PRESENTATION TO OFFICERS OF THE S.S. TOKOMARU.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 9108, 8 March 1898, Page 2

PRESENTATION TO OFFICERS OF THE S.S. TOKOMARU.

| Captain Maxwell, of the Shaw, Savil, and Albion Company's steamship Toko, morn, has been the recipient of a substantial present from the Underwrites' Association , of London, while his ohief engineer, officers, , and orew have been sin&itarily rewarded, for the gallant oonduot in repairing, under ; very trying oiroumstacoea, the tail sh_ft of the propeller, whio'a broke when on the homeward paesago from Wellington to London, via Tenoeriffe She left Welling--1 ton on August 28th, 1597, and on September 22__, when in the South Atlantic, and distant some 472 miles from Bio Janeiro and 1 3900 miles from Tennoriffe, the ts.il shift broke on the foreside of the Bternpost, and tho propeller went out against the rudderpost, leaving ja.t enough of th 9 shaft in the sternpo.t to fill up the hole, so that the pumps were ablo to keep the water dawn. The after bulkhead was patched up so as to oonfiuo the water to the after peak, and on the following day the ohief engineer conceived the idea of gripping the broken end of the shaft with a Thompson's patent oonpling which they had on board; but to enable them to fit this on the shaft they had to cut and drill off from the broken shaft for a length of 9ft 6in the stern tube of oast iron 2Jinthiok and from 2J to 3 tons in weight, as well as the brass liner. This wort was effected in a very confined space, the men standing ia the water, which was kept down by the pumps, but at the risk of the propeller falling away, iv which oase the af'orpaak would have been instantly flooded Aa a f-ot, on two occasions the men had to beat a precipitate retreat when the pumps Leoams choked. The stern tube and brass User having been removed, the ooupling, weighing 30_wt, was taken along the tunnel, by rigging purchases and gear, a distanoe of 170 ft, then hoisted up through tha engine room on to the deck, then carried aft, and lowered through the la_ irette hatch to the after peak, the man hole having been enlarged to enable them to do this. The coupling was fit.el, but would not revolve in the limited epaci, and the ship's frames in the vioinity were out away as ueoessary. Ihis work was continuously proceeding under great difficulties for eight days and nights, and while in operation on September 29, the steamship Gulf of Guinea pas.cd olose aud offered assistance, which was dcolined with thanks. On Ootober Ist the engines were started, and on the 4th the Tokomaru anohored in Bio Bay. £he was there tipped, and the engineer fitted a short stern tube and gland immediately inside the sternpost, instead of i_.eido the after bulkhead. With this repair she proceeded, and arrived safely in London on Decsmb.r 12th, having enoountored a gale in the Bay of Biscay whioh caused considerable anxiety, owi-g to tho pitching of the vessel and the raoiDg of the engines. In consideration of the services so bravely rendered the under wtitera awarded a sum of -850, which they distributed as follows :-- Captain Maxwell £150; Mr M'i-sohran, ohief engineer, £150, in addition to a gold watoh and chain bearing a suitable inscription ; and to the rest of the officers and crew £500; while a special letter of thanks was also preeented to Captain Maxwell. Both Captain Maxwell and Mr M'Kacbraa were afterwards presented with Lloyda gold medals for exceptional .ervices.