SHIPPING TELEGRAMS.D

Otago Daily Times, Issue 3686, 27 November 1873, Page 4

SHIPPING TELEGRAMS.D

. AucKiiANDyNovember 26th. Arrived.—"Wellington, sjs., from the South. . Lvrrzi.TOK, Kovember 26th.

Hadda, for Dunedin and Bluff, Mary Ann Armison, for Newcastle, and Punjaub, for London, are all again in port, windbonnd.

The little contretemps that occurred yesterday as the ship Rokeby Hall was being hauled off from the wharf, preparatory to taking her departure for ■Wellington, was another broad hint to the Harbour" authorities to both widen and deepen the channel—or rather gutter, for it is scarcely worthy, of, the more pretentious designation—that leads from the broad anchorage of the stream to the Railway Pier. The gutter was artificially constructed by dredging- after the Pier was built, and for fear that ships would take it into their figure-heads to run away, it was constructed within the narrowest of limits, just room enough

being provided for vessels to haul in and haul out end on. That the necessity for turning'a vessel might ever arise was not supposed- even, much less entertained, or that it would be desirable to make the gateway wide enough to allow vessels to comfortably pass each other. At least, we infer the latter, from the difficulty that was experienced on Tuesday in removing the .Rokeby Hall to. the fairway. One hundred feet was the originally proposed width of the gutway, but we understand that only seventy feet wide was dredged,- and the channel that should have been was left unfinished. Now, seventy feet measured from the piles of the pier, is barely double the beam of two second-class shipis, but as the bank

through which the gutway runs carries about fourteen feet of water at low s tidey it may .have!been assumed that only vessels leaving the wharf would pass outside, and being in ballast trim would find'room' by! overlapping the edge of the channel '■ witlr their bilges. If such an allowance wasi really: made, :-. all weMcan, say is that it was cutting it rather fine,, especially as somerjslight. margin of room for the play of vessels' yards ought to* have been left when the dredging-operations were under 'consideration, because- vessels going t» and from the wharf must pas? each, other, at .times.. Certainly the gateway that was scooped out was but the pretence for a channel, and even if it'had been' faithfully cut 100 ft. wide, according to the .original proposition, it would still have beta much too confined. The work, however, was not half completed, fincernoro or less trouble baa always b^en experienced in getting largesized ships away tbe Pier. How troublesome was demonstrated on I'ues ay in the case of theßokeby. • Ball, which, drawing some 16ft. of water, stuck on the edge of the charms], and was not got off un- it the, very top of high water. Pilot Patten, not f*ilot Kelly, as was reported yesterday, was. in;charge of Jier.- '■'■ If/by1 any mischance the ship had been left there by the tide, the most serious consequences'might have ensued. Being sharp in the floors, wall-sided to boot, she would have certainly taken to her beam-ends, er nearly so, for it, when the tide left, her; and hence, having so much dead weight on board, might hare suffered severe straining. It is to be hoped that this warning will not be thrown away upon the authorities that be, but that the necessity for immediately putting the dredge <to work to widen and deepen the channel will be recognised/and not to widen the channel to merely. 100 feet,' but to such a width as would permit the swinging of a ship when required.: The Harbour Company's steimer Wallabi showed up yesterday morning, and reached the anchorage at 10.30 a.m. She ran alongside the Peter Denny and transhipped three bales of wool, and then dropped down to the hulk and coaled, afterwards proceeding to Dunedin. Captain Leys reports' a rough passage from this port to Bluff, strong southerly winds and a head sea being encountered. The steamer arrived' at the Bluff at 7.30 p.m. on Sunday, discharged and took in cargo, and left again at 5 p.m. on fuesday, arriving as above. She passed a brig and schooner, off. Cook Head yesterday morning, and a topsail schooner a little further south, all standing to the southwards. '■ " • . ■-. ',".." ,: ■

Messrs M'Afeckan, Blackwood, and Co.'s fine steamer Tararna, J. W. Clarke, commander, arrived at the pier yesterday at 1 p.m. She left Melbourne at 5 p.m. on the 13th inst,; anchored off Hokitika at 5 a.m. on the 19th, thus making the run in 5 days 12 hours, the length of the passage being .accounted for by the strong easterly -weather she encountered during the first three days. Westerly winds prevailed afterwards, and attended her to the coast. She made but a short stay in Hokitika roads, for being smartly tendered by the steamer "WaipaTa she left for .Greymouth eaily in; the forenoon, ;. was tendered th*re shortly after noon, and left at 3 p.m. for Nelson : arrived at the latter port on the following day at 9.30, a.m.; left for Wellington at 9.10. am. on the, 21st and reached the wharf at C.30 p.m. the same day. Remained there until 2.30 p.m. on the 24th, then put to sea for Lyttelton, arriving there at 7 a.in. on the 25th. Left at 5:15 p.m., and arrived at Port Chalmers as above.-; Yesterday morning the Tararua passed the ship Eokeby Hall standing to the northward under all plain sail. The_ Tararua brings, a large number of passengers for this Province, including 20 coalminers, who came out in the ship Helen Denny, transhipped at Wellington. We notice by advertisement that the Tararua will leave for Melbourne this afternoon. She .takes the mail for England'going by the steamer leaving Melbourne on the sth of next month. .-.-■,

The schooners Maid of Southland, from Purakanui, and Awarua, from the Bluff, passed the Port yesterday for Dunedin. The Golden Age transhipped 45 bales wool and 5 tales of leather to the Peter Penny yesterday. 118 tales of wool for the same ship arrived per Samson from Oamaru last evening. The steamer Samson has made another smart run to and from Oamaru. She left Port Chalmers on Tuesday morning, arrived at Oamaru the same evening; shipped a quantity of cargo, an account of which appears elsewhere, and left oil her return trip at 0.35 p.m. yesterday, arriving at 5.35 p.m. Strong N.E. breezes helped her along the coast. ' The s.s. Waoganui sailed la t evening for the Bluff. TheahipCha-tian M'Ausland wis towed up from the powder ground yesterday and anchored off the Railway Pier, alongside wiiich she will berth to-day, weather permitting, She has been lightered of about 280 tons cargo Hltogether, The lowe- 'tween d^cks and lower forehold of the Lady Joce'yn are vow clear of cargo, and the work of discharging her is proceeding smarciy. It is notfied in yesterday's Provincial Government Gazette that on and after the nrst January. 1874, a fixed white light wilt be exhibited from a light-ship moored on the Cicuaru b ink, in the Lower Harbour of Dunedin. It will show an unbroken light all round, and may be seen in clear weather five miles.