THE U.S.S. COMPANY'S MOKOIA.,

Otago Witness, Issue 2325, 22 September 1898, Page 46

THE U.S.S. COMPANY'S MOKOIA. ,

The latest sddition to the splendid fleet of the Union Steam Ship Company is tho Mokoia, which is intended for the intercolonial trade. Her dimensions are 330 ft in length, 42ft beam, -and 33ft deep. She is built of steel, under British Corporation rules, will be rigged as a fore-and-aft schooner, has three complete decks — a shade deck aft, a light bridge deck, a forecastle deck, — and has a straight stem and an elliptical stern. Hydraulic gear is being fitted throughout, so that the discharge of cargo will not interfere with the comfort or rest of her passengers. Her tonnage will be about 3500, and her engines will be triple expansion, and capable of propelling the vessel at an average speed of about 13J knots, though she will be abls to do more. The motive power will be derived from three cylindrical, single-ended tubular boilers, with 12 cockscomb furnaces, the working pressure being 1701b to the square in^h. Accommodation will be provided for 240 li-st, *,ud 130 second class passengers, and her saloon will be q.uito a woik of a-vt of its kind.

waiasMßaaa^Beamii!LdMkJß3aKissa\mMiM\9iuiiJiMiMamsß3aaßai AH tho framing will be in polished haid woods, artistically arranged, with all appropriate mouldings and cornices; an organ will be placed in the music saloon, which will be on the upper deck. The Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company's steamer Rangatira put out the last of hereinwar*! cargo on the 13th, and took in a quantity of wool, tallow, and sundries. Her cargo from , this port consists of 72 bales wool, 16 do basils, 1 100 drums glycerine, 20 casks tallow, and 11 | pkgs sundries. j An exciting incident occurred on Wednesday evening, 14th, while the Ohau, which left for the north at 6.30 next morning, was loading cargo at Dunedin wharf. The men were busily engaged shipping a polled Angus bull belonging to Messrs Murray, Roberts, and Co. The - animal, which evinced a strong objection to i being handled, was, after some trouble, got into a temporary stall on the deck, when it began plunging about, and broke out, and speedily cleared the deck. After gazing about for a moment or two the bull made a clean jump overboard, and started in the direction of Anderson's Bay. It was not till the animal had niade good progress towards that point that it was captured by the boats sent in pursuit. The Shire line steamer Banffshire left Port j Chalmers on Thursday afternoon for London j direct. .Her cargo consisted of 5020 ; bales of wool, 17 do sheepskins, 109 ' '. do rabbitskins, 3 do leather, 811 casks • tallow, 63 do pelts, 13 casks casings, 1 sacks seed, 4 bales goatskins, 101 bags hides, ■ 16 peks sundries, 11,011 carcases frozen mutton, 6223 cases frozen rabbits, 40 do kidneys, 241 do hares 10 cases plucks, 7088 fo'requarters mut1 ton, 16,137 hindquarters, 87 pieces, 570 legs do, t and 3 cases sundries. The Banflshiro drew 24ft 7in on leaving, and Captain Coull complained : strongly of the berthage allotted to him at the wharf. fc j The keel of the new battleship Implacable [ was laid at Devonport dockyard on August 13. "' She will have a displacement of 15,000 tons, ' with a speed of 18J knots. It is intended to ' ] launch her in January 1899, thus beating all previous warship records. The N.Z.S. Company's Ruahine, from Wellington (August 4), arrived at Plymouth on Wednesday, 14th inst. The N./S.S. Company's Kaikoura, from Loni don (August 19), sailed, from Capetown on the i 15th inst. for Wellington, via Hobart. The s.s. Mararoa, from Sydney, via East Coast ports, reached Dunedin at 5.45 a.m. on Sunday. " She left the company's wharf at Sydney at 4 p.m. on the 7th. It is feared some casualty must have occurred ' to the barque Lake Ontario, from Liverpool for , this port, via Wellington. She is now 144 days out, an unprecedently long passage, and the vessel, so far as we know, has never been spoken since she left the Mersey. During the week ending September 18 the following vessels have been at the Dunedin wharves : — Arrivals : Marmion, schooner, 92 tons; Napier, s.s., 48 tons (twice); Ohau, s.s., 411 tons; Taitpo, s.s., 411 tons; Wanaka, s.s., 1572 tons; Mararoa, s.s., 1381 tons; Enterprise, brigantine, 84 tons; Invercargill, s.s., 123 tons; total, 4170 tons. Departures: Tarawera, s.s., 1269 tons ; Wakatipu, s.s., 1258 tons ; Westralia, s.s., 1901 tons; Doris, barque, 1227 tons; Napier, s.s., 48 tons; Jasper, barquentine, 252 tons; Ohau, s.s., 411 tons; Taupo, s.s., 411 ton? ; Jerfalcon, barquentine, 287 tons; total, 7064 tons. The British wars-hips under construction in , tho United Kingdom in July were as follows : — At the Royal Dockyards, 5 first-class battleships, 4 of 13,975 tons each, and 1 of 12,950 tons, j 4 first-class protected ciuisers of 11,000 tons i each, 2 second-class cruisers of 5800 tons each, | 4 third-class cruisers — 3 of 2135 tons each and ! , j 1 of 2200 tons; 2 sloops of 960 tons each, and a . j Royal yacht of 4700 tons — a total of 16 vessels \of 117,675 tons. At private yards there were I , j building 3 first-class battleships of 12,950 tons j each, 3 first-class protected ciuisers of 11,000 , ; tons each, 3 second-class cruisers of 5600 tons ! each, 5 third-class cruisers of 2135 tons each, 4 ! gunboats of 700 tons ea«h, and 26 torpedo boat j destroyers of 330 tons each. The total number . ! of British warships under construction was thus 60 vessels of 228,370 tons. The foreign warships under construction in the United ! Kingdom were classified as follows : — Armoured . vessels, 7. of a total tonnage of 82,700; protected cruisers, 5, of 20,320 tons; torpedo boat i . destroyers, 13, of 4000 tons; torpedo boats, 4, i ' of 460 tons ; unclassified, 1 vessel, of 2335 tons. On her return from Sydney next trip the Maf raroa will be laid tip for a fortnight at Port j Chalmers to undergo a general overhaul. The Te_ Anau will take up her running from Dunedin to Auokland, transhipping passengers and cargo for Sydney at that port to the Waihora, the Te Anau returning south with the Waihora's passengers and cargo. The Te Anau and Flora, at present laid up at Port Chalmers, will be put into commission during the summer months, taking up 'their old running between here and Auckland.

The Government is supplying the Maoris at Onepuhi with food. Nearly the whole of them (says the Rangitikei Advocate) are desti- ■ tute, partly owing to the great flood having swept away their crops, but they hope to lip independent of aid about Christmas, when their season's crop of potatoes will be available. Dear Sir, — Please inform your readers that I have been cured of Debility by a Bimple and inexpensive remedy, and will be pleased to send the means of cure to all sufferers. I do this entirely out of gratitude, and make no charge whatever. Send stamped addressed envelope to Mr WILBER KELLOGG, 89 Pitt fctieot, Sidney.