RACE AGAINST TIME.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20976, 12 September 1931, Page 10

RACE AGAINST TIME.

REPAIRS TO A STEAMER. THE CITY OF KIMBERLEY. WORK OF EXCEPTIONAL TYPE. CAREFUL PLANNING OF TASK. A well-ordered race against time is proceeding at Calliope Dock, where repairs of a character unique in New Zealand are being carried out to the steamer City of Kimberley, which lost her propeller in the Pacific 1300 miles from Auckland and was towed to port by the Opawa. In addition to losing her propeller the City of Kimberley broke her tailshaft, twisted her crankshaft and cracked her stern tuba, and replacements recently received from England are now being installed. The contract for installing and machining the parts was secured by the Victory Engineering Company, and one of the undertakings .given by the successful tenderers is that the dock work will bo carried out in seven days. That period began at 10 a.m. last Tuesday, and, excluding Sunday, will expire at 10 a.m. next Wednesday. Those acquainted with the intricate, awkward and laborious nature of the work have agreed that a " tall oidor " was undertaken in guaranteeing the completion of the contract within so short a time. Many in the trade considered at least a fortnight would be required. However, having committed themselves to do the work in half that period, the successful tenderers laid careful plans, for, if the task extends beyond the stipulated time, the contractors will be liable to pay £55 for .each day overdue.

Replacing the Stern Tube. The removal of the old stern tube and the installation of the new one was the crux of the contract, for the time occupied in that job largely governed the period required for the whole of the work. After consultation with his foreman, Mr. W. Binns, the manager of the Victory Engineering Company, Mr. G. R. Watson, decided the best method of extracting the damaged tube was to bore the casting fore and aft while the tube was still in the aperture. As a rule, such a job takes several days—even as long as two weeks—but on this occasion the tube was withdrawn in two sections in the exceptionally fast time of one hour and 38 minutes. The old tube was withdrawn inward and the new tube was installed, also from the interior of the ship, being taken in through the tunnel and placed in position, after an arduous night's work, under a pressure of 100 tons. To ensure the completion of the work within a week it was originally arranged to work two shifts of 12 hours each daily, but, apart from the installation of the new tube, it has not been found necessary to work at night, and it is believed the vessel will be undocked by luesdnv, a day ahead of schedule. Thousandths of an Inch. "With the breaking of the old tailshaft the propeller dropped to the bottom of the sea but fortunately did not strike the vessel. The damage to the crankshaft necessitated the ordering of a new section from England. To ascertain whether the remaining section had been strained by tho breakage, it was also hoisted out of the ship and tested. It was found to be several lOOOths of an inch out of true and tha defect was rectified. As a pic-e of paper is usually estimated to be of a thickness amounting to 4-1000ths of an inch, the degree of accuracy required in machining can lie the better appreciated. The new tailshaft was being installed yesterday and by Monday most of the interior work is expected to be completed, (hus enabling the boss to be fitted and (lie propeller blades attached. That part of the work, eomptfgptively speaking, will be child's piay, Saving regard to the intricate nature of the earlier tasks.

Although tho new machinery is of impressive bulk, only those in the trade would be able to hazard a reasonably accurate guess at the weight of the parts. The tailshaft. for instance, weighs 8 tons, the new section of the crankshaft 5 tons 3 cwl.. the stern tube 5 tons, the propeller boss 4 tons 19 cwt.. and each of the four propeller blades tons. Men's Splendid Efforts.

The removal of the damaged machinery and (lie hoisting on board of (lie now parts was in itself a highly delicate opera tion. It was performed with the aid of a floating crano while the City of Kimberley was at, Sheerlegs Wharf. In spito of the necessity for threading bulky machinery through a maze of ladders, steampipes and other fittings, the task was achieved without so much as the glass of one gauge being broken. Never previously has a similar type of engineering job been done in New Zealand, and tho engineers of the City of Kimberley have expressed their frank astonishment at the rapid progress made. Mr. Watson said yesterday that his men. under tho direction of Mr. Binns, had taken a personal pride in tho work and had co-operated splendidly to ensure the fulfilment of the contract within the restricted period. Tho swiftness with which tho replacements are being made also speaks well for the facilities available in Auckland to meet such an emergency. The job is of a type so unusual that many engineers have visited the dock to inspect the work which has made such a notable tax on the resourcefulness of (lie contractors.

The ('itv of Kimberley is expected to leave Auckland on September 24. She will then proceed in ballast to Tort Pirie (o load iron ore, and she will complete loading at Adelaide and Fremantle for England and the Continent. The vessel, which belongs to tho F.llerman. Bucknall Line, has been at Auckland since July 2.