DUNEDIN.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3589, 12 January 1883, Page 3

DUNEDIN.

This day. The case against Massey and his wife for larceny of Corporation debentures which was begim 3-esterday. has been adjourned till next Thursday, the same bail being allowed. A fourth candidate is announced for the Peninsula in the person of Mr John Willis. Great interest has been evoked in the election by Bishop Moran coming out. A private letter received by Mr Hack worth, Collector of Customs here, from Dr. Johnston, who was a passenger by the s.s. Marsala, gives some information with regard to the failure of her frozen meat shipment. The letter is dated from Batavia. Dr Johnston says :■ —"The whole cargo has been discharged into the mighty deep. The machinery broke down, and the space allotted to the machinery was so constructed that it was impossible for men to remain long enough in the engine-room to make the necessary repairs, the temperature ranging from 120 to 150 degrees, Fall. In my opiniuii there are several causes for the unfortunate catastrophe. An immense iron steamer with iron decks will naturally attract the heat in the tropics. I have seen the decks so hot that sacks were laid down for the coolies to run upon when taking in cargo, so as to protect their feet from the hot decks when sent coasting to collect cargo within five degrees of the Line. The engine-room belonging to the refrigerating machinery was about 7ft high, the temperature there sometimes going up to KJ7, and even to 140 degrees. The man in charge of the machinery was an ordinary workman, who, I should think, was never in such a position before, and did not realise the responsibility. He could not stand the excessive heat of the engine-room long enough at a time to keep the engines in order, and he says that the said engines were constantly heating, and some brass screws which were fitted into cast-iron were not protected from sea water, and therefore became corroded and loose. The new patent snow syphons connected with the machinery became choked, and in addition to this the external atmosphere was so attenuated that no amount of pressure could be got up sufficient to condense, and this difficulty in my ojiiuion was increased by the fact that there was a large space left vacant in the refrigerating- chamber, sufficient to contain a thousand more sheep. This void made the condensation still more difficult,"