TROOPSHIP NO. 4.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16646, 3 September 1914, Page 8

TROOPSHIP NO. 4.

S AWUVES AT LYTTEtTON. IpCOMMODATION FOR 650 MEN. Xteeply laden, the" Union Steam Ship • CWinpany's- San 'Francisco' liner Tahiti (ex Port Kingston), but now transform;.'idfjinto H.M.N.Z.T. No. 4, arrived in ; Ljttelton yesterday afternoon from • . Wellington, and as she slewed round '' tail take upiter berth on the eastern WrtK of No. 7 jetty, :she ; was the sub- . p of no .little comment. It was the Tahiti's initial appearance in the port, |md instead of a stately looking vessel »Hth a red and black funnel and green

liull, all that appeared to the onlooker was a massivo piece of floating shell covered from the bridge to the waterlino in French grey paint. As soon as' she was in ado fast a guard was placed at the gangway, and admittance was confined to authorised persons. It is estimated that accommodation will be provided .on the vessel for about six hundred and fifty roon and three hundred horses, but being an up-to-dato passenger liner, littlo difficulty has at- . tended the work of finding sufficient I accommodation for the men. Apart from the numerous berths in the saloon and also the second-class quarters, furthor bunks have been placed in the after hold. Unlike those on the Arawa, Hhey are built-in "sixes" and afford the men every opportunity to pass to and fro. To expedite matters in the commissariat department, extra accommodation has been found necessary. What was once a "first-class dining saloon with polished tables and cushioned chairs has now given way to long benches and forms of whito pine. The same procedure has also, been followed in the social hall on the upper deck. The Tahiti will provide accommodation for sixty horses more than the Arawa, and on account of the build of the ship the method adopted for the housing" of the animals is to some exI tent different. On both the port i and starboard sides of the forward main' <1 ck' stoutly built horse boxes have bi;...< erected, whilst in the between decks of Nos. 1 and 2 holds j a further batch has been provided for. The same procedure has been followed on the after main deck, but the holds aro clear of stalls. Looking along the boat deck, one is confronted with a long row of horse boxes on either side. So as to facilitate loading or discharging operations of the "freight" accommodated on the boat deck a stoutlj built "race" has been erected. At sea the lifeboats will be swung over the side, and this will offer good facilities for looking after the welfare of the animals. Ono special feature qj the arrangements for the transport of the horses is the lighting. On the boat deck and in every other part of the ship where the animals are accommodated extra electric wires have been installed. It is more than likely that a few structural alterations will be effected at Lyttelton. ; THE ATHENIC. The Shaw, Savili and Albion liner Athenic, which with the Tahiti will convey the Canterbury detachment of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force Home, was expected to leave Wellington yesterday for Lyttelton, and consequently she should reach port this morning.