NAUTICAL NEWS FOR NEW ZEALAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11202, 24 October 1899, Page 6

NAUTICAL NEWS FOR NEW ZEALAND.

THE WAIKATO AND TEKOA.

WELL-KNOWN LINERS A3 TRANSPORTS.

ADDITIONS TO COLONIAL FLEETS. [from our OWN CORRESPONDENT.] London, September 35. Uxusi'AUr prolific litis this week proved in nautical news of interest to New Zealand. In the first place, hope as to the 6,5. Waikato has bad a fresh lease of life, in consequence of the receipt of a cable message from Lyttelton that the vessel had been again siglitod. And then came the gratifying intelligence that the Tekoa had not foundered, as was supposed, but had managed to reach the Falkland Islands. I need not say that both items of news gave great relief, for there have daily been inquiries on the part of friends and relatives of members of both crews. The news in each instance was at once posted up in the New Zealand Shipping Company's Office, for the benefit of callers.

In reference to tbo s.s. Waikato, pa absurdly stupid blunder occurred on the part of someone— telegraphist, sub-editor, or compositor. In telegraphing that the Australian liner, Thermopylae had been wrecked in Table Bay, Keuter's agent added:—"The gravest fears are now entertained in shipping circles here for the safely of the New Zealand Shipping Company's steamer Waikato. She left London on May 4 for Lyttelton, New Zealand, by the Cape route, and is supposed to have been sighted in the Atlantic, to the north-west of Cape Colony on May 30, since when nothing has been heard of her. She had 80 passengers on board." Tho Waikato, of course, had no passengers; in fact, her passenger accommodation is "nil." But the papers hero, " splashed" the "80 passengers" story for all it was worth, both in "headlines" and on contents bills. How the error arose is unknown. The most 'reasonable theory put forward is, that the telegraphist mado the letters "no," into the figures "8-0." Mr. O. R. Strickland, the manager of the Now Zealand Shipping Company, has had to write to all the papers, contradicting tho statement. As I informed you by last mail, the gam! lers in re insurances at Lloyd's had ceased to regard tho s.s. Tekoa as a subject for oven the longest of long "shots" in tho way of a speculation. And though loth to abandon nil hope of hearing anything moro of her, or of her crew, beyond tho four picked up in an open boat, tho vessel's name was not mentioned at tho shipping office without grave shakes of tho head and an expression of fear that she had "gone." Judge then the glad surprise at receiving a message from Lloyd's agent at Stanley, Falkland Islands, saying that the vessel had put in there on August 10, and that no one was missing beyond tho four men who, It was known, wcro already safely on their wav to San Francisco. The delay in getting the information, of course, aroso from the fact that the wire had! to be sent by boat on August 25 to Monte Video, where it did not arrive until September 12. Later the owners received a confirmatory message. Though 110 lives fortunately have been lost, the Tekoa lias sustained considerable damage by collision, as is stated by tho New Zealand .Shipping Company's wire, in tho Lemair Straits. Her No. 1 hold is "extensively damaged; 20,000 carcases had to be jettisoned, and a considerable qnantily will liava to bo discharged Of the imperishable part of the cargo, 350 tons would, it was stated, be transhipped and forwarded as soon as possible. Divers had examined tho ship's bottom, and it is the opinion of tho owners that she can lie repaired sufficiently at tho Falkland Islands to allow of her proceeding shortly to Monte A ideo. Now, to turn to war and rumours of war. By the tnno this reaches New Zealand, you will havo heard whether there is to bo peace or trouble in South Africa. In any event, several well-known old linors arc having something to do in the present crisis. Some lime ago I wrote to you that tho Rimulaka, tho Riiapoliu, tho Tongariro, and the Kaikoura had been purchased by the British India Company. That company has changed tneir names to Zamania, Zayathla, Ziberghla, and Zaida respective)}. Tho Zayathla (Ruapehu) and /iberghla (Tongariro), which aro now lying at Liverpool, havo been chartered by the Government to convey troops to .South Africa, tho Zamania (Rimutaka) being chartered to curry mules to Calcutta ii i't v a oura) lias beon put into tiio •British India Company's Queensland sorvico to lane the place of another of their vessels winch is wanted for trooping. These aro tour which havo been ordered for this service:-! ho Avon, which sailod ,villi troops on Wednesday for Malta and the Cape; the Dolwarra and Dunera, engaged for Indian trooping, and the Telunga, which follows the Avoca with troops from Southampton to Malta and the Cape. Tho old Arawa, which was chartered by tho Spaniards in their late war with America is, I may bore remark, engaged on a moro peaceful pursuit now. As I state elsowhoro. she is now on her way to Canada with somo hundreds ol Dr. Barnardo s orphan boys and girls, who aro going to the Dominion as u trained emigrants." Whether the fact that both the Perthshire and the Waikato were single-screw boats has had anything to do with tho adoption of twin screws for somo new steamers decided upon by tho Now Zealand Shipping Company for further additions to their fleet, I cannot say. But I do know that attention has been directed to diminution of sail space and the risks run, with comparatively little sail capacity and only a single screw. Of course the advantage of only ono propeller, from the cargo-carrying point of view, is obvious. In the case of the single screw there is but Olio " trunk" encasing the shaft, and that ill the middle of the holds, running from the ongineroom aft. In double-screw boats, the " trunks" run on eitliei sido of the kelson, there being thus not only twice the spaco taken up, but a practical loss of the intervening portion as well. However, tho advisableness of having cither moro sail power, or two screws impressed itself upon Captain Crulchley, who at onjo time commanded the Kaikoura, and I am told that lie drew attention to the matter some time ago. Bo that as it may, the New Zealand Shipping Company aro now going in for twin screws, and have this week placed contracts with Messrs. Denny and Brothers, of Dumbarton, and Messrs. R. H. W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Co., of Hobburn, for the construction of a new vessel each. Those two steamers arc to be twin-screw of 8000 tons gross tonnage; the dimensions are to be 457 ft by 58ft by 34ft. They will each carry over 100,000 carcases of frozen mutton, and will steam about 12 knots. According to tho contract they are to be delivered in the autumn of next year. Anothei new boat destined for the New Zealand and Australian trade is the Star of Australia, tho fifth vessel of her class built by Messrs. Workman, Clark and Co., for Messrs. J. P. Corry and Co., of London. This vessel's trial trip took place in Belfast Lough last week, and proved of a highly satisfactory character. Her dimensions are 440 ft by 55ft by 33ft, her gross tonnage being 7198 tons. Sho has been constructed under special survey to class 100 A 1 at Lloyd's, and to tho Board of Trade requirements of a first-class cargo steamer. She has three complete dcoks extending from stem to stern, and seven watertight bulkheads dividing the vessel into eight separate compartments, namely, five cargo-holds, machinery space, and two peaks. Water ballast is carried in tho after peak and oil tho double bottom, which extends tho entire length of the holds and machinery space. The vessel will be chiefly engaged in Messrs. Tyser and Co.'s frozen moat trade, as staled, from Now Zealand and Australia. Liko the two new boats of the Now Zealand Shipping Company, this new "Star" liner has meat capacity for over 100,000 carcases. Her forward holds and 'tween decks have beon insulated, the refrigerating machinery being of the duplex tandem type, and capablo of putting through 240,000 cubic feet per hour, considerably the largest cold air machine yet placed on board any vessel. The dock-washing and cargo gear have been arranged to economise time in the discharge of cargo and the handling of the vessel. There are 10 derricks, worked by 10 powerful steam winches; steam steering gear, patent winches by all the best makers; the vessel's engines being of triple expansion, supplied with steam from four boilers working at a pressure of 2001b per square inch. Yesterday the following company-registra-tion was published:-Star of Australia Steamship Company, which was registered by Messrs. Carson and Co., of 51, Royal Avenue, Belfast, has a capital of £92,000 in £100 shares. The object of the company is the building, equipping, outfitting of the s.s. Star of Australia; to work the said steamship, and, generally, to carry on in all or any of their respeotivo branches the businesses of shipbuilders, shipbrokers, shipowners, carriers by land and sea of passengers, mails, goods, merchandise, etc. The signatories are Messrs. J. Corry, R« Corry, A. C. Cotto, J. W. Corry, R. W. Corry, W. Corry and H. W. Corry. Table A mainly applies. The first managers are J. P. Corry and Co., of 9 to 11, Fenchurch Avenue, E.C.