BROKEN SHAFT

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 182, 1 May 1931, Page 8

BROKEN SHAFT

Mishap to Progress IN SIGHT OF'PORT / A Midnight Tow Shortly after 10 o’clock last night the small steamer Progress, bound from Lyttelton to Wellington for bunker coal, signalled by Morse lamp to the Beacon Hill signal station that she had broken her tail shaft, and asked that assistance be sent her. The Harbourmaster was informed and at once arranged to send the \ Harbour Board’s tug Toia out to the Progress, which was not very far outside Pencarrow Head. The tug got away in good time, and picked up the Progress, which was towed into port at on early hour this morning. k lt was not known whether the Progress actually lost her propeller when the tail-shaft brdke. The Progress, which is a well-known coastal steamer of 353 tons register and is owned by Holm and Company, of Wellington, has had an interesting career. She was built many'years ago as a dredge and was owned by the Oamaru Harbour Board. During the war, when shipping tonnage was scarce and valuable, she was acquired by Miller Brothers, of Port Chalmers, who had her dredging equipment removed, and converted her into a schooner. Later on she was fitted out as a steamer, and as such was purchased by the Reeston Shipping Company, which employed her in the West Coast trade. About nine years ago the Progress was purchased by her present owners, Holm and Co., who made a number of alterations in the ship, which has since been successfully employed by them in the coastal trade from South Island ports to Wellington, New Plymouth and Port Waikato. Captain Copeland is in command of the vessel.