton will constitute a record for tho cruise, so far. Tho vessel has been in Port onJy throe days, and already she has been visited- by nearly 30,000 adults and children.

A MEMORABLE .DAY.

Yesterday was a day which will livelong in the memory of Lyttelton people. The great battle-cruiser was visited by 20,000 people, who, from early morning until late in tho after-r noon, passed in by every train. Tho scene greatly resembled that of the Now Years Day Regatta, save that tho attention of every visitor was concentrated on the warship. Nothing elso in tho Port had the slightest iu° terest for tho crowds.

EAKLY MOVEMENTS,

In preparation for tho sports gathering at Addington, the men of the New Zealand landed their 12-pounder field guns in tho morning, and these were entrained shortly beforo a large squad of bluejackets, under the charge of Captain H. Blouiit, R.N.A. and Gunner Mack, landed and proceeded to Christchurch.

About 9 o'clock the public commenced to assemble outside the barriers on the wharf, and when the gates wore opened a very largo crowd poured on board to make their tour of inspection of tho ship. Special trains were running at frequent intervals and the crowds grew larger and larger by every train.

MORE SCHOOL VISITS

About 10 a.m. the first contingent oP country school children arrived in port, and was marshalled outside the railway Station. In a few minutes they were on their way to the ship, and arriving on board, were split up into small detachments, which were sent through tho ship under the charge of tho seamen and marines, who carefully explained tho numerous features of interest. By 11 o'clock the great ship was crowded, and up til] tho time that the ship was cleared for the dinner hour it was next to impossible to stem the surging streams of people who swarmed on the decks and in alleyways. The schools represented were those of Springfield and Wbitecliffs branches, and from Islington to Rolleston, numbering about 603. Rnpaki Natives 10, Waiau, etc., 117, and Cass, etc., 24.

THE GREAT CRUSH

It was fully expected that the crowd would be a large one, and every preparation was mado to cope with the crush on No. 3 wharf. A stout barricade fenced with palings was built right across tho wharf to hold the people in check, and a large staff of polico and other officials was stationed at tho gateways and the gangways, to deal with tho crowds. It was a wise precaution, and thanks to the foresight shown, there was not the slightest hitch of any kind, and the whole ot tho arrangements worked smoothly anJ well.

A frequent time-table brought tmin after train of great length into Lyttelton, with thousands of peoplo from Christchurch and suburbs, and from all parts of Canterbury. Shortly after the ship was thrown open to visitors several large complements of people arrived by steamer from the bays of Banks Peninsula. The huge crowds brought by the trains surged across tho railway yard to the barriers where they were held up by tho gates' which wero reopened at frequent intervals to admit sections of the peoplo, the object being to prevent congestioii and confusion on board.

AN IMPRESSIVE SCENE

Seen from the lofty decks of the ■warship the scene, was an impressive one. The huge crowd pressed against tho barrier, and extended well out into the station yard. Tho gangways leading to the amidship section of tho forecastle deck of the ship creaked

beneath their loads of swarming sightseer-; who i>oured on board in ever-in-creasing numbers. Tho bluejackets stationed as tally men wero hard put to it to count tho almost countless thousands who mode a living stream of humanity, and it is quite probable that their figures aro somewhat below the. murk.

THE HUMAN STREAM

There were strange contrasts in the mass of humanity which had come to Lyttelton possessed ot ono idea, to see and learn something of tho wonders of the great ship. There wero old—very old white-haired men and women— many of whom remembered ships of the Xavy of more than hnlf a century ago, before the first ironclad was even thought of. who had come to sco something of this the latest thing in battlecniisers. There were* rich and poor, young and old, babies, boys, girls, young men and women, mothers and fathers with babes in amis, ar.d with toddlers tugging at their coat-tails and skirts, there wero tall and short, thin and stout, strong and weak, there woro even tho lame and halt who found the task of breasting tho rising tide of humanity, and climbing up the gangways to the ship, and the ladders aivl stairways on board, almost beyond them, but who persevered and succeeded in seeing tho ship.

AN ORDERLY CROWD

It was a wonderfully orderly, wellbehaved crowd, that did its host to niako matters as easy as possible for those who saw tho .ship under difficulties, physical or otherwise. They swarmed over the broad decks, which woro at times packed with a dense mass of slow-moving humanity, they poured into gun-turrets, a!l foiir were working yesterday, in through th-j lower manholes, and by precipitous ladders to the tops of tho turrets, mil down through tho upper manholes. Thousands did not get into the gun turrets at all, they were crammed to suffocation all day, and tho officers an.l men who wero stationod inside, and who so willingly and cheerfully worked tho wonderful mechanisms of their lingo weapons, and clearly and lucidly explained every movement and action, had a most strenuous time. Those who wero fortunate enough to get into the turrets were well rewarded for their trouble., for it was a trouble to get inside, so vast was tho crowd. All day long could bo heard muffle*! crashes and noises coming from the interiors of the turrets whero the skeleton gun crews put tho machinery into motion, and wont through hour's and hours of hard gun-loading drill. Even if these men were never drilled apart from visiting days, tho work thoy put in on such a day as yesterday should spoil efficiency.

THE WORK WENT ON.

Tho superstructures of tho ship were all filled with dense crowds, and their stairways were frequently impassable. Every 4.7 gun was being worked at top pressure by the patient men, who, :n their best battle-practice could scarcely havo dono bettor timo in loading anil handling. How tho ship's company gob any food was a mystery which only naval cooks can explain, but no one seemed to havo missed a meal. Tho bakery turned out its 10001b of broad though its confined limits wero densely packed. The galleys gave out appetising odours of baked meats, pies and other delicacies, what timo the struggling cooks wriggled and squirmed for elbow room amongst a dense crowd of housewives, and husbands, and admiring youngsters, who woro fascinated with tho domestic workings of a fighting ship.

THE LOWER DECK

On. tho docks below extraordinary I scenes presented them selves, many alleyways being practically choked with streams of people. For hours it was next to impossible to get within yards of the glass-case containing the service of silver plato presented at Natal. Outside the canteen wero hundreds of peoplo watching with absorbing_ interest the work of tho busy men inside. Souvenirs, including goldprinted cap-bands, found a very ready sale to thousands of peoplo anxious to carry away some memento of the ship. Over and over again tho sick bay had to bo locked, so great were the crowds that attempted to get into tho miniature hospital where sick men lay abed. The machine shops of the artificers, armourers and electricians were packed all tho time by people who marvelled at the working of tho machines which was being carried on under difficulties they themselves created.

OVERFLOWING EVERYWHERE,

The offices of ship's writers, the stores of boatswains, gunners, and carpenters wero beseiged by curious, eager-eyed hundreds. Cabins had to be kept locked by their owners if they wished privacy. Tho open messes of the seamen, stokers, and marines were invaded. The men of tho ship had littlo or no rest, as they # wero besieged with (juestioas and queries of tho most astonishing kind, but they never betrayed boredom, and their imfaiHni; courtesy and good nativro withstood the attacks on their patience. They answered every question to the best of their ability, though their inventiveness and ingenuity were at times sorely taxed to find replies to come queries. They accommodated everybody, and did their best to please and satisfy—and they succeeded nobly. They even supplied elderly ladies with afternoon tea out of their own pots, and stoutly refused to accept proffered payment from grateful people, as they havo done all along. They did not want payment—they only wanted to please their visitors.

TAPU

The ward-room and tho cun-rpom also had to bo kept locked_. though in tho caso of the former a wicket gato at the middlo door allowed of a peep inside. Every sido, alleyway and passago was prospected in tho hope of somo now discovery. Every terminalbox, switch and levor in sight was closely studied, and the printed directions scanned, and it is safe to say that not a single- nook or corner of the three docks escaped minute inspection. And many were the quaint comments from people who had never been on a warship before, or country children, who had never seen a ship in their lives.

NOT TO BE BAULKED.

To enablo some necessary overhauling to bo done, the engine-rooms ivero closed to visitors, but the notices in the. doorways did not deter a goodly number from making the steep descents into tho engine-rooms to sco the giant turbines and dynamos and all the mazo of machinery. Boiler-rooms and fanflats vrero invaded by folk who did not seem to mind getting blacked in tho process. And all the tinio tho work of the ship went on its usual routine course, though tho men found it a very difficult matter to get to and fro through packed alleys, and they were never too busy, even when so sorely delayed, to answer their (juestioners courteously-

PEOPLE'S DAY."

Childre ris Day was a brilliant sncocss. but Yesterday, which must bo counted as ""People's Day," was even rnoro bo. Nearly double the number of visitors to that of Wednesday was recorded by the tally-men—-20,000— and many of the officers doubted if even this was the full tally. Tbo figure arc taken by tally-man stationed at the gangways. They said the chip had never boon so crovvdod

on any previous , occasion, and this crowd was a record one. Ono officer declared that it exceeded those of tho busiest days at Capo Town, Durban, Wellington, and Auckland, though tho Cape Town crowd was tallied L'o.OOO on ono day, and all expressed themselves as delighted with the orderliness and good humour of tho thronging thousands.

The railway officials had an extremely arduous day in handling tho traffic, nnd tho marshals and police officers on tho wharf likewise, but there was not the slightest hitch in th«> arrangements, and not a single accident or unpleasant incident to mar the general enjoyment. The gangway tallies up till noon, when the ship was closed for two hours, wero 0000, but during the afternoon threi? times that number boarded tho ship. The day's record, when tho ship was finally olevared at 5 p.m., was over the 20.000 mark.

FROM THE AVHARF

Apart from the sight-seeing on board, most of tho people spent hours on tho wharves in gazing at the ship, and admiring her huge proportions ami singularly graceful lines. Large crowds remained in Lyttelton until tho evening, and special trains had to bo run to convey hundreds moro to tho port to witness the magnificent soarchlight display, which was given from 6.30 to 7, and from 8.30 to 0 p.m.