SHIPS AND THE SEA.

Evening Post, Volume LXXI, Issue 47, 24 February 1906, Page 12

SHIPS AND THE SEA.

Tho underwriters on the- redwood cargo of the barquentino Andromeda, which reached Sydney from Eureka on November 10th laet in a dismantled condition, have shown their appreciation of tho manner in which Captain J. F. Turloff handled tho vessel under difficulties, by presenting him with a purse of fifty sovereigns and a testimonial. Mention is mado in the latter of the fact tlint Captain Turloff navigated tho Undromeda, ft distance of 3000 miles through all sorts of weather, nnd after she had lost her bowsprit, foretopmast, nnd mantopmast, sails and rigging. Continuing, tho underwriters say :— "lt would havo been possible for you to hnvo entered n. port ot refuge nearer to tho scene of tho accident, but having tho inlorost of all concerned at heart, you eucwesflfully combntted all .difficulties, and brought your ship _ and cargo safely to jour 'ultimate- destination. Wo would further commond your straightforward conduct and forethought in safeguarding tho various , Interests under your charge against any claim for salvage on your arrival off this port." Tho Airdromcda is ut present voyaging from Newcastle to San Francisco, after having been tho> roughly repaired at Sydnoy. In connection with the Mediterranean yachting voyages of tho Cunarder Caronia, which wns to eail from New York for Gibraltar, Genoa, Naples, nnd Fiume, on January 9th, a full string band wns to bo provided. Tho same band will bo available on board the triple-screw turbine steomer Carmania, which leaves Liverpool for Now York on December 80th. This, it Is belloved, Is tho first occasion on which passengers to Amorica by British steamers will liavo had such facilities provided for their enjoyment. - According to St. James's Budget of 6th January, tho health roturn of the Navy for the year paat is satisfactory reading. The death-rate from disease was 3.14 per 1000, showing a decrease of about 1 per 1000 j the average number of men sick daily wn« 31.3b per 1000, showing a do* crease of 6.22) end the invaliding ratio wa* 22.7 per 1000, showing a decrease of 7.28 «6 compared with tho average of the last seven years, The highest ratio of sickness was in the particular service Bnuadronsj tho highest of deaths nnd invaliding in the EnAt Indies Squadron. The Mediterranean, curiously enough, shows very well in tho list, though by all accounts the amount of Malta fever during tho past twelve months wns unusually great. Thero is no doubt that the sub« slltutlon of the two years for the former three years' commission will do a great deal to prescrvo the health of tho Beetmen Tho new schedule of harbour dues lor Brisbane, which has been in force- since tho beginning of the year, has been withdrawn, and the old schedule has been reverted .to. The. Premier, Mr. Kidston, states' 1 that the new schedule would, m a whole, have been a« undoubted advantage to the trade of Brisbane, but as certain ■merchants had raised the legal aspect the schedule had to be withdrawn. Attention has been repohtly called in London to a clever invention for getting at a ship's bottom when at sea. ft consists of a cylinder made of prepared canwis, about 2ft in dlnmetor and long enough to reach the keel. Near the bottom of the cylinder there is a glass window nnd two sleeves, The operator puts his arms through these sleeves, nnd is able to work with his hands freo. The cylinder is lowered over the side, nnd hauled close into the ship by means of a ropo passing under the lceel, Tho top of the plpo above water Is left open for the purposo of air. The inventor, captain Livingstone, made his first attempt with tho apparatus when master of the barque Biwtam Wood. This vessel, on December 6th, 19Q4, whilo on*a voyago from Bunbury, West Australia, to London, developed a serious leak about 12ft under water, which neenme so bad that only by tho continued use of hand pumps and it windmill pump could the vessel be kept afloat, Captain Livingstone then made & ennvns cylinder, using cask hoopa to keep off tho wnter pressure, nnd wns nblo to strip off several sheets of copper, •top tho leak, which wns an open butt, nnd onuik several butts in other parts, and replace tho copper. Tho work under wnter occupied about seven hours. ilTh* vessel wns 147 days at sea after this, and although she encountered very bad wea» ther on the Capo of Good Hope, arrived at London perfectly tight, without tho Sumps being touched the whole of the _mo. The captain claims that with two of these pipes, which have bceh much Improved, and two competent men a steamer's propellers could be shipped nt sen. The whole thing shuts up like a concertina, and car) be stowed in a harness cask. For ship purpose* henv does New Zoalund ropu compare with others? "The Look-out Mnn" in Falrplay places things thus i— Manila shows a nreaking Btraln nt 248 per yarn, Italian 221, Now Hcalnnd 143, Sisal i2B, nnd European 122. A correspondent in tho snmo paper vontlktos the who'f question of ropes ns follows .—I would ask you to Jet m& bring into prominence a matter which itffccts shipowners very vitally, fcut on which they aro not, in the majority of cases, very well informed. 1 nllude to the equipment of their steamers with Manila ropo, on which so much depends when docking nnd undocking, otc. Not only they, but underwriters generally, are aware of the grave risks incurred at such times, and lliftfc immunity from accident largoly depends on whether the ropes can bo relied on to bear a sudden strain at a critical moment. In days gon© by theso risks wero vory much less, chiefly because the vossols were every much smaller and lighter than they ft.ro now, but also because competition wn« not so keen, nnd ropo-makers could afford to use good Manila flbro; but now, while tho ropes cannot follow in size the increase In weight of the vessels, because anything over nn Bln hawser Is unhandy for tho quick work required, compotltior has also caused general deterioration of tho ropes. Tho chief improper fibres introduced are Now Zealand hemp, a, Mexican flbro known ns "Sisal," and, In somo cases, a vory low-clfl«s fibre- cnlled "Maguey." Now, none of thoso substitutes have the strength of Manila, fibre, nnd more especially will not retain their strength nfter a Httlo uso ( but «o difficult is it for any but an expert to detect tho adulteration in the mado-up rppo that thoy pass muster, nnd tho unscrupulous rope-mnkcr is nble to undercut his more honest neighbours, because, of course, the lower fibres nro much cheaper. Sir Theodoro Doxford has been spenking on tho interesting subject of shipbuilders' profit recently, 110 said, nt Sunderland, that profits were not so Inrge ptr ship as they used to bo, although in tho aggregate thoy were greater. Although most of the new machines saved labour, that did not naturally lend to the employment of unskilled hnnds. On tho contrary, many of them called for very skilled labour Indeed, It had been said tluifc tho Introduction of the now machines would have tho result that; In fifteen years' timo skilled labour would bo practically unknown. It w«« an ovor-stntc ment, nnd those who mado it were not in close touch with tho requirements of cither shipbuilding or engineering. What showed that a larger output meant tho employment of .more men and wnges was the fact thnt two yenrs ago his firm's largftt weekly bill was £3177, last year the highest wan £5378, An English paper states thnt during 1896 thero wore launched over the whole of tho north-otutorn porte— including the Tyne and Wear— Bhlppbg of 963,000 tons, as against 636.000 tons on the Clyde, tho I increase on the nortb.«e(wb having been ! 1230,000 loflij