FIFTY YEARS AGO

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 6, 6 July 1935, Page 26

FIFTY YEARS AGO

UNCHARTED SHOALS

The finding of the court "of inquiry on the grounding of the lonic was that the vessel had struck on- a shoal off Cape Palliser which was not. marked dangerous on the chart. The testimony of Captain Fairchild, of the Hinemoa, was that there was no shallow water outside the two, reefs off Cape Palliser, and that the. depth, of water from one to two miles but was 40 fathoms. Captain Kreeft reported that he had seen in an old chart on which the existence of a shoal was marked. Captain Campbell, of the coaster Kiwi, said that.he had noticed broken water near "the spot in heavy weather. Captain Halliday mentioned that he knew, of several other rocks and shoals not marked on the Admiralty charts, and '. instanced two rocks in the vicinity of the Heads.

"The Post," commented that as far back as 1872 a shoal in the vicinity of Cape Palliser had been reported to the Government. "But whether this is true or not," said "The Post," of July 2, 1885, "the fact remains that at the entrance of a port now visited almost every week by ocean-going steamers, the captains of which depend for their guidance upon the charts with which they. are provided, there exist dangers unknown to them on which they may come to grief at any moment while under the assurance, according to their charts, of perfect safety."

When the steamer Tekapo was leaving 'the wharf at Wellington on June 30, 1885, a gust of wind brought her into collision with the lonic's stern. The latter vessel's flagstaff, was carried away, and one of the plates of her whaleback was cracked.

The Minister of Defence was reported in "The Post" of July 3, 1885, to be inviting tenders for building and completely finishing a steel screw-steamer for delivery at Wellington in sections. Her dimensions were to be 70ft by 14ft by 6ft 6in moulded depth, and she was to have a carrying capacity of about 40 tons. Driven by compound surfacecondensing engines of about 75 i.h.p., she was to have plainly-fitted cabins fore and aft.

Mr. Smythe, Government Torpedo Instructor, gave an interesting lecture on the torpedo at the barracks on July 6, 1885. He outlined the history.-of the weapon, and described the Whitehead and Brennan types. Mr. Smythe did not favour the Whitehead type, which was hard to control, although it had achieved a speed of 20 miles an hour. The Brennan type was worked by two wires wound round parallel cylinders. When the wires were pulled, the cylinders revolved and the torpedo went ahead at about 9 knots. It could be steered by pulling on either wire, causing the screw on that side to speed up.

The barque Grasmere arrived at Auckland from London on July 7, 1885, with1 most of her canvas blown away as a result of a gale off the coast the previous day. The ' schooner Fleetwing was caught in the same gale, and only righted when the mainmast was cut away. .

Tenders were invited on July 4 for a loan of £300,000 at 5 per cent, on behalf of the Napier Harbour Board.