THE MAIL STEAMER MIKADO,

Otago Witness, Issue 1155, 17 January 1874, Page 3

THE MAIL STEAMER MIKADO,

The unexpected appearance of a large steamer oljf the Heads late on the 9th Instant excited a great eal of s uprise and curiosity) no Vessel of the class of th« stranger being expected. She loomed up over the Spit, and shtwed 4 masts and a huge smoke stack and was altogether different in appearance to any boat that had ever visited these waters. She was not signalled, and hence until she was boarded from the shore it was not known that she was the mikado, one of the line of steamers for the new European mail service, via California The Mikado has for some time been advertised to leave Sydney on the 13th January, and the mails for England that were despatched North in the Taranaki on Thursday were certainly expected to find her at the Island ot Kandavu. Tint, hove ver can scarcely happen, the Mikado being here, and that she is so is due to the fact of a considerable cargo and 536 Chinese passengers, having: shipped at Hodjt Kontc for this port. They have arrived here the one in presumed good condition, and the other healthy and to all appearance none the worse for their voyasre Indeed, it would have been surprising if they were otherwise, seeing that the accommodation provided for them was superior to anything of the kind we ever inspected in a Chinese passenger ship. Each man had his bunk, whilst the cooking appliances were ample and provisions abundant. Only three European passengers arrived in her— one being the son of the Hon John Bathgate, of this city. The Mikado is a magnificent vessel, bran new, having only left Liverpool on her first voyage on the 31st of August last She belongs to Mr John M'Oregor, of Leith, from which port she hails, and was built for the trade between San Francisco and China to rua iv the Pacific Mail Company's service. She was under contract to that Company, but some difficulties arising in respect to subsidising mails in a British bottom, the contract was annulled by mutual consent, and the Mikado was thus free to enter upon any other line of service. She had not long to wait, for she was very soon afterwards chartered to run in the new mail line between the Colonies and San Prancisco. The Mikado ha* proved herself to be a fast boat by making the quickest run on record between Liverpool and Hong Kong via Suez. She left the Mersey on the 31st August • passed through the Suez Canal, called at Penaug and Singapore, and arrived at Hong Kong on the sth day of October, thus doing the distance in 35 days 8 hours. her average speed being llj- knots. She lay at Hong Kong until December 9th. and then left with the passengers and cargo above alluded to. Sighted the Island of Formosa on the second day out ; crossed the Line on the 23rd December ; and made the East Ciipe of JJow Zealand on the 6th January. She had a fine weather run, and though she came by the Eastern passage, no land was sighted save Formosa. From the East Cape she ran to Banks Peninsula by 7 p.m. on the Bth, sighted Otago Heads at 2 30 p.m on the 9th, and arrived at the anchorage, in chanre of Pilot Kelly, at 6.30 pm. The Mikado is a steamer of 1992 tons register, and 3034 tons gross measurement She is 386 ft long over all, and 36ft main beam, with 2Gft depth of hold. She is of iron throughout, even to her 'tween decks, which are laid with that metal, and is fitted up with the latest improvements in gearing, fittings, &c. She is fitted with one pair of compound vertical direct acting surface condensing engines, built by John and James Thomson of Glasgow, in 1872-3. The diameters, respectively of the cylinders are 52 inches and 89 inches, length of stroke four feet, and nominal power 400 horse, but capable of working up to nearly 1500. She was originally built in two decks, but subsequently a hurricane deck that runs from her taff rail quite two-thirds of her length forwards, was added. Her register states that she has accommodation for 108 saloon passengers 87 second-cabin passengers, and 666 fore-cabin 'passengers. She is provided with 11 boats— two of which are lifeboats. Our reporter was very courteously received by Captain Newell, and was conducted through the upper works by the third officer, and through the engine department by the chief engineer, Mr Dunlop. Here was much to notice and admire. The lower decks, which of course run fore-and-aft the ship, are available for passenger accommodation, excepting a section tot wards, where the crew aro berthed, and the space occupied by the engines, and a few store rootnw aft. They are lofty and well ventilated. The saloon accommodation occupies the greater part of the hurricane deck, the saloon itself being right forwards «t the break of the deck. It is a handsomely furnished and commodious apartment, 33ft. long by the beam of the ship wide, and is used only as a salle a manger and lounging room. The sleeping cabins are abaft it, and are principally confined to the port side, the starboard side being occupied by the officers' cabins • whilst the galleys, of which there are two, are situated amidships, together with the bakery and other offices, and the engine-room, which is 36 feet lone 1 The sleeping cabins are well fitted up, and are arranged, some with two berths others with four, whilst there are a few cabins arranged to accommodate families. The saloon is well provided with attendants of which Mr Sanson is chiet hto ward, ha vingsix assistants besides the stewardess and 4 Chinese waiters. The culinary department has 5 cooks attached to it. The engineer's staff numbers 31, viz., the chief engineer, three assistant engineers, a boiler maker, and 26 Bremen. The engines are ponderous pieces of machinery and yet by the aid of skilful contrivances a- e managed with wonderful ease and exactness. What U termed a steam accumulator is fixed in the engineroom and governs two hydraulic iams, of which oao works the steering apparatus of the ship, and the other the gear that starts and stops the engines. Xhexsiaalio a noticeable peculiarity in the construction of the telegraph by which orders are conveyed from the deck to the engine-room. It is so constructed that an order from above can be replied to, so that if an order to stop her or go Ahead, as the case may be, is misunderstood, the mistake ia discovered at once, and the order repeated. The ship is fitted with Brown's patent hydraulic steering apparatus, which so far as the ship's movements are concerned, is worked by a tiller no larger than that of alO ton yacht. It is indeed a wondrous application of mechanical ingonuity, and to describe it would occupy more space than wo can spare in this issue. The steering house is situated at the fore part of the hurricane deck, and is elaborately fitted up with compasses, barometers, and other instruments, whilst, conspicuous for it» small size, is the tiller, at which stands the helmsman. The- tiller, as it is moved, opens valves, and admits water forced up by the steam accumulator in tho engine room, and which, acting upon two hydraulic rams flxod one on each side of the rudder head aft, moves tho rudder as desired. The above description of this fine vessel is not so perfect aj we could desire, but our visit to hor was made at a late hour, and was of necessity a hurried one. We may add, in conclusion, that the consumption of coal is from 24 to SO tons per day for 10* knot speed, and from 38 to 40 tons for 13 knots She can carry 900 tons of coal in her bunkors. She is also provided with ft patent windlass capstan, worked by steam, and tho sutla shafting of her engines is iSi Inches diiun«ter.