A NEW FERRY STEAMER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 13050, 15 December 1905, Page 6

A NEW FERRY STEAMER.

LAUNCH OF THE KESTREL, ' AN AUCKLAND-BUILT VESSEL. , Tkk now steamer Kestrel, for the Devonport Steam Ferry Company, was launched from the shipbuilding yards of Mr. C. Bailey, jun., Custom-street West, yesterday morning, in the presence of a large assemblage. Tluv launch was highly successful, not a, hitch occurring, the steamer gliding down the ways and taking the water beautifully. The tine lines of the Kestrel, when she was fairly in the water, were most noticeable, I and were the theme of general remark. Miss May Alison (daughter-of- Mr.-.E.W. Alison, M.H.li. for Waitemala, and managing director of the company) performed the christening ceremony by breaking a bottle of champagne across the bows of the steamer as she started down tho ways. The Kestrel is an improvement" on the design of (lie company's steamer Albatross (built by Mr. Bailey last year), and is intended for the Auckland-Devonport service. Her dimensions are: —.-Length, 130f i.: breadth, 29ft; depth (moulded), lift; draught, 7ft. The keel, kelsons, and sister kelsons arc all of ironbark, the framing of puriri and kauri, and the planking of kauri. Nothing but timber of the best class has been used in-her construction. The beams and bulkheads are of iron, and the steamer is copper-fastened throughout. The whole of the work on the steamer bears evidence of thorough workmanship. On the top deck there are two spacious cabinsone for ladies, and the other for gentlemen. , A handsome stairway, with polisLed cedar railing, . leads from the ladies' cabin to the main cabin on the lower deck. There is a

promenade right round the steamer on the lower deck. A permanent awning.is to be erected similar to that of the Albatross. The

panelling in all the cabins is of polished kauri and cedar, and great care has been exercised to have as much ventilation as

possible. All the deck tit-tings are of bras*. The contractor expects to have all the wood work finished in about a week, and a. it is les.; than five months since the contract for ! Ok construction of the steamer was signed, lit ill be sen that no time has bean lost in pushing on. with the work. ! Vto engines and boiler have been made I by the well-known losal firm of Messrs. George Fraser and Sous, Limited, and are on the compound principle; the cylinders bfling 16in and 32in respectively, with a strwke of 22in, and a woiking pressure of 130!b, and are expecter; £■> ievclop 400 horsepower. The boiler is lire- in diameter, and 10;"'. in length, fitted v it. Fox's corrugated flues, and has been subject to a hydraulic ;-'pres3:':e of 2601b. Sue hit two screws one at either end of the v -.«!. The engines and boiler have* been very' strongly constructed, and are trua \ trees of workmanship. . ..'--./'."'/' ' /' ' -' , As soon as the Kescr. . was launched she was towed .over to He c: street Wharf, where the work of fitif ;, >• up the engines was at once proceeded >./,'■ h, and the boiler will be lifted in to-day. U is expected that all' the enginerooir worl. -ri'/l be completed j for pi, trial run of the a';;'mep «- be made I before the holidays, aid ii/ is uvtrM /atiy : anticipated that ..he Ivestr-l will take up her running by the end of-th/: year. After the launching th«> visitors adjourned to the builder's shed, where Mr. E. W. Edison proposed the toast of "The Desigi>•« and Builder, Mr. C. Bailey, jsv.'' .'Air. Alison said that the Kestrel was -the ii'.th w.o-amelr built - for the company by ie Messrs., Baileytwo by Mr. C .S-*iky, kv, I and three, by Mr. C. Bailey, inn.—all c!i I which had turned out most satisfactory. j

The Kestrel had been, faithfully designed i anr 1 cons- acted, and ha*i beautifrs Z x : . es. iPpx. "was tr'ie i-rgeot- f'.rty, steam." ; \or i-.nr- in V.% ; colony, ■■, ; .',"• 'ad i> -..oLbt I va«",i: ?he>-6nld 'pr-.,- ?, cnxlit *,;.< feb*-i j :i«sig. J, er a-j'.'rS- builder, ii-v< uomp.-::/,. ana 'A".» j 1 porc.V; Ai ■..khmd. (A voice: '" And to New ; and. ,i > P-e taferyid in uighi;' ccn>-vl ■ i mentary terms to the faithful, vori/na dike j and expeditious maimer inWhv.T" ,hf v.'or!-~ ' had bee.a ~:armd out. The Ke,!,tre*. la ; Drove « v;.■ -aa,t acquisition to the eirry ~ rice, and th;- -ir/Ments both of Devonport, s,a& Auckland vnr M, no doubt, find her ..;' much .service- v-l-.-n travelling to and fio. The toast was drunk with musical honours, Mr/ C. jjuiiitj, j;;.n., ief.i_v„ijj. r.li. ..-.I;:,'"! 1 , then proposed the / toast of-: "Messrs. .- George Fraser and Sons, Limited," the contractors for the engines 'and boiler. Mr. Alison, said that the co had pndei*- > cured to, as far as postibk, make, li.r ~*,* J steamer a local production. It shonid, be tbe aim of all, he said, to kev3p the work of manufacturing matbk-.Ty in New Zealand, especially wheu il l -.;, had such firms as Messrs. Fraser am- .■/« i?." them, who kepitheir ,:li-nt weli .nv> to date, and whose ..'--jtsuship wr»- of ; th» bet-' . The e;. : . ! ; gGSM.of the' Alb*, oss n-ue made in Britain, but bo f el/sure that f-'-ose of the Kestrel 'VguM prove just as good, a.td they redected every credit upon'/ the contractors. Several other toasts, including " Success to the Kestrel," and " Success to tl. : e Devonport Steam Ferry Company,'' were duly proposed and -acknowledged., i