BOILERS LEAKING

Evening Star, Issue 18589, 21 March 1924, Page 5

BOILERS LEAKING

'DURHAM IN TROUBLE. MAKING FOE POET CHALMERS. EXPECTED TO REACH POET TO-DAY. The Union Company has been advised bv wireless that the I'cderal Line steamer Durham is in difficulties at sea owing to leakv boilers. The captain has advised that the vessel is steering a course tor Port Chalmers under easy steam, and that she will reach the Lower Harbor about 6 p.m. to-day. The extent of the trouble is not yet known, but it is expected that repairs, which will be carried out by tho Port Chalmers Marine Works, will occupy several days. The Durham is a well-known trader to New Zealand and Austmlian ports, and lias made several visits to Dunedin. Early in December last the vessel loaded at St. John, Newport News, and Norfolk (Virginia) for New Zealand and Australian ports under charter to the New Zealand Shipping Company. She arrived at Auckland early in February, and later visited Wellington, Lyttelton, Timaru, and Dunedin. The Durham reached^ this port on tha morning of February- 17, and sailed on the following morning for Melbourne and Sydney. The Durham’s present destination is not known definitely, but it- is believed that she loaded at Australian ports for South America or tho United Kingdom. The vessel was at Newcastle on March 10, and at Svdney on March 12. The Durham is a stool steamer of 5,975 tons gross register, and was built in 1904 by Itawlhorno, Leslie, and Co., Ltd., at NV.vcastlc-on-Tyno for the Federal Steam Navigation Company, Ltd. Captain F. Dowse is in command. On her voyage across the Pacific, while en route from St. John, tha Durham encountered a strong cast-north-east gale, accompanied by a mountainous sea. This was on January 24. The gale was tho outer edge of a cyclone, and the weather was so stormy that tho Durham had to he hove-to for ton hours. On tho mornins: of January 25 the weather moderated sufficiently for the ship to resume 'ho 1 vovase. 'The storm area was soon cleared, And fine weather then prevailed to Auckland.