ARRIVAL OF THE OTAKI.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 4664, 29 January 1877, Page 2

ARRIVAL OF THE OTAKI.

Tlii3 fine vessel, one of the New Zealand Shipping Co.'s new ships, on her second voyage, nnd first visit to tiiis port, her first voyage having been made to Lyttelton labt year, was sighted off the Ocean Beach on Saturday and fetched the Heads during the night. She was t-wed in by the .Occloiig betimes yesterday morning. The Ot iki is a comely ship, with that comfortable appearance ind/cfttive of good sea going qualities combined with lines for travelling. She ia substantially built and liberally equipped, in accordance with the most approve! style of lato days, and hus Urst rato t.aloon accommodation within a full pooi>. The saloon is a grand apartment, flank*) by Ur.e and well-furnished sleeping cabins. The Otafci has not made a clipping run, but her performance was uood nevertheless for not only had >-he poor winds between M'deira and the S E. Trade, but off that island sho encountered a succession of heavy southerly gales, and lost ten days through thej). Such weather is se'dom experienced there. From London, which fhn left October 21th, she ran down Channel with leading winds, and cleared the land on the 28th, and carried the breeze right to the Utitudc of Madeira. Then the bad wev her set in, and with the wind veering and huiiling between S.W. and S.S.E., gale after gale found her, aad for 10 diys kept her down to storm cmvas. The sen, heavy throughout, became very cross on the fifih day, ana oo+rded her repeatedly, drowning a quantity of live stock, including five pigs, and considerably dani'UioK'oiio of the deck-houses. Severo thunder and lightning attended the worst part of the weather, with exceedingly heavy mio. To ease the ship, all top hamper was sent down, and she nobly responded, hr conduct throughout the gales being admirable. Li hi wuitble winds followed until she reached the.Bth parallel north, where the.S.E. Trade was met November 25tb, and the Line crossed on the 23th, in long. 27 30 W. The Trade proved very good, and carried her to lat. 31 S., there giving out on December 3rd. On December Oth, she passed the Island of Trinidad in fight, and tested her chronometers. The Tr<de guvo p'acs to variable winds, with which she worked along to the prime meridian, crossing it December 22nd, lat. 41, and four days afterwards crossed the meridian of the Cape. It was not until the 28th, when she was six degrees further c*flt, that the steady westerlies caught her, and with them she ran along on about the 4S:h parallel until abi esut of the Leuwin on January 22, d, where canvas was reduced to the foro and main lower topsails to a severe easterly gale that drove her to 60 south. Thence heavy we?t'rly weather was experienced to the land—the Snares being passed, but not in si. lit, on the 25th, and on that day sho »ns in ihe thick of a heavy gale, and thencj up the cuast had exceedingly unsettled, boisterous wc-ithor. No ice was sighted in the Southern Octan, but its close proximity was indicated by the low temperature, particularly wlum the ship was abreast tt Kerguelen Land. A notob'y low barometer may be quoted as an incident of her run to the southward—the glass hung nt 29 for days. The Otald has 109 passengers, including 23 in the saloca. Neither births nor deaths occurred amongst them. She has a heavy cargo, about 1800 tons, of •■•hich 600 tons are dead weight—iron, &c. 'Che otaki is commanded by Captain S thatu, lato of the ship Wnitangi. The steamer luo returned to Port Fridaj night, with a cargo of coal shipped at Kaitancata. She left here yesterd iy week, went to Catlin's River, loaded timber Mo.diy, and proceeded to Kaitangata; discharged it, and loaded up 37 tons of coal, and left Kriday evening, arriving as above. The barque Bobvcito sailed for Newcastle Saturday uioruiufr; the Geelong towed her out. The O. and D. 5.3. Co.'s steamer Waitaki, Captain E'lie, rtturned from Oamaru Saturday afternoon, with a full complement of passengers and cargo. Sh,; made the run up in good time against a strong S.W. breeze. Her cargo included 81 bales o''woal for the Calypso, and 97 for the Wairoa. She leaves agaiu for Oamaru to-mo row morning. The missionaiy brigantine Dayspring sailed for Lyttelton Saturday forenoon. The Union Company's steamer Taranaki, Capt.in Andrew, arrive:) at the Port Railway Pier at 5.50 p.m. Saturday. She is from the North, and left the Manukau :u 2 p.m. on the 22nd; called at Taranaki, Nelson, Peton, Wellington, Lyttelton. Shipped 170 bales of wool there, and went en to Akaroa at 0 p.m. on Friday, arriving at 10.30 p.m. Left again at la.m., and arrived as above. The passage from the North was marked by disagreeable weather. The wind, strong from S.W. to Taranaki, veered to W. and N.W., and backed to S.W,, blowing a heavy gale be-tw-cn Tiranaki and Ne'son, with a heavy crosss sea. Moderate N.W. weather prevailed then round to Lyttelton, and from tho latter port, equally southerly w-aiher, the wind at half a gal;. We thank Mr Edminston, the purser, for the report. The Taranaki transhipped 107 bales of wool to the ship Duncdin on Saturday nl^ht, and is to leave agun for tho North tomorrow. Messrs Martin and Watson's s.s. Shag, returned to Port on Saturday evening from a remarkably smart trip to Shag Point and Mooraki. fche left the Port atnoon on B'riday; run down to Mooraki, shipped cargo, and loft at 9 a.m. on Saturday ; called at Shag Point, and filled up, and arrived here at 7 p.m. She will tranship 37 bales of wool to the Dune'iin this morning, and go to town with the rest of her cargo. She leaves again this evening for Shag Point and Moeraki. The steamer Express left for the Bluff on Saturday evening. The ketch Palmerston returned to part yesterday, from a round trip hence to Oamaru with a full cargo, and thence sailing Friday morning to Kakanui, Moeraki, and Waikouaiti, the latter port being reached on Friday night. She was freight-seeking in each port, but found none, and so cleared out of Waikouaite Saturday morning, and fetched the Heads anchorage in the afternoon. Captain Brebner reports having unsteady winds up. They backed rourjd from N.E. to S.B. on Friday, and yesterday to S.W., hauling to south. The Bcbooners Maid of Otago, Zior, Jane Hannah, Bencleuch; kotches Fanny, Anna, Jessie, Kestrel, Isabella, were driven bade to th« Head 3 by the southerly gale of Saturday, and anchored. 'Ihe stoamer Easbyleft for Sydney via Cook Strait Saturday afternoon. Messrs H. Houghton and Co.'s steamer War.ganui, Captaiu Fraser, returned from fho Bluff yesterday morning, and went, alongside the Dock head to land posts and rails for the railway. Sho made the round trip since Thursday evening, and left the Bluff with fair compliment of passonfCJs and cargo at 0 p.m. A. fresh west wind and nne weather marked the run down. The Wanganui will leave again for the Bluff on Wednesday next. ■■ ■■ •. . The Union Company's steamer Taiaroa, Captain Petorsen, came in from Timaru yesterday at C.30 p.m., with a large quantity of wool, of which 110 bales are for the ship Wniron, 175 for the Dunoo'in, and 37 for the Calypso. She has also 577 sacks of oats for transhipment to the steamer Tararna, for Melbourne, and some cargo for Dunedin. The Taiaroa left for Timaru Friday evening, and had remarkable weather going down, the \iind blowing a gale all round the compass. Light N.E. winds wore ex-.erlcr.ced on the return triii. The Talcoa leaves again for Timaru to-morroiv evening. We thank Mr Latimer, purser, for thereport. The ketch Defiance, loaded with building stone, came in from Oamaru yesterday forenoon Mid anchored off the Port. Tho schooner Jane Anderson, hound to the Bluff, and the schooner Mary Ogilvie, for the coast, sailed yesterday moraine. According to advices received by Captain M'Callum, the schooner Pioneer, timber-laden for this port, was lying at New Hirer, Invoieia'ill, wind-bound, on the 24th inst, with no immediate prospect of getting away. Tho schooner Cora w^s also there, windbound. Messrs Ma'-mrckan and Blackwood'a ste<OTPr Tararua, Captain Sinclair, arrived at the Port Chalmers Riilway Pier at, 1.20 p.m. yesterday. Sho is from Sydney via Coast ports. Lett, January 17th, at 4 p.m , arrived off Hokitikaon the 22nd ; whs smartly tendered there, and also ut the Grey, and then proceeded on round the coast. Culled at Ne'son, Wellington, and l.yttelton. Left the latter port at 230 p.m. Saturday, and arrived as above. The trip was marked by fine weather throughout. We thank Mr Birch, the purser, tor the report and files. The Tararua leaves this afternoon for Melbourne, via Bluff and Hobarfc Town, and will embark passengers by the '.30 train from Dunedin. The schooner Jane Scollay, bound to ltivorton, the ketch Catlin and schooner Isabfl'a Ander.-on, bound coastwise, and tho schooner Mabel Jane, bound lol'ort Molyneux, came down from Dunedin yesterday, and anchored off tho Port. The ketch Good Templar came in from Cathu's River yesterday, and wont on to Dunedin. The kotcii Lloyd's Herald, from Kakanui, arrived yesterday uf tcrnoon at the Port. Tnc steamer Samson left for O mam on Saturday nl&Ir Macdonald, master of the tug Geolong, improved his opportunity on Saturday afternoon by goiner down to tho Heads at a late hour, and when tl o wind lulled fastened to tho ship Canterbury, and hid her safe at anchor in the Powder Ground by 2 a.m. '1 hen tho Geelon" Uirnrd seawards again and attended to the ship Otaki jnst arrived, ami fetched her in by seven o'clock. It was a good night's work, and a judicious one, for the weather was very threatening, and had it come on to blow ag*in tho detent'on of the ship 3 outBide might have extended to days. ] 'iho brUatitine Flirt, from Auckland, via Mercury Bay, arrived at Port yesterday. She left the latter place on the 20th inst., and hud leading and variable winds up. with one heavy westerly gale on Wednesday lust, off Cups; Palliaer. She was hove-to for 12 hours, then fihaped her course and passed Banks Peninsula on Friday, and fetched the Port yestc day afternoon. She is timber-lad -n, and will discharge at Dunediu The ketch Franklin Belle arrived from Waikouaiti last evening, ii'-d anchored off ihe Port.