SKIPPING NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2288, 6 January 1898, Page 38

SKIPPING NEWS.

COLONIAL AND FOREIGN. Arrivals.

Decemb&r 28!— Tarawera, 5269t, from Meltbourne, via nobart and the Bluff.— Juuet Nicoll, S92t, from Weotport. December 30.— Corinna, S3St, frcm tbe West Coast, via Oainaiu.— Flora, 820t, f cm Auckland, via the JSusfe Coast. December 31.— Waikare, 1901 c, from Sjdnoy, via Cook Strait. January L— Eotokino, ISOlt, from Lyttelton. January 2.— Napier, 48t, from Waikawa. January 3. -Wtstralia, 18I9r, frcm Sydney, via the East Coast.

DEPARTURES

December 28.— Napiav, 4St, for Invercargill and Waikawa — Kotorua, 596t, for the West Coast Founds — Waihora, 1269r, for Sydney, via tho * December 29.— Taupo, 408 1, for tbe West Coist, via the Blnff — Tarawera, 12G9t, for Sydney, via Cook Strait. , December 30.— Flora, 820t, for Auckland, via the East Coast ports.— Cmnna, SSOt, for the West Coast, via Timaru.— Gothic, 7737r, for Lou°January ?.— Waikare, ISOlt, for Melbouine, via the Bluff and Hobart.

THE DIRECT STEAMERS

Tbe Rakaia sailed from Canetown on the 24th. The lonic, from New Zealand, arrived at London ou the 28ih inst. The Pakeha, from London (December 2). It ft Capetown ou the afternoon of the 30-h December for Ntw Zealand, via Hobait. Wellin rroN, January 2.— S tiled : f'tar of New Zealand, for London, with a cargo consisting of 36,052 carcases sheep. f,0,499 legs and -houlders do, 1220 quarters bsef, 5551 lambs, 401 cafes meat, 150 cisc; Trntter, 04 cases kidneys, 35 ba^s do, I.CB cases cum, 6 bags do, 1\ tons bark. 14 f\vks tallow, 8 pkgs 16 casks casing", 615.5 bales wool, and 68 1 pockets do.

THE HOTORUA'S EXCURSION TO THE SOUNDS.

The following message was received per a homing pigeon in Dunedin on the afternoon of New Year'B Day, though Mr H.iyne believes that the bifd must have reached its destination befoie nooTi :—

"Per nigeon post (liberated 9.30 New Year's morning^ 189^).— Tell James. Mills Kotorua reached Milford this morning. Hveryone delighted. Perfect weather. Magnificent holiday. Arrive Dimedin Tuesday, early. — A. ¥. Anthony, Captain. Please publish." Mr Ilavne sent three of his birds in the care of Mr Fied Duncan, of Roslyn. with directions that Ihe message should be attached to his ceTebrated bird Itedfire. The trio came home together some time on Saturday, but, unluckily, no oue wes expecting their arrival, the intention of Mi 1 Dunean having been to despatch the birds from Milford on Svrsday. Given a fair wind, Mr Hayne thinks th-it hte birds can do the distance from Milford to Dunedin und?r four hours,

The Ulron Steam Ship Company's s.s. Tarawera, from Melbourne, via Hobart and the Bluff, arrived at the Victoria wharf at 7.45 a.m. on the 58th. She left Melbourne at 4.30 p.m. on the 22nd. The s s. Waihora left the tongue whaif on the 28lh f'-r Sydney, via the East Co' st port?. GUp-am .Sterling, of the Ameiican ship Great Admiral, wlreb. arrived at Newcastle on the 19th wit. from Rio de Janeiro, reported sighting ou tbe 9th ult. a four-masted ship, steering cist. The vessel had apparently lost her foremast, but tbe wpather was so hazy at the time that Captain Sterling was unable to see wJiat other damage she lisd sustained. Captaio Sterling will be icmembered here as master of the ilfa'ed ship Patrician.

TBfe X.M.S. Gothic took on board on the 28th a quantity of bales of wool, case? cheese, and boxes butter.

When the Union Steam Ship Company's fine steamer Rotorua, with excursionists for the West Coast Sounds, parsed Port Chalmers outward ■bound on the 28th she was saluted by a salvo of artillery from the shore. Captain Anthony responded by tbe usual three dip* of tbe ensign. The R.M.S. Gothic, in addition to a Urge Dumber of bales wool and rabbitsluns, took on board 2500 boxes butter and 700 cases cheese. Sb.p left Port Chalmers pn Thivrsday afternoon. Messrs, Htndereon, shipbuilders, of Meadowsitle, Glasgow, are building from designs .mpplied by Mr G. L. Watson an 80-ton racing cutter for the Piince of Wales to r place the Britannic, recently fold by his Rojal Highness. lMmng fhe week ending November 10, 1897, the number of vessels repoited to the Board of Trade »s lost, stranded, &c, were as follows : — Six British and 13 fore'gn sailing vessels, live British and three foreign steamships,

The TJiiion Steam Ship Company's fine steamship Waikare, Captain John Anderson, with 96 passengers and a large quantity of general cargo, from 'Sydney, via Crok Strait, arrived at the tongue wharf at 10 a.m. on FricUj\

The JI.M.S. Gothic, which sailed on Thursday evening for London, via Wellington, took the following caigo fiom Port Chalmers: — 3044 cases cheese, JB9O boxes 103 kegs better, 1954 bales wool, 193 do rabbitskin?, 37 do sheepskins, 31 do leather, £6 do basils, 100 packs grass seed, 4 cases sundries, and Mr and Mrs Commin are passengers by her.

The R.M.S. Gothic, which left Port Chalmers on Thursday evening for London, via Lytrel'on, has the record for having the greatest draught of any vessel that has ever left the Port, she drawing 22ft lOiu of water forward and 25ft aft. This speaks volumes for the state of the lower harbour.

During the week ending 2nd January the following vessels have been at the Dunedin •wharves : — Arrivals -Napier, s.s., 48 t >ns (twice) ; Taupo, s s., 4''B toDS ; Janet Nicoll, s.s., 4i'6 tons ; Corinna, s.s., S2O tons ; Flora, s.& , 83'? tons ; Waikare, s r , lUQI tou& ; Rotoluno, s.a , 1304 ton^ ;— total, 5S(i3 tons. Departures— "Monowai, s.s., 2137 tons; Invercargill, 5.&., 136 tons; Eototuo, s.i., 570 toes ; Nap'er, s.s., 48 tons ; Taupo, e.s., 40St<iis; Waihnra, s.e., 1269 tons; Ja.net 3S!icoll, s.s., 496 tons ; Corinna, s.s., 820 tons ; Flora, &.&., 838 tons ; Waikare, <?.s., 190 L tons ;— total, 8b"2 l J tons.

On the subject of the relat've earning power of steamships, a steamship owner at a Durham port has drawn up a table showing the dividends paid by &mall and large &tcameip. During hor life of 24 round voyages, a steamdrp of nea>ly 0000 toiiS lia& paid £212 per thare, or about tv.'o-tlar.lc of her original cost ; whilst a steamer slike in size, but nearly two years jourgcr, paid £200 p<_r share. Iv two instances, where the Eteameia uro a, few hundred Vns kss, the j'ield is much les<= in p-oportion to the cost; and iv the cisc of a still smaller stiamer it is again lower. As fdr as figures (tbat are necessarily limited) prove anyilung, they show that the steamer of 3000 tons is, in general trades, much more luciative now than the small-sized -steamer.

There arrived at Hongkong the other day tha new battleship Yashima, sister ship to the Fuji. The battleship was built by Sir W. S. Armstrong,. Whitworth, and C0., -on the Tyne, and her fir&t official trial was made off the mouth of the Tyne on I3th July. Her displacement is 12,300 tons. She is 412 ft long, over all, and 372 ft between perpendiculars. Her moulded breadth is 73jft, and her mean draught 26ft 3in. The ve-sel has bilgo keels running nearly half the length of the ship, and about 2ft £in deep. The aimament of the vessel is similar to that of the Fuji. The vessel was engined. by

Mesßi'3 Humphreys, Tennant, and Cj., of Deptford Pier. The rnaia speed attained, under fnced draught, during the trial was 19 227^ knott, while the mean of four runs over the Admiralty measured mile_ gave 19 46 knots. The mean power developed during the four hours, was M - f175 horses, and there was abundance of steam Subsequently natural draught trials aud trials with open ttokebolds have been made, 'lhe vessel steamed for ■six houis with op?n stokeholds Tlis meau fpeed attainci during this period was 1726 knots, while the mean of four runs over the measured mile gave 17 73 knots. Like the Fuji, she is fitted with the balanced rudder, and with her rudder hard over and both screws going ahead the Yashima can turn in a circle whose diameter ii le?s than one and a-half time her own length, and she can reverse her diiectioD, when going at full speed, in about one miuute. But with only 10 dpgrees of helm she can turn in a circle whose diameter is rather more than three times her own leugtb, and reverse her direction in lmin 26aec.