MARITIME MATTERS

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVII, Issue 5558, 8 April 1905, Page 16

MARITIME MATTERS

(By “ Mainsail.”)

An unusual sight was witnessed at Newcastle last week by the barque Eona. from Dunedin, sailing into the harbour without the assistance of a tug. The barque was boarded about three miles out by Pilot F. Leslie. Two tugboats had raced for the tow, but the night being beautifully clear and moonl'ght, with a fair north-cast breeze, their services wore evidently declined, as the barque cam© in under her own sail right up to her anchozage. Tho steamer Abbey Holme, which arrived at Newcastle recently from Ocean

Island, reported a slump in shipping al the latter place. Capta.n Brown stater that he left Seigon, Cochin China, or February 20th. in ballast, for the purpose of loading phosx>hates for Germany He arrived at Ocean Island on the JOth ult., but found there were five steamers there waiting to load. There were at the island the Norwegian steamer Heros and the Lombardy, while the Dongola, Dunbar, and Ailsacraig were cruising in the vicinity. Seeing that he would have some time to wait, and fearing that he might run short of coal and supplies. Captain Brown came on to Newcastle for the purpose of replenish ng his bunkers. II 0 left Ocean Island on the 101 b. The Abbey Holme took a cargo of coal from Japan to the French settlement of Seigon. When he left Japan best coal there was worth 13s 3d per ton.

At a meeting of the Union of Germat Engineers in Erancfort on Main Messn Capitaino and Co. wore showing a uei\ gas-engine, which is intended to replace tho stea -engines of sh.ps at present in use, especially those up to 1000 li.p. The chief advantages of this engine are the complete utilisation of the coal, its light weight and little apace required. The engine is perfectly safe from cxplos on Whilst the consumption of coal of a TOO h.p. steam engine amounts to about 190 to 150 kg. per hour, tho gas-engine will only require 36kg. Tho coal-will be utilised in tho same way as with suction gas generator plants. Whether the Gapitaino gas engine of a higher h.p. capacity, say from 1000 to 3000 and more, will prove to become extensively employed, the future will show. It is not nniikelj’, knowing what splendid achievements have been made with gas-engines of several thousand horse-power hi stationary work, that in the near future our fastest ocean liners will ba fitted with them. In the -course of the past six years a whole class of -warships in the German navy has undergone , a process of reconstruction which has excited a great deal

of interest. Eight ironclads, destined for the defence of the home coast, more the mouths of rivers and the Ivaiaer Wilhelm's Canal, have been transformed into a larger type. These ships had each of them, before the alteration, a displacement of 3500 tons, they were 73 motors in length with a maximum breadth of 14.9 meters, and had, a draught of 5.3 meters. Two triple-expansion engines, driven by four locomotive boilers, gave them a maximum power of 4800 h.p;. and a speed of about knots an hour. 'Each’ sli p of this class was able to carry 330 tons of coal, a quantity sufficient for a voyage of 2000 nautical miles. Though somewhat insignificant in their . capacities, those ships were nevertheless considered adequate for .the defence of the coast-line. In the course of t ; me, how-, ever, it was ’found’necessary to replace these locomotive boilers by others of the water-tube. type. As nearly all the parts of the upper deck were made of wood, it was judged advisable, considering their inflammability,' and more espeo : ally in consequence of the lessons learned from the naval_ battles of the Sino-Japaneso

and the Hispano-American Wars, when it was discovered, among other things, that the flying about of splinters was accompanied by considerable danger and inconvenience, that all the wooden parte on deck should be removed. The navy department finally resolved to make an experiment with H.M.S. Hagen, and the task was te-cun in May. 1899, in the royal docks at Kiel. The Hagen having been dry-docked, the armour plates and all the connecting parts in 'the middle of the ship were removed, and the whole thus divided into two parts. The stern half, which «was restii?g on sliding runners, was now drawn back a distance of x 8.4 metres, the intermediate space then being built out. In the month of May. 1900, the new, lengthened ship was so far completed that it could leave the docks. On the first of October she made her first trial trip, which turned out so satisfactory, that it was immediately resolved to lengthen the seven, other ships of that class in: the'same way. The new warship is now 81.4 meters in length with a displacement of 4114 tons. Owing to the greater size of the ship the crew could be augmented from 276 to 297 men; the ship was, moreover, enabled to carry a supply of provisions sufficient for six weeks. The amount of coal that can now be shipped is 589 tons, a quantity large enough for a distance of 3500 nautical miles, i.e. about twice as far as ships had hitherto been able to traverse. By inserting water-tube boilers in the place of the old locomotive boilers, the niajcimum capacity of : the engine ivas raised from 4545 h.p. to 5250 h.p., and consequently the speed ' was increased from 14.75 knots to 15 knots an hour. It has been found that the stability of the ship has been augmented,by this transformation, the’more so, as many other improvements have been introduced. The number and size of the cannon have also

been augmented, the masts replaced by larger ones, a second funnel introduced, etc., etc. Since the signal success of the first experiment, the whole class of these ships has undergone a similiar transformation, the total cost of which has been estimated at no less than 14.7 million marks. ■ The following regulat’ons, passed under the, Sydney Harbour Bates Act, ■ 1904, have b-en gazetted:—!. Goods chargeable with harbour rates and not intended for tranship ent, shall, ' for convenience in levying such rates, he chargeable at the rat© of lOd per ton weight or measurement, in the option of the Commissioners; Provided that goods shall not be chargeable with a rate exceeding half the rate specified : n the Wharfage and Tonnage, Rates Act, 1901. 2. Transhipment rates shall be payable, at the office of tht Commissioners, and iyll he received at the time of passing the transhipment entries. 3. Tolls or charges, in accordance with the following scale, shall be paid in respect of every vessel of less than 240 tong register (except vessels en-

■ gaged in picnic or excursion or passenger or horse ferry traffic, tugs, lighters, coal hulks, water boats, floating plant, punts, watermen’s skiffs, and private launches and rowing and sailing craft not being used for hire) while berthed at any wharf, dock, pier,'jetty, landing stage, slip, or platform vested in the Commissioners; Vessels not exceeding 60 tons, 2s 6d for ■each day or portion of a day; vessels over 60 tons and not exceeding 120 tons. 5s for each day or portion of a day; vessels over 120 tons and under 340 tons, 10s for each day or portion of a day. In this connection two notices have been issued by the Harbour Trust. One was addressed to ship owners, masters, and agents, and was couched in the following terms;—"The attention ,of ship owners, masters, and agents is drawn to section 11 of the Sydney Harbour Rates Act, which is. as follows:—‘The master of a vessel shall, within 24 hours after enter- ■ ing the port of Sydney, lodge at the' office of the Commissioners a true and complete copy of his manifest, and if he fail to do so ho shall be liable to ai penalty not exceeding £loo,’ ” Before leaving the s.s. Kotoiti, the stewards’, staff presented Miss J. Thomson with a silver tea service and silver-' mounted oak tray, as a token of their; esteem, and to mark the appreciation of her wedding to Mr \V. J. Cannon.

Nino of tho girls employed, in a hotel in Pennsylvania, U.S.A., went out on strike because the wife of the proprietor issued on order against swear-