MARITIME MATTERS

North Otago Times, 27 October 1906, Page 1 (Supplement)

MARITIME MATTERS

(By "Mainsail.")

The British steel four-masted steamer Coptic, 435 C tons gross, 2744 net. built and engined by Messrs. Harlanu and Wolff, Belfast, in 1881, with triple expansion engine*, and the Britisii steep steamer Doric 4080 'tons gross, 2938 net,- built and engined by Messrs Harland and W;olft,' Belfast, in 1883, with triple-expansion engines; both owned-by tho White Star Line, Liverpool, and at present in tho trade between San Fmncisco and the Far East in tho Occidental and Oriental S. S. Co., have been rfold to the Pacific Mail S. S. Co., San Francisco.

Tho shell and boilers of tho new Cunarder being built at Wallsond,, England, are said by Consul Mctcalf to bo constructed of the largest steel plates in tho world. They are Silicon steel, weighing 10 tons each. Tho' boilers alone will weigh over 1000 tons. Ma&livO; ignots and slabs weighing 12 and 14 tons are continually passing through tho rolling mills there for this work;

On tho 4th November, 1900, in latitude G4dcg. S. longitude 172deg. W., whilo on a trip to Fanning Island per steamer South Australian, Mr Humphry Berkeley, who was a passenger, encloMd a note in a bottle and dropped it overboard, requesting the finder to forward sanio to Suva. The object (t'ays the "Fiji Times") was to ascertain the exact drift of ouritmts. The bottle was eventually picked up at Tutnila, Samoa, on 14th July last, having drifted duo South GOO miles. Mr Berkeley is writing a book on the origin of the Pacific Islanders, his contention being that tliey originally drifted, from North America. The courso of the bottlo would support this theory.

The floating exhibition steamer Cambroimui is reported to. have had a narrow odcap from sinking whilst manoeuvring in tho West Float, Birkenhead, on August 20, says the "Shipping Gazette.'' The vessel was undergoing %mo minor alterations by Mom Oamnvill, Laird, and Co., which involved the removal of some ttiippers—tho Cambromaii being a cattle fillip—and it is said that the work of covering over the scupper holes was in progress when it waa necessary to move the vessel to allow another stoamor. (the Ti'opea) to take the inside berth. Tho tug Neptune was employed for this purpose, but as soon as the vessel moved oil from tho quay it was found that slioi wart taking water rapidly. Pumping operations were quickly resorted to, and all immediate, danger of tho vessel sinking was umoved. The only way in which the accident can be. accounted for at present is that the tug in towing the vessel from the quayside brought the ecupper-liolce! below water, and having shipped some water the vessel listed more heavily to that side. # * » A Washington correspondent of the New York "Shipping" saj'd the news that Italy id building a battleship which will excel the famous British Dreadnought an muoli as the Dreadnought excels all other ships now afloat is taken by naval officero Lore to mean that the great battleship tentatively authorised by the last session of Congress is not likely to be. built. The conditions imposed by the naval bill are such that the report about the Italian fighter will offer an admirable opportunity to the opponents in Congress of furthqr naval When Representative Burton, of Ohio, succeeded in having ajlded to the authorisation for tihe battleship the provision requiring tho plans .to be submitted to the next Congress before contracts were let, it was declared that this was but a step in the plan to prevent tho construction of such a fighter. At that time it was generally supposed that all the naval construe; tors would liavo to do would be to beat the Dreadnought. -On' that supposition the order for the plans of the American ship was given by Secretary Bonaparte, But now it is known that Italy is building a ship to excel the Dreadnought, and in order to comply with the directions of Congreffc the plans to be submitted next December milet be for a ship which will excel tho Italian' wonder, But the naval officers know nothing about tho Italian ship, except the bare fact that she is to beat- the Dreadnought, and, thus hampered, it is hardly possible for them to furnish the plans in the required time. Tho inevitable result will be.further delay, which tho opponents of large ships will (utilise t'o the utmost.

The North German Lloyd has just adopted for their cypress steamers,an j ingenious invention, by means of which j any numfce'r of Substantial windj shelters can be on deck at i a fow minutes'notice, aii addition to! passengers' comfort which is certain to | bo appreciated,. One of tho fast things j a traveller gives his attention to on j arriving on board is to ssb to the i position of hiri chair on deok. TliO| configuration of tho deck-houses is gen< orally mddillod with a. view to providing one or two cosy. rwm Tiixtie favoured positions, homey, aro. necessarily few, and the majority of tho pasffcngers haf3 to incur'the lull blwl of tlio wind, which, with tlio fustei bteameitj, such as tho Atlantic linontj going a speed of over twenty knots, necessitates'a good deal of wrapping up. By means of this invention tlw number of cotfy oorncrs is practically unlimited, and this immense increase in comfort is provided without in , any way 'permanently encumbering thq I deck, for when not in use. the shelter j is stowed away with the greatest facility, while remaining ready for use) at | a moment's notice, TJio arrangement chiefly consists in providing removable tranSversci walls which may be conveniently placed between, one clcck-r-say the promenade deck—and tho trans' veiHo girders or beams of the deck i aboro it. The walls can bo mado ol- • wood or similar material or canvai j mounted upon a suitable framework | In such cases the lower edges of till ! walls are provided with pins which en I gage corresponding reoesEcs in tin ■jdcck, and their upper edges are detach' ably secured to-the girders of tho deck above by means of bolts and thumbnuts or in some other suitable manner, If desired the protective walk may bo in the form of canvas sheets, iu which case they aro stretched by means of ropes between-suitable eyes, cleats, or tho like,' .secured to the deck girders and. to tlio deck.

.i * » The highly creditable performance of Captain Corner in successfully navigating the'big Federal steamer Norfolk acrofs the Indian Ocean to Fremantle under Hail, after she lost lie,V propelltt', lnifl attracted a good deal oD attention in London shipping circles. Captain Corner, who is well known in Sydney, lias had'many years experience in sailing vessels, and held command of 'Messrs. Devitt, and Moore's, line training ship Macquarje until that vessel was sold to foreigners and re-named the Fortuna. The Norfolk' is now in port at Sydney, but Captain Corner left her at Fremantle and returned to Lpndon. An underwriter, intheooursfl of. a, letter to a London shipping exchange, riiys:—"Great, credit is, of course, due' to Captain Corneir, of the Federal strainer Norfolk, in bringing her safely into port, hut in my opinion there is ft.much more important question involved. It bmius to me that the navigation of the Norfolk under sail is a good object lesnon for chipowners and underwriters, : viz.. that if a llirge feimer like the Norfolk breaks' down: it is necessary to luye a man thoroughly trained in his F'o-

rJasion, -as Captain Corner is, able to act'in an emergency such as has just ' occurred, Supposing the Norfolk, in , tho position in which ,4ho was, had; been under the charge of an officer, : who only possessed a (.team certificate,' and hud no experience whatever in a sailing ship, what would have become' of this valuable ship and cargo? Sho would probably have drifted about, and possibly been' lo<&. I think underwriters especially should not be content unices all the officers in foreigngoing steamships have been trained, as formerly,' in square-rigged .shipsJ, and possess full certificated from tlio Hoard of Trade." » « > Tho German ship Nordsee, which arrived at Melbourne recently with a full cargo of lumber from Frcdribtad, is identical the Norwegian ship Phot), which some" years ago became an object of much attention at Melbourne on account of the Customs authorities discovering that a> system of wholesale smuggling was being carried on in the vessel. An investigation revealed tho fact that the Plios had apparently been specially constructed with a view to ' smuggling operations on a large Male being conducted with facility, many seorot cupboards and other receptacles for illicit goods being disclosed. From these places the Customs' officers unearthed large quantities of uncustomed articles. A prosecution followed in duo oourse, and heavy fines were inflicted upon the guilty parties, Since then the Plios has undergone a change, both in namo and nationality. The Nordsco id a remarkably fast sailer, and has accomplished her present voyage from Frcdrikstadt in 105 days. On a for- • mor trip to Melbourne, however, tlioi ship put .up a remarkably 'fine performance of 78 days from Bremen, and is credited with covering that portion of the passage l ' between the meridian of the Oapo of Good Hope to Hobson's Bay in the splendid time of 20 days, q feat which id not often excelled bj the ordinary steamer.'

■' 1 Tho new rates of postage, to oomo into force on November Ist, are an- ( nounced in this weed's "Gazette." | The rato on letters and letter-cards in , Now Zealand and the Cook Islands is ] Id for each four ounces or fraction I thereof, Postage to the United Kingdom, British possessions, and other countries which have agreed to a reduction of the Postal Union rates will cost Id for each half-ounce or fraction thereof; to British New Guinea, A/ for each half-ouuco. '