WATER FOR STEAMERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13286, 19 September 1906, Page 8

WATER FOR STEAMERS.

COMPLAINT OF OCEANIC COM- •--.'•' PANY. ' -'". ■-j alleged DELAY OF mail STEAMER. .At the meeting of the i Auckland Harbour * Board, held yesterday, the manager for the - Oceanic Steamship Company (Mr. V, A. ' Sproul) complained of the delay in ' the • Sonoma receiving water on her last trip. * The Sonoma arrived in Auckland at four; ' o'clock on the 11th inst., and would in the \ ordinary course have left for San Francisco about eight p.m., but she was detained till .; one o'clock the following, morning in takiug in 366 tons of water, which occupied some eight hours. Captain Trask advised him that „, the ship could only obtain about 44 tons of water per hour, against about 70 tons per hour supplied up till a recent date. Ho hoped' the present flow would be increased to at least 70 tons per hour, as the mail *' ' steamers frequently required from 300 to -,; 500 tons of water, which at the present rate of delivery would mean a stay of some 12 ;' ; hours, and this in view of th© fact that the outward steamer to San Fransisco, generally i "':'■'■ : ; ',£ 'speaking, did not require for cargo purposes to remain any longer than five or six hours at Auckland. In the Sonoma's case the . ' steamer had been detained through meeting >; thick weather and her further detention was to be regretted. ' j The traffio manager of the Board (Mr. Burgess) reported that in consequence of all the water for the Queen-street Wharf having to pass through the meter at the head of the wharf the flow through the pipes to shipping was slower than formerly, being now about 46 tons per hour, as against 60 tons ' per hour previously. If more than one hose were attached, as in the case of two ves- 11 sels requiring water at the same time, the pressure was reduced, and the supplv per hose diminished. As a rule the mail steam- . ers received what water Ihev required, and! were given the preference/ If the mail steamer's enginerooru pipes were larger more ( water could be given that department in th« time available. He was given to understand that tho water supply on the Auckland \ ' wharves compared very' favourably with that, in other ports. If, however, it was deemed .; "-. advisable to augment the.supply, so as to .. meet cases of emergency, larger mains or ' :',! duplicate pipes would be'required. On the motion of the chairman the letter . was referred to the committee for report- '