THE ALERT DISASTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2085, 8 February 1894, Page 37

THE ALERT DISASTER.

Mei-hourne, February 3. The Court of Inquiry into the foundering of Huddart, Parker, and Oo's. steamer Alert, when all hands but one perished, found that the vessel had insufficient stability and freeboard for such a voyage. They considered the vessel properly handled, and that there was no evidence to show the cause of the foundering.

During the week ending February 3 nine vessels with a total of 4858 tons, arrived at the Dunedin wharves, and 12 vessels, with a total of 7465 tons, left them. The barque Star of the East up to noon on Monday had on board 2912 bales wool, 133 bales sheepskins, 168 bales rabbitskins, 15 bales bassils, 5 bales hair, 40 casks tallow, 1 cask pelts, and 275 bags antimony. The s.s. Tarawera left the Bowen pier, Port Chalmers, on Friday afternoon, on her second trip this season for the West Coast Sounds. As she left the wharf she was heartily cheered by those on shore, while a brisk salute. was fired from the ship's guns. It is stated that when the lonic reaches London sbe is to be laid up, to have the same system of refrigeration applied to her as is now fitted in the Gothic. This 8 j stem is Hall's Carbonic Anhydride.

The s s. Nairnshire, with 10 passengers and a full cargo of bales wool, sacks grass-seed, casks tallow, cases cheese, and frozen mutton, left the George street pier on Saturday af ternon for London.

The command of the s.s. Napier, recently resigned by Captain Hanßen, has been given to Mr M'Gillivray, late chief officer of the s.s. Invercargill.

The barque Van Galen, from Rio de Janeiro, was detained at that port during the bombardment of the forts by the rebel cruisers, and had a narrow escape from receiving serious damage. On October 28, while lying on the lee side of one of the numerous islands that atud_ the harbour of Rio, a stray shot came across the island and cut its way clean through the wheel box. The mate of the vessel had a most narrow escape. He was standing by the wheel at the time, and the ball passed between his arm and his side, striking the box The s.s. Nairnehire, which left Port Chalmers on Saturday afternoon for London, had on board the following cargo :— 6684 bales and two bags wool, 71 sacks grass seed, 17 cases, 55 casks, ana 6 kegs sundries, 1617 pkgs butter, 1813 cases cheese, 51 qrs beef, and 31,571 carcases mutton. Of this she shipped at Sydney 51 qrs beef, and 17,796 carcases mutton ; at Oamaru 2406 bales and 2 bags wool, 1 case, 33 casts, and 37 pkgs butter, 287 cases cheese, and 12,809 carcases mutton ; at Timaru, 3585 bales wool, 71 sacks grass seed, 2 cases and 167 packages butter ; and at Port Chalmers, 693 bales wool, 14 cases, 22 casks, 6 kegs, and 1413 pkgs butter, 1526 cases cheese, and 966 carcases mutton.

The Shaw, Savill, and. Albion Company's fine barque Himalaya, from London, reached the heads on Monday forenoon, and was tendered by the tug Plucky, which brought her into port under the charge of Pilot M'Donald, towing her up as far as the Quarantine ground, where she anchored at 2.15 p.m., having on board some 20 tons of gunpowder. She was met coming up the harbour by tbe customs launch, and having a clean bill of health, was passed by the health officer, Dr Cunninghame, boarded and cleared in by Mr Perm, customs surveyor, and the work of discharging her combustibles was at once proceeded with into the powder schooner Ark, which took in 730 packages. The Himalaya was towed up to Dunedin by the tugs Koputai and Plucky on Tuesday morning's tide in readiness for discharging her cargo, which consists of some 1312 tons. The passage has been a very good one, only 90 days having elapsed from port to port. One death occurred to mar the passage. Christian Neilson, the carpenter, died on December 20 from heart disease. Neither ice nor wreckage was seen. Recently it was stated that at the present time no less than 400 derelict vessels were floating in the Gulf Stream, •which are exceedingly dangerous to navigation. A report to hand from Washington says : With regard to the questions in the British House ol Commons in reference to di relicts, it is stated that the dynamite gun vessel Vesuvius was recently ordered to be held in readiness to undertake the destruction of such vessels in the Gulf Stream under the supervision of the State and Treasury departments She is now awaiting the completion of a chart showing the position of the derelicts."

Tnose on board the ship Hesperus, which arrived in Melbourne from London a few days ago, had a somewhat extraordinary experience during the voyage out. On November 1, when the vessel was in 17 56 N. and 20.20 W., and the weather was tolerably fine, a shock of a very violent character was felt, and the ship trembled from stem to stern for considerably over a minute. The unusual occurrence is attributed to a submarine volcano. The surface of the sea was not much, dibturbed, nor was its ordinary colour changed, and a test showed tbat the temperature of tbe water was 76deg. Fahr. A few days later the Hesperus fell in with the Crown of India, which reported haying had a similar experience when about 100 miles east of St. Antonio ; and the ship Othello, which came into Port Phillip a few hours after the Heapem*, reports having felt a submarine shock, lasting fully three minutes, on the same day, but 100 miles to the south of the Hesperus.