SMART REPAIR WORK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20982, 19 September 1931, Page 12

SMART REPAIR WORK.

THE CITY OF KIMBERLEY. IARGEST TASK OF ITS KIND. FINISHED AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. ACHIEVEMENT BY LOCAL FIRM. After ,being in port for eleven weeks, towing to damage done when she lost her propeller in the Pacific, the Eller-man-Bucknall steamer City of Kimberley is expected to sail for Port Pirie tomorrow morning. The vessel lost her propeller on June 21, when she was en loute from New York to Auckland, and she reached port on July 22 after being towed for over 1300 miles by the New Zealand Shipping Company's new motoryessel Opawa. When the propeller was lost the City tof Kimberley's stern tube, tailshaft and crankshaft were damaged and they had to be renewed by replacements sent from England. This was the cause of the vessel's prolonged delay, as the new crankshaft and tailshaft did not reach Auckland until August 27, while tho propeller and stern tube arrived on September 6. [When completed the actual work of repairing the vessel will have occupied only about ten days, and the expeditious manner in which the work has been carried put is warmly praised by shipping people. Tho task is one of the largest of its kind done at Auckland. When the Victory Engineering Company accepted a contract to carry out the repairs it was (considered that the time specified for tho jivork was much too little. The fact that the repairs are expected to be completed Hvell under the specified time is a remarkable achievement. The vessel came out of dock on Tuesday, a day earlier than {was expected, and the remainder of the jwork, which is being done at Central [Wharf, was expected to take until next When advice was received that the vessel was required to commence loading at jPort Pirie as soon as possible, the final repairs to the machinery were further expedited and they will be completed about midnight to-night. Then the engines will be thoroughly tested and will be kept running for about four hours. Should this test prove satisfactory the jrcssel will sail to-morrow morning.