THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12834, 6 April 1905, Page 6

THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL.

ARRIVAL OP THE SIERRA. The mail steamer Sierra arrived from San. Francisco and Island ports early yesterday morning, after a very fast steaming trip of 15 days 12 hours 18 minutes, the actual time from the Californian port, including detentions at way ports, being 17 days 0 hours 25 minutes. The steaming time of the Sierra 011 this voyage is three hours less than on any of her previous voyages. The Sierra was detained at San Francisco until four minutes past five a.m. on March 18, nearly three days late, awaiting the arrival of the overland mails, which were late in reaching New York. Shortly after passing through the Golden (•ate the steamer ran into vety severe weather, during which she had to heaveto, owing to the heavy seas, and Iter passage was thus prolonged by nine hours. Honolulu was made on the evening of the 23id, but, having a large cargo to land, the steamer did not get. away until the next afternoon. tin the run to Pago Pago strong trade winds and choppy seas prevailed, and the Samoan port was reached on the morning of the 30th. Very bad weather prevailed during the steamer's stay in port, and cargo operations were greatly interfered with, the steamer having to tenia in in port for 18 hours. Leaving Pago Pago on the morning of the 31st, the steamer was put at full speed. the .first day's run being 401 knots, and the second day 407 knots. Bad weather again. set. in, and approaching the Barrier on Tuesday the weather was very thick, and accompanied by rain-squalls, necessitating the steamer being put at dead slow for a number of hours. The weather clearing some time afterwards, the Raugitoto Channel was made shortly after six a.m. yesterday, when the pilot was taken on hoard, and the anchorage reached about seven a.m. The steamer, being granted pratique, berthed at the Queen-street Wharf, when the passengers and their baggage, were at once disembarked. the steamer had a very fair number of passengers for New Zealand, and also for Australia, and the cargo foi all ports comprised 1017 tons of the usual American merchandise. 470 tons being landed at. Auckland. The mails by the steamer are of the following dates:-/ London. March 4: New York, March 13: San Francisco. March 18: Honolulu, March 24; Samoa, March 31. Personal Items and other interesting new* from our London, correspondent will be found elsewhere in this issue. The mails by the Sierra for New Zealand and .Australia were much larger 1 ban usual, comprising 933 sacks for Australia alone, which is due to the disruption of the Suez seiviee. The Southern portions of the mails were despatched from Onehunga. by the Takapuna, yesterday afternoon, for New Plymouth and Wellington, the steamer crossing the Mauukau Bar at a quarter-past Jive p.m. The Sierra resumed her voyage to Sydney shortly before live p.m. yesterday, and an effort will bo made to reach Sydney in time for pratique on Saturday evening next. Regarding the Sierra being 24 hours late in reaching .'.'an Francisco from Auckland on her last voyage, it i? explained by the fact that on approaching the California!* coast a. very dense fog was encountered. and the steamer's engines had to be put at dead slow fur some hours. The weather lifting, the steamer was put on her course again, and picked up the lightship 15 miles off the Golden (late, but the fog then again became .so dense that the steamer had to stop, and it was not until the next morning that she was able to enter the Californian port.