THE MARAROA DESCRIBED

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 48, 24 February 1917, Page 6

THE MARAROA DESCRIBED

'A FAMOUS STEAMSHIP.

In the whole of the Union Company's fleet there is no better known vessel than the Mararoa, and many and various are the stories told of her deeds, when as the R.M.S. Mararoa, one o£ the crack mail "fliers" of the. Pacific, she carried the mails between Sydney and San Francisco. She sailed from' Sydney on 3rd December, 1885, on her maiden voyage to California. When she reached San Francisco her officers were given a great reception, for she was the first steamer with triple expansion engines to arrive in San Francisco Bay. Shortly after this it was found that her mail room was too small for the service, and she was transferred to another, run. When the Wahine was taken out of the Wellington-Lyttelton ferry service about two years ago the Mararoa was lying in Auckland, but she was brought down to Wellington and refitted here. Ever since. then she has been running in £ho Wellington-Lyttelton service without a break, and. the fact that she has on several occasions of late cut out the distance between the two ports at tho rate of 12 knots an hour proves Shat ago has not diminished her vigour at all. . ;

She was built at'the Dumbarton yards of William Denny and Company thirtytwo years ago, and her main dimensions are : Length, 320 f t; breadth, 42ft; depth, 24.7 ft. Her gross tonnage is 2598 tons. Captain Reid, late of the Paloona, took over the command: of tho Mararoa. a few days ago, relieving: Captain Mawson, who camo ashore.