OCEAN GREYHOUNDS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume IX, Issue 1535, 26 January 1887, Page 4

OCEAN GREYHOUNDS.

(N.Z. Times.)

Reference is made in a late cable message to the Orient Company's new steamer, the Ormuz, which attained a speed of 18 knots on her trial trip. It appears that the Orient Company, spurred by the rivalry of the P. and O. and other companies trading to Australia, has built three new steamers of greater size and power than any previously seen ia Australian waters. Hitherto, with the exception of the Austral and Orient, which are slightly larger, no steamers trading to Australia are equal to our Arawa and Tainui in size, even the P. and O. "crack " boats Home and Carthage being smaller. The Austral and Orient bear about the same relation to the Arawa and Tainui in point of size as these latter do to the lonic and Doric. But the new Orient boats are more than a thousand tons larger than any of these. The Orizaba (which has just made her first trip) measures 5266 -tons, and has the same indicated horse-power (7000) as the Austral. The Oroya, which leaves London on her Maiden trip on the 17th proximo, is of the same size and power. The Ormuz, however, is of no less than 6500 tons, and indicates 8500 horse-power, so that it is no wonder she attained such splendid speed. This points to a material acceleration of the voyages to and from Australia. Hitherto the Australian services have been much slower than the New Zealand Direct Lines, that time being only shortened by the Brindisi overland connection. No passage to or from any Australasian colouy lias, we believe, equalled the Arawa's runs of 35 days from Plymouth to Hobart, and the same from New Zealand to Plymouth ; and the average speeds of the Orient and P. and O. Lines are greatly iuferior to the splendid rates maintained by the New Zealand Shipping Company's steamers. Most of the Orient and P. aui O. steamers are much smaller and slower, and in every way inferior to the New Zealand lines. But with these new Orient boats and the 7000-ton P. and O. steamers said to be building, we may expect to see another revolution in the Australian services as marked as that effected by the Orient line when the "Lusitania, Chimborazo, and their sister boats first demonstrated the possibility of reaching Melbourne in 40 days. To New Zealand — a thousand miles further — in 39 days and a few hours has long been a monthly performance ; but it is apparently now to be eclipsed. We shall see, however, how the new steamers get on. The Orizaba has done nothing wonderful on her first trip, but the new "ocean greyhound," the Onnuz, starts on her maiden voyage on the 3rd of next month, and then " we shall see what we shall see."