STEAMERS FOR WAIKATO.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 107, 17 March 1864, Page 3

STEAMERS FOR WAIKATO.

j As we are now in a position to place authentic ; intelligence before the public, we may state that tlio result of the visit of tin- Premier and AVar Minister to Onehiingu on Tuesday Inst, is iln: purchase hot]} of the ' .Sturt ' and 'Prince Alfred ' steamers, for the government service on the AVaikato and AYaipa rivers. The ' Shirt•' was built, for the Murray river, i in Australia, and for several years was usefully j employed on thai river. Biie was next pur- ! chased by the kelson and Marlborough Steam i Navigation Company at a cost of I'll !in'H). She I was then renewed and lengthened, and it was i ! supposed that she would have been placed in the ! j trade <m the wesi roast to tlie Buller river, but | i the "Marine Board deemed her unlit for a sea- | inning vessel, and refused her a certificate as" ■ sucli. She is. however, every way adapted as a : '•■ river boat—is of exceedingly light draught, and ; ; when her false keel is removed, will carry 7" ! ; ions witli only a draught of three feet si\ '. inches. AYhat renders her peculiarly adapted [ for the vapid current of the AVaikato is her . j great power in proportion to her tonnage. I ; worked as she is by two engines of thirty horse j : power each. and. as if to meet the danger inci- ■ dental on her fouling on a snag, she is built in ' 1 several water-tight compartments —ten. if we j recollect rightly. .' She has been again submitted to a survey by ! ! thv naval authorities, who after a close scrutiny, j have returned most satisfactory reports of her capabilities as a river boat, and we learn that the government intend to run her from the AVaikato heads to Hangiriri, and in winter, or after a channel has been cut through the submerged forest, as far as IS'garuawahia. and even beyond that point. The price for which she 1-as been purchased by the IS'ew Zealand Government is £'(1000. The ' Prince Alfred.' a small steamer of about sixty tons, has also been purchased by the Government for the sum of £4000, but we believe she has been bought rather with a view of j milking use of her machinery than for any I other purpose, it being thought more advisable to place it in a vessel better adapted for tlio ! peculiar river traflic of the AA'aikato. Machi- | nerv of this nature has not been otherwise ! procurable on the spi.it. ! "in the AVaikato and AVaipa rivers (lie work ! of removing the snags is being vigorously carried. ', on. Air. AVilliam ikowe's parry is employed on | the AVaikato, and two parties under the superI intendeiiec of Mr. .Hyde, late foreman of works 1 to the C'itv Board, are engaged in clearing the I AA'aipa. As llie water talis in the river, audit • is becoming lower every day, the snags (the chief hindrance to navigation) make their appearance in great numbers. Jt is hoped that during j the next i\'\v weeks while the autumn falling of j (he river continues, that these parlies Mill be j enabled to get at least a channel cleared, and thus render safe the navigation of the viver, I however tedious it may be. I ,—.—______ I