FIRST 'FRISCO MAIL BOAT.

Northern Advocate, 8 December 1910, Page 5

FIRST 'FRISCO MAIL BOAT.

ARRIVAL OF AORANGI.

WIRELESS OPERATIONS EFFEC

TIVE,

WELLINGTON, Dec. 8.

The first boat from 'Frisco under the Union Company's mail contract with the New Zealand Government, arrived here at 5 o'clock, this morning. She left 'Frisco on the 16th November, and had an uneventful passage.

Included in the cargo are 14,000 cases of apples, 8000 of which are for Sydney; 8000 cases of oranges; 4000 bunches of bananas; 268 cases of mother-of-pearl shell; 300 cases of potatoes; 367 cases of canned fruit.

While at San Francisco the Aorangi was fitted with a wireless telegraphic apparatus by the United Wireless Company, Limited, New York. The power is derived from the ship's dynamo by a direct current. The apparatus is in charge of Mr A. A. Bell, manager of the Australian division of the installing company, and throughout the voyage it worked very satisfactorily. Messages can be sent a distance of 500 miles in the daytime and a much greater distance at night. On the sixth night out the vessel received messages from the shore 2276 miles away. Several steamers were spoken by wireless in the North Pacific, and the Aorangi got into touch with the Japanese squadron in the South Pacific After leaving Ttarotonga efforts were made to speak to New Zealand, but there was no response until last night, when the Aorangi was able to call up H.M.S. Powerful at Lyttelton.