THE DELPHIC AT DUNEDIN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13079, 15 September 1904, Page 8

THE DELPHIC AT DUNEDIN

CAPTAIN BREEN AND THE OWNERS

CONGRATULATED.

At the invitation of Mcs=ts Dalgety and Company, agents for the Shaw-Savill liner Delphic, a number of gentlemen representing shipping and mercantile interest* visited the Dclphic yesterday afternoon, and wero entertained by Captain Broen, whose visit to Dunedin is significant owing to the fact that he commands the largest vessel ever berthed at tho Dunedin wharf. Tho Shaw-Savill Company was represented! by Mr John Roberts, C.M.G., and Mr G. A. Ritchie; the New Zealand Shipping Company by Mr Bulloek, the i'odcral-Houlder line by Mr W. A. Moore, and the Union Sletim Ship Company by Mr T. W. Whitson. Others present were Messrs A. C. Begg, J. Itobin, .T. 15. Mason (Otago Harbour Board), Messrs R. M, Clark, C. W. Rattray, W. Gow (Chamber of Commerce), Captain M'Callum (liarbommaster), and Messrs F. 0. Bridgeman, C. B. Smith, 1L 'R. Law, A. i\ Robert:, and C. Bailey. After some little time had been spent in. looking over the big vessel, the company adjourned to the dining saloon, where there was f.omo speech-making and drinking of toasts. Mr Roberts, on behalf of the. Shaw, Sa-vill, and Albion Company, io welcoming those present to the Delphic, siid lie desired to express his appreciaiion of the company that such a large diii) had been ablo lo navigate the upper l arhour.—("Hear, hear.") There was no doubt, continued Mr Roberts, tint the contrast between a ship of tho dimensions of tho Dclphic and tlie ships of . c!(iou times "that used to carefully mako their way up the eld east channel was great. At one time he thought tho maximum was reached when vessels of 250 tons and drawing UPt or 9ft of water came up to Dunedin. Now, ho was happy to sav, the day ha<l come when leviathans like the Dclphic wero able to berth at Dunc<lin, and lie hoped the. day was coming when still larger vessels would bo abxs to navigato tho Victoria, channel. —("Hear, hear.") Mr R. if. Clark (president of the Chamber of Commerce') then briefly welcomed. Captain Breon to Dunedin, and paid a tribute, to him for his enterprise in bringing the Delphic lip to Dunedin. It was hoped that in a few years vessels even of a larger siza would be ablo to come up the Victoria channel without difficulty. 'I'iie Dclphso was drawing about 19ft in her present conditic.il, and with her propeller blade.s revolving sho would probably be nearer 20ft, and it was no small feat to bring a vessel of her size and tonnage safely up to Dunedin.—(" Hear, hear.") Mr Clark also added that possibly if; was not everyone who could appreciate the strain and anxieties to which a marinoK was subjected. The ordinary business manleaving his office was comparatively free from worry till tho next day, but tho captain o!" a large vessel was never in that happy position. He never knew but that tho smoke of a stranse vessel on the horizon might not mean—that ho was about to havo a, blank shot firod across his bows, and if he disregarded tl» hint then a shell was likely to whistle through his rigging. If lie escaped having his papers overhauled by ct, belligerent, lucre wzs still the possibility in certain localities that he might run upon a floating mine and 10.-o his ship. Captain Breen's health was then cordially toasted, and in reply he remarked that prior to leaving London the nmager of tho Shaw-Savill Company expressed the wish that the Delphic should come up to Dunedin if she could do so in safety. At thetime ho (Captain Breen) did not thinlc it could be done, and it was not till lie arrived off tho Heads and consulted tho pilot that he. could make up his mind on tho point. Finding tho local conditions suitable, ho decided to come up the clianncl, and found no difficulty ill negotiating it.—("Hear, Hear.")—Ho hoped lie would have 110 difficulty in getting out, and ho would not express an opinion about the clianncl till ho saw how he fared in leaving the port.— (Laughter.)

Mr Thos. Brown, in proposing " Tho liarhour Board," congratulated that body on the progress made in harbour improvement? which enabled the Delphic to como up to Dunedin. Ho also expressed the opinion that the board would be taking a step in the right direction in raising money to extend its harbour works and provide more shod accommodation. He thought til? valun of its endowments justified the borrowing of £100,000. Auckland and other northern cities were going to a great deal of trouble and expense to improve their harbours, and Dunedin could not afford to do anything else. Mr Brown also recalled the days when the Robert Henderson, the Chili, and the Agnes Aluir canto up lo Duiiodin, followed in time by tho Canterbury, the Auckland, and other well-known sailing pliips. In 1878 the late James Alacandrew sent IJoino and asked for a. ship of 2500 tons every month, and he (Mr Jirown) thought this was 100 ambitious a scheme, but within 18 months of that time larger vessols woro necessary to meet (lie requirements of tlm frozen meat trade. Now Hint wo had reached a time when a vessel lil'e the l)&lphin conld conic to Duncdin, he thought they, should give tho Harbour Board the credit to which it was justly entitled. Mr Robin, in replying cn bohalf of the Harbour Board, intimated that it was intended to hold a function nn Friday afternoon, at. which Captain Breeii would bo presented with a. memento of the Dolphie's visit to Dunedin. Mr Robin ihon went on to spcalc of the ncecssity for improving the harbour and reducine the dues. These were duties tlie Harbour Board wss not likely to forget. They lmd the press on ono side and the Chamber of Commerce on- the other, and both of these institutions never failed to remind tho board of its duty. lio hoped it would not be long before vessels much larger than the Dcbliic eould ho berthed at the Dunedin wharf.—(" Hear, heir.")

Mr Begg also supplemented Mr Robin's remark? on behalf of the Harbour Board.

3lr W. Gow then proposed "The filuuv, Ravill, and Albion Company," to which Mr Roberts replied, and a pleasant 111 tie function eamo to an end.