THE SI EASIER OTARAMA.

Evening Post, Volume XLI, Issue 76, 1 April 1891, Page 2

THE SI EASIER OTARAMA.

The b.b. Otarama, one of the latest additions to the New Zealand Shipping Company's fine fleet will TteifM j^igton in a few days. A southern paper tool describes her .—She ia a steel screw steanror, and was launohed in April of last year from the wellknown buildinor yard of W. Doxford and Sons, Sunderland, for W. Roes and Co., of London. She was then known as the Sea King. Wjth ohange of ownership, however, there followed change of name, and in the New Zealand native nomenclature her present designation was found. The hull it straight stemmed, and ia of the following dimensions :— Length, between perpendionlars, 365 feet ; beam, 44 foot 2 inches ; and depth of hold, 19 feet 4 inobes, or 22 feet moulded. This gives a register of 2460 tons, or a* gross measurement of 3800 tons. The i hull is divided into water tight oompartmenti \ by six bulkheads. It is also double-bottomed to the extent of 310 feet, and this gives a storage capacity for 655 tons of water ballast, xna bridge deck amidships is 88 feet in length, and in the alley ways underneath are the offioers' quurtors, loskors, &.o. The poop ia 23 feet in length, and, although the Otarama is not a passenger vessel, there is aooom modation for a few in the saloon. The latter is a comfortable apartment, and is fitted np and furnished with some degree of taste. The forecastle, where tho crew aro aooommodated. is 37 feet in length. The Otarama is engined on the triple-expansion system, and she is fitted with Hawke's patent hot-air forced-draught machinery. The diameters of tho cylinders are as follow:—High pressed, 27in; medium, 44in; and low pressed, 72in. The piston stroke is 4Sin. The boilers are steel, and have a working pressure of 1601b. The engines are 450 horse power nominal, or 3000horse power effective. The Otarama has the usual equipment of tteam winches and derricks for cargo haulage. She is also supplied wiih steam steering gear, and is fitted with a patent windlass, whioh is also worked by steam. The Otarama is sobooner-rigged, and the pole masts, without any yards across, indicate that dependence is placed on the powerful machinery for locomoion. The vessel is fitted to carry 63,000 carcases of mutton. Tho refrigerating machinery is Haslam's, and eho carries 63,000 frozen carcases of mutton. The steamer left London aa far back as November of last year, and her late arrival is due to detentions at Geraldton and Fremantle. The greater portion of the cargo for Western Australia consisted of railway material, fc-he is commanded by Captain Sornby, late of the Aorangi, who brings with him the following offioers s— Mr. H. Barnes, chief; Mr. F. Winches' er (late of the Rimntaka), Booond ; Mr, J. Llojd JonCB, third. Mr. H. P. Smith comes as ohief steward. The engineering department in nnder the oharge of Mr. W. Elder (late of the Aorangi), Mr. D. Hume hecond, Mr. H. Woods third, Mr. W. Obee fourth; the refrigerating engineers being Mr. A. M'Allister, who has held & similar appointment on several of the steamers, and who was in oharge of the engines of the first sailing vessel (the Dunodin) whioh took frozen mutton from New Zealand, and his son, Mr. G. A. M'Allister.