THE DIRECT STEAMERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2252, 29 April 1897, Page 38

THE DIRECT STEAMERS.

£h6 Gothic, from Wellington (April 2), left Rio on Saturday morniiis with her meat in good condition. Welmkgtos, April 23. —Hailed : Duke of Sutherland, for London. UNION STEAM SHIP COMPANY'S SPECIAL CAIIGO SERVICES. The Ohau loads for Napier (inside "The Pot") at Dunedin on Tuesday, Oainaru on Wednesday, and Timaru on Thursday. The Pukaki loads for Auckland and Wellington at the Bluff on Saturday, Ist May, at Odinuru on the 3rd, TiniAru 011 the 4th, aud Lyttelton on the sth. The U.S S. Company* stesmei 1 Rotomahana, Captain Gibb, with passengers anil cargo from Sydney, via the East Coast ports, arrived at the tongue wharf at 6 a.m. on the 20th. She left the company's Margaret street wharf, Sydney, at 2 • p.m. of the 7th inst. The R.M.S. Gothic made an avertige speed of 14J knots an hour during her passage from Port Chalmers to Napier, covering tho distauce, 421 nautical miles, in 3J hams 43 minute?. This constitutes a record between the two port*, which will probably remain unbroken for some time. The s.s. Waibora was floated out of the graving dock on Tuesday, 20th ins-t, and took up her running again next day, leaving Port Chulmors for Sydney, via the Eaßt Coast ports. Duriug her lay up she has undergone a thorough aud complete overhaul in every part. The s.s. Mararoa left the Port Chalmers wharf on the 20tb, via the Bluff and Hobait. The s.s. Waihora steamed down to Port Chalmers on the 21st inst., and lett the Bowen pier in the afternoon for Sydney, via the East Coast The Greek navy consists of 3 armour-clads, a torpedo flotilla of 36 vessels, and 21 unprotected warships; while 'i in key ha.s 20 armour-clads, .} deck-protected cruisers, 40 torpedo boats, ami .ris. ri s unprotected wardiips. The U.S.S. Company's fteamship Liddcjd lc, which is coming here fiom Melbouri.e, is a steel vessel of 2422 tons gross. She is 300. t loii£, -iOft in the beam, and has a depth of 23ft 2in. She is fitted with triple expansion engines, the diameter of the cylinders being respectively 23in, 37in, and 59in, with a length of stroke of 42iu. The Union Steam Ship Company's steams Hauroto, Captain A. Anders-on, arrived ut ' tongue wharf at 7.30 am on Thursday. »Sbc I■. Melbourne wharf at 11.45 a.m. of the 15th inst. The s.s. Nairnshire left the George street pier on Saturday rooming for London with the following cargo :—1557 bales wool, 6 casei horns, 45 casks casings, 122 tallow, 115 do pelts, £6 bells osiers, 450 cases meat*, 6 cask', CO drums glycerine, S)S6 sacks seed, 48 pkgß sundries, 27,611 carcases mutton, 2992 forequarters, 2SS3 hindquarters, 75 pcs beef, 26 cases poultry, 100 do kidneys, 1 do trour, '22-17 do rabbits. Of this she took on board at Brisbane 2992 f. requarters, £883 hindquarters, 75 pcs btef, 26 cases poultry, and 6 casks casings. At Timaru: 13,848 carcases mutton, 100 cases kidneyp, 1 do trout, 4 pkRS sundries, 274 bales wool, 122 casks tallow, 22 do casings, 26 bdls O3iers ; and at Port Chalmers : 1283 bales wool, 6,ca£e3 horns, 17 casks casings, 115 casks pelts, 450 cases meats, 5 casks, 60 drums glycerine, 44 pkgs, 13,763 carcases mutton, and 2243 cases labbits. The s.B. Wakatipu, from Sydney, via Cook Strait, arrived at, the tongue whart at 9 a.m. on Saturday. She We tli3 Margaret street wharf, at Sydney, at 6 p.m. on the 17th inst. The barque Obed Baxter has put out about 609 ton< of cargo, and she will be ready for sea about Wednesday. The s.s. Tasmania, Captain Thomas M'Gee, arrived from Sydney, via northern port.*, at 9.45 a.m. on Sunday. She left Sydney on April 14. During the week ending Apnl 25 the following vessels have been at the JDunedia wharves : — Arrivals: Kotnmahana, s.s., BHO tons; Napier, s.s., 48 tons; Hauroto, s.s . 1269 toDS; Te Anau, s.s., 102S tons ; Omipere, s.s., 352 tons ; Auriga, barque, 518 torn; Wakatipn, s.s., 125S tons; Invercargill, t.s., 123 tons; Tasmania, bs., lIGS tons ;—total, 672G tons. Departures : Mararoa, s.s., 1345 tons ; Invercargill, s.s., ]23 tons ; "Waihora, s.s., 1276 tons ; Ocean Ranger, barquentine, 533 toDS; Napier, e.s, 4S tons; Hauroto, b.s., 2269 tons ; Te Anan, s.s., 1028 tons ; Omapere, e.s., 352 tons ;—total, 5b"59 tons. The fchoouer Gratitude, with a cargo of oil from the Macquaiie Islands, arrived at Port Chalmers on Sunday morning, and anchored in Mansford Bay. The Gratitude had great difficulty in landing stores and shipping the oil pro- . duced by the shore party. 1 The Waikato, oue of the New Zjaland Shipping Company's cargo steamers, from London, arrived on Friday, and came to anchor in the stream, having on board combustibles. These were at once transhipped into the powder boat, and the Waikato steamed alongside the George street pier, when she commenced to discharge cargo into the railway trucks. The Waikato brings a large cargo, some 4500 tons, part of which is for Dunedin and coaatal ports, the balance of her cargo being for Lyttelton. She has also on board 9 deer, 2 bull dogs, and about 40 pheasants and partridges for Lyttelton. Ten of the birds shipped succumbed during the heavy weather 'she experienced cro.s^injr the Southern Ocean. Herpassagehas occpied 57days, the lensth of which is accounted for by the heavy weather eho encountered while running down her easting. As has been the case with all vessels recently, she reports that ice was sighted - but not in large quantities, only two large bergs being passed. DuriDg her recent passage from Sydney to New Zealand. Captain Sl'Gee, of the s.s. Tasmania, organised two concerts in aid of the sufferers by tie Hawke'a Bay disaster, with the result that

I £8 Is Id was subscribed for their assistance. ] Captain M'Gee hope 3to supplement this by a I further sum on his return trip to Sydney. The s.s. Wakatipu steamod down the harbour on Monday forenoon, and afttr embarking passengers and mails, leftat 1.30 p.m. f torn Port Chalineis for Melbourne, via tho Bluff and Hobart. H.M.S Torch, which .v rived at Sydney on the 25th inst., will relieve the Ringdove on this station for the Island pitrol .-•'ivice. She is a steel-screw, tloop-rigpecl \ es-el of S-L>o tons, now on her first commission. Her hull below the water j 130 tons Her armament consists of six 25pounders and four 3 pounders— all quick-tiring , guns. Propulsion hy the winrt, :i3 far as carricts of merchandise of value aciosa tha ocean are concerned, is gradually on ;t retrograde movement, Of this view a repo: t fiom Calcutta sirs : - " Calcutta has become more than ewi :i ".tcuiiship port It is now the exception loc a sailmg Bhip to be fou iid there, and it is not to ha woudeied at, as 13s nd tj l(N at the height uf the season has been thu current quotation this year At Bombay a largs .sailing ship would by looked upon as hnvins Wiiuileivd." Tha extension ot t! c Portsmouth Dockyard, 1 far whic 1 ' <i 2 iioie? of land have lifcu acquired, is to lie licgun tar'y in the ensuing rinanciil year. Between now ,>nd the end of t!,e nnanc'iil i year a sum of neailj is to be tp.'nt on ' overtime in pushing fcrwai-il too coiutniclion of the G.liath (battleship) .-nd the Vindictive (second-class cruiser) at Chatham Piekyard. The torpedo boat distrojer Whiting, bmlc by i Palmer's c .mpany at Jarrow, recently untiurwenr .\ trial off the Tyne. rihe was run .i number of times over the measured mile at an aveiasji' spec 1 nf 30 2 knot", and wa» k-?pi running fur throe hours at an average fepeed of 3O'l knot. The machinery and boilers worked sati-f,i"torily. ! The Palmer's Shipbuilding and Iron Company ■ (Litnileri) recently sent the Socotra on hur nniri.il trial. The vessel was built to the order of the P. and O. Company Her riinieimons are :— Length between ufcrpentliiMil.u.-, 450 ft; b-Min, ."32ft; moulded <lcptn, 3T:t liiu. Th<j vessel is of the three-deck ! yp-, wife"ii pojp, lii-itUo, :nd foreras'lu, :i:i'i ' as been luulr uuricr f puoi.il Mirvey tn clas? 100 Al iit Ll.iyd'*. and to c mply with admiralty uquirenients for transport .--eivice. j The upper aim niiin d'.cks arc of steel ana woodsheathed all fore and aft, ami the lowur deck is j laid throughout tie cargo hold-,. A double botj torn is iitted on the cellular *y--tr : m for water I ballast, and ixteiiiiing all fo;e and aft, and the j hull is subcivircd by a larg.? mnn'w of water- , tight s'.i;cl Imlkhcjt's. Ihs vestal i^t fitted with stuam craner, wine.he?, &c, for rapid loidius ' and discharging, and i-> lighted throughout with electricity. She is designed to load about 601 (J tout deadweight on Lloyd's summer freeboaul The engines, uho constructed by the Palmer Company, are triple expmsion, with eylindera 22'tn, .-.CJin, and 60in, diivine twin !-crett>, ai:d two noilers, with Howden's forcer 1 draught. Uurinfc the trial a lii^an speed of 13V knot-s wjk attained on the measured mile, and continued for bevcia! houis.