COALING TO MUSIC

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 42, 18 August 1925, Page 6

COALING TO MUSIC

The flagship Seattle is not a modern warship as fighting ships go nowadays, in fact, she is getting on for twenty years of age, having celebrated her nineteenth birthday quito recently, nor is she an oil fuel burner,- but carries on with coal, and yesterday was coaling day. Visitors were not allowed aboard, but looked up from the wharf and expressed astonishment that 60 very many of her men were coloured people; they were, but merely foe the time being. They worked to music, for the ship's band had a plaftorm well above the grit and dust. As the American is first, last, and generally a confirmed jazz specialist no jazz music was played, two-four tinie suits coal^ handling better. As a result of the. closing of the Seattle to visitors, the Richmond was fairly crowded with visitors during the whole of the afternoon, aiid a long quevie stretched down from her gangways waiting their turn to go aboard. In ninny respects the Richmond and her sister light cruisers in the stream are the most interesting ships in the Wellington detachment, they are almost the last word in cruiser construction, fitted with turbines of tremendous power to give them a speed of 35 knots per hour, roughly 40 miles per hour. It ■would not be tolerated upon tho Hutt road, and if New Zealand trains could average that speed over all runs it would bo. possible to speed up the time-table considerably between son^q stations. Some of the men on the Richmond have been a little, disappointed that their ship has been a trifle overlooked, for they are extremely proud of her, but yesterday afternoon there was no cause for disappointment. As all the other boats she is spick and span to tho last detail.