SHIPS AND THE SEA

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 94, 20 April 1912, Page 12

SHIPS AND THE SEA

THE MISSING PUFF OF STEAM. An % incident that occurred during tho first unofficial trial of the motor ship Selandia, which is now creating much intoresfc abroad, foreshadows a troublo that may possibly recur during the early days of oil-engined vessels. It happened At Copenhagen that a steamer in. the immediate vicinity of the Selandia attributed blasts from the motor ship to another steamer coming up astern of the Selandia. A collision was averted only by tho prompt action of tht> Selandia'a captain in ordering the engines to be reversed and the anchor let £o. From enquiries it appears that a mimiaderetanding aroso because the Selandia's sound signal is operated by compressed air, and not by steam. The compressed air for the purpose is Btored in a reservoir on deck, wnioh obtains its supply from the inter-coolers on. tho auxiliary compressor sets. This ajr being at 1201bs pressure, and a largo air-pipe oeing used, a very powerful blast is omitted. There is no question whatever about the volume of sound. The trouble arose from the fact that there was no visible puff of steam, as there is in the case of the steamship.' The other chip heard the Selandiu's signal, but, observ. ing no indication, that it came fiom the motor Ship, thought the sound emanated from another vessel. "What occurred in that caso may quite bo expected to happen again. The puffs of steam omitted .with a whistle signal nave come to bo accepted as evidence of the identity of the" signal. The rules, uowflvor, refer only to blasts, and take no account of indications such as puffs of steam. The remedy, consequently, appears to be that mariners must pay iifc tention to the signal themselves, and not depend upon intimations as to their source which have no legal sanction. At night mariners have to pay attention to whistle signals, whose origin they cannot always locate with absolute certainty. But there remains the undeniable faofc that puffs of steam are watched for. In* deed, in. how many oases in the Admiralty Division have witnesses not been asked if they saw puffs before they Heard blasts It might, therefore, be useful if a warning were issued to mariners to put them on their guard against motor ships. It must be remembered that until a few more motor-driven vessels are put into serviqe, and until they have traversed the principal trade routes, the type will not be recognised on sight. As proof of the difficulty one may recall the launching of a lifeboat in heavy weather to go to the assistance of what looked like a sailing chip with her top masts, spars, and canvas gono, but which was the Barlby, of Port Talbot, an oil-engined coa&ter with short pole masts. THE END OF AN OLD-TIME CLIPPER. The Norwegian barque Astoria was abandoned dismasted in the Atlantic Ocean, after being set on fire, on 24th January, 1912, the crew being taken off the sinking vessel by the steamer Dungeness, of London, and landed at St. Michael's. To the majority of tike ship* ping fraternity the name "Astoria" will appear foreign perhaps, but as the "Ben. Nevis," her former name under the British Ensign, she will be well remembered as a favourite passenger 6hip that traded regularly to Australia for years under the command of the 'late Captain M'Petrie — a gentleman very well known. Captain M'Pdtrie left the Ben Nevis to take oharge of the Ben Voirlich, of the same line, and was in command of that noted clipper in the year 1875, when she ran. from London to Hobson's Bay in sixtytwo days, which still stands as a record for an iron sailing vessel between. England and Australia. The Ben Nevis was launohed in. the month of June, 1868, at Glasgow, and when ready for sea was ohartered, along with the Loch Awe and Clanranald (afterwards the Loch Rannoek), to trade to Australia, pending the completion of the first cix ships ordered for the Loch Line of sailing vessels. - Possibly the most sensational event in her career was the misfortune that befell her in 1897, when she was under com* mand, of Captain Sims, and paid an unexpected visit to Melbourne. Tho Ben, Nevis was at the time bound to Dunedin from Glasgow, with a general cargo, and on 2nd July in the year stated, when in the Southern Ocean, a tremendous sea came aboard, which washed two of the crew overboard, and Bwept her from stem to 6tern of all movables on deck. The sea also burst in the cabin bulkhead and gutted the beautiful saloon completely, leaving nothing to be seen but the iron sides of the 6hip. Captain and officers lost all their clothes and instruments, and on arrival just had the clothes they wore. After effecting repairs at a cost of £3000, the Ben Nevis continued her voyage to New Zealand. Next year the old ship was sold to Norwegians, and ultimately became tho Astoria. The R.M.S. Orama, which last week arrived at Port Adelaide, bad on board the first draft of Imperial naval men who have joined the Australian Navy. They were under the command of Lieutenant Spooner, and comprised five warrant officers, eight chief petty officers, 13 stokers' potty officers, 10 leading stokers, two leading signalmen, throe leading seamen, one signalman, one leading telegraphist, and four signalmen petty officers. In addition there were on board 23 wives and 40 children, forming a party of slightly more than 100 new citizens for the Commonwealth. Lieutenant Spooner, who has been lent to the Australian Defence Department for three years, is from the gunnery school at Portsmouth, and will nave charge of the gunnery school that is to be established at Williamstown. He states that the warrant and petty officers and other ratings are a fine body of men, who will be found extremely, useful to tho Australian Navy ra the making. They have served anything from 19 to 22 years in the Navy, and have joined the Australian service f or five years, during which time they will be paid the Commonwealth rates. Chatting with some of the men, a Sun representative was informed that applications for serrioo were called by the British Admiralty, and that tho response was largely in excess of requirements. "Fourteen of us," remarked one of tho oetty officers, "aro tjensioners, but we were attracted by tho rateh of pay offered, and by tho prospect of settling in Australia with our families. The oensioners will still ,receive their allowance from the Admiralty, and, generally speak ing, the inducements to servo in the Australian Navy aro better thu<i employment in England. Taking the rates of pay throughout the service for warrant, chief potty and petty officers, those undei che Australian scheme are practically double those in forco in tho Imperial sorvice. The chief petty officer, for example, receives 6s Bd, progressing Lo 7s; oetty officers, 5s to 5s 4d ; leading seamen, from 4s 2d to 4s 4d; leading signalmen and telegraphists, 4s 5d to 4s 7d; ohiof stokers, 53 30d to 7s lOd, with 2d per day extra for each good conduct badge. Sixpence oor day extra is given for service in destroyers, and ts in iho case of tor-pedo-boats. "We like the system of deferred pay, and all through, tho conditions aro inviting. Our pay begpn on 9th February, and before embarking we received three weeks' leave, mid have boon promised a fotnight's loavo on ar'ival at Melbourne. There should bo no difficulty in filling up all tho vacancies required here." The officers and crew of the French cruiser Friant, who rendered such gallant and timolv aid to the shipwrecked P. and O. liner Delhi, have not been overlooked. It is announced that the King haß conferred on Capitame Loquerro an Honorary Commandership of tho Royal Victorian Ordor, uiid has appointed Lieutenant Drujon to be Honorary Member of tho same Order. The gold medal for gallantry in saving life at soa has been granted to the officers and men who formed the oraw of the steam barge which wont to the assistance of tho pabsengers. To tho families of tho heroic men who lost their lives, tho gold medals have been 6ont as well as a, grunt of £50 each. Further, tho British Government ha.v© prfikoiited to Ihe officers of the cruiser a gold plale in token of their appreciation of their