A SCOT’S CREW

Greymouth Evening Star, 4 April 1923, Page 7

A SCOT’S CREW

STEAMER TEES ARRIVES.

More than ordinary 'interest attaches to the arrival from Picton this morn-

ing of the Westland , Shipping Company’s steamer Tees, after a splejndid voyage from Ardrossan (near Glasgow, Scotland). This first visit of the Tees to Greymouth is twice unique in that it is seldom nowadays that a vessel ol any kind comes to this port direct from the Old Country, and tire Tees was brought out solely by West Coast enterprise. It is a good augury lor the industrial future of the province. The Tees is now loading tinjber for Lyttelton and Wellington. ■ lidity rather than beauty of form is the chief feature of the Tecs, -which next to the Perth, is perhaps the most sturdy vessel that has visited Gijey-

■th. Its hull is built of solid heavy steel and in all particulars the vessel is obviously made for service anywhere and under any conditions. Her dimensions were given in a previous issue of the “Star.” She is intended for trade between Greymouth, Lyttelton, Wellington and the Chatham Islands.

Captain Dowell, who is master of tile Tecs and who brought her to these waters, is no stranger to ’Greymouth. Popular both aboard, and ashore he made himself well-known throughout the Coast during the lengthy period that he was master of the Ngakuta before she and the Ngahexs were charterfl by the U.S.S. Company. Speaking to a “Star” reporter this morning, the captain said that the voyage from Ardrossan, which was practically without incident, was, including ports of call, accomplished in 64 days. A few days after she left the first port, the Tees experienced rough' weather, out came through it without trouble, no sickness or injury resulting. The captain is very well pleased with the capabilities of the Tees. “Using Scotch coal,” he said, “we made an average for the voyage of 8| knots on 6.2 tons of coal per day. We struck bad weather out from Newcastle and anchored in the Tasman. It was then that the sea-going powers of . the -ees were tried and tested. The voyage proved that the vessel is capable of standing up to anything, and I am well satisfied that although she is now eleven years old, she is good for from !5 to 20 years’ hard service.” A point of interest is that tlie crew of the Tees is composed entirely of Scotsmen. Her name, too, is decidedly Scots, her origin equally so, and part of the cargo on the way out was also Scotch —and good Scotch at that!