SHIPPING NEWS. COLONIAL AND FOREIGN. PROJECTED DEPARTURES. MOVEMENTS OF DIRECT STEAMERS. SOMETHING ABOUT THE 3.5. OMRAH.

Otago Witness, Issue 2355, 13 April 1899, Page 46

SHIPPING NEWS. COLONIAL AND FOREIGN.

PROJECTED DEPARTURES.

MOVEMENTS OF DIRECT STEAMERS.

SOMETHING ABOUT THE 3.5. OMRAH.

For Sydney.—Elingamite, April 11. Tarawera, April 13. Mararoa, April 18. Monowai, April 20. ' For Melbourne.—Talune, April 17. For Westport.—Taupo, April 13. Corinna. April 21. For Preservation Inlet.—Rimu, April 11. For Auckland.—Te Anau, April 14. For Greymouth.—Herald, April 19.

TO DErABT. From Wellington.-^Fifeshire (Shire), April I*. Maori (S.S. and A. Co.), April 20. From Lyttelton.—Kaikoura (N.Z.S. Co.), April 20.

The passenger compartments of '• his magnificent ship are so planned that in spite of long passages, numberless bulkheads, and countless cabins, the whole is so simply pianuc-d for convenience of communication that a chjJc might find its way from stem to stern, or from hold to hurricane deck. I; m;ght be. different if watertight doors werj olo^d on the imminence of a collision, and the phip divided into so many compartme.i s with ail chances of passing from one .o the other shut off, but even for such eventmiiiies ample provision is made for emergency exits, throus-i which passengers might reach the upper decxs ■without the risk of the least confusion. All these precautions devised for security in case of collision at sea, and the cellular double bottom that would minimise the danger of the Omrah sinking if she struck on rock or wreckage are now, so generally adopted for liners of'the first-class that mention of them would hardly be necessary, but for the fact that in this vessel such contrivances as naval architects are now cunning in are carried oiit to tho utmost perfection. The machinery is of the most complete description, and the boilers and engines for driving her twin screws are bo separated by" bulk heads, which are perfectly watertight, that if a green sea were, pouring in on the one side, locomotive power would not be lost, but only reduced by onehalf, so that the Omrah would still steam ahead ,-under diminished speed by the aid of one screw, and keep her pumps going. One thing about her quite novel is the system by which the scuttle lights can quickly be closed in an emergency. Everyone who has gone on a voyage through the Red Sea must realise the benefit of getting all the fresh air possible with the means at hand for closing every aperture possible with rapidity should a sudden etorm come on. In the state rooms and corridors between decks, the scuttle frames have movable arcs, with wedge-shaped studs cast ■upon them. These studs are actuated by a toothed wheel, and work so easily that a halfturn of the handle wedges them tightly, and it is claimed that a steward can close 20 of the Omrah's scuttles in less time than it took him to screw up one of the old pattern. Another contrivance for keeping air in circulation takes the shape of butterfly fans, moved by electricity. When heat becomes oppressive in the saloon, one touch of a button sets the fanß in motion noiselessly, and to all appearance they work so satisfactorily that the old-fashioned punkahs will be completely superseded. Above all, the Omrah differs from other ships on the Australian line in her 'height^ between decks, which gives every cabin an airy spaciousness distinctly pleasant ,for travellers to contemplate with the prospect of a long voyage through the tropics before .them. Three hundred and twenty-five first

and second class passengers can be accommodated in roomy cabins, where every one has ample space for moving about. The saloons and withdrawing room are sumptuously decorated in marqueterie, the smoking room is admirably arranged in a series of alcoves, all panelled with oak, and the writing rooms in ■which work may be done without chance of disturbance from noise, are all as perfect as tho most fastidious can desire.

The s.s. Waihora steamed down from Dunedin on the 4th inst., and left Port Chalmers in the afternoon for Sydney, via the East Coast ports. The s.s. Omrah, the latest addition to tho Orient Company's splendid fleet, is the largest British vessel engaged in the Australian trade. She is 507 ft long (overall), 50ft beam, and 37ft 6in deep, to the upper deck. The gross tonnage is set down as 8291 tons, and two distinctive features about her are, that she carries only two short pole masts, and but one funnel, which is of unusual size — 76ft high from the boat deck. It is oval in shape and if laid flat would form a tunnel 19ft high and 12ft broad at its widest. The Omrah has accommodation for 1000 passengers.

The s.s. Monowai left the George street ■wharf, Port Chalmers, on the 4th inst., lor Melbourne, via the Bluff and Hobart. The b.c. Matalua. left London on 25th March, for Port Chalmers and LyUelton rtspeetively, and j" due to arrive >t the ni-l-named port about, 18th May. The U.S.S. Go's, steamship, Mo\ola, Captain Sinclair, from Melbourne, v ; a Kcbart and the Bluff, arrived at Port Chalmers on the sth, and was berthed at the George street pier.

The s.g. Mokoia left the George street pier, Port Chalmers on Thursday afternoon for Sydney, via Cook Strait. The Union Steam Ship Company's steamship Waikare, Captain H. J. Richardson, from Sydney, via Cook Strait, arrived at Port Chalmers at 9.30 a.m. of Saturday, ami steamed up to Dunedin on the afternoon's tide. "The Waikare left Sydney at 1.45 p.m. of April 1, had fine weather, and arrived at Wellington at 8 p.m. of the sth met. The s.s. Yukon, which has recently been purchased by the Union Steam Ship Company for their TasmaniaD trade, is quite a new vessel, having been built in 1898, at the C4rangemouth Dockyards Company's works. She is built of steel, and is of th« following

dimensions : — Length 253 ft, breadth of beam 34ft 2in, and depth of hold 13ft 2in. She is classed 100 Al at Lloyd's, and is of 332 tons net register, is fitted with all the most modern appliances for the receipt and delivery of cargo, and has triple expansion engines. She is chiefly to be employed in the carriage of fuel, in conjunction with the s.s. Kini, to the West Coast of Tasmania.

The following vessels have been in harbour during the week ending April 9: — Arrivals : Herald, s.s., 356 tons ; Corinna, s.b., 820; Napier, s.s., 48; Flora, s.s., 838; Ohau, s.s., 411 ; Waikare, s.s., 1901 ; Rimu, s.s., 143; Elingamite, s.s., 1675;— total, 7192 tons. Departures: Monowai, s.s., 2157 tons; Waihora, s.s., 1269; Margarita, barquentine, 494; Rimu, s.s., 143; Herald, s.s., 356; Napier, s.s., 48; Flora, s.s., 838; Corinna, s.s., 820; Ohau, s.s., 411; Wakatipu, s.s., 1253 ; . Hinemoa, s.s., 286;— total, 7850 tons.

The Huddart-Parker Company's s.s. Elingamite, with passengers and cargo from Sydney, via East Coast ports, arrived at Port Chalmers at noon on Sunday, and steamed up to Dunedin on the afternoon's tide. She left Sydney at 5.30 p.m. of March 29. The iron ship Turakina has been sold by the New Zealand .Shipping Company to foreigners subject to, safe arrival at London. She was built in lE6B, and first named the City of Perth, carries 1800 tons dead weight, and passed No. 3 survey in 1896.

With the White Star liner Oceanic, the builders are on their mettle to, if possible, supersede -the performances of the -Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse. In order to follow this intciesting contest of shipbuilders, it might be well to point out what the Kaiser Wilhelm has done in her past career. On her first 10 sea trips, made since launching between Southampton and New York Harbour, the North German liner covered 61, 615 knots, or nautical miles, equal to 71,025 statute miles. That represents the earth's girth three times over within a little, and the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse covered this enormous distance at the marvellous average speed of 21.37 knots. At times she ran as fast as 24- knots for 30 hours, the best day's run being SSO nautical miles, aa against the Cunard" Company's Lucania's previous record of 550 miles. The Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosses shortest westward record, between the Needles and Sandy Hook (Xew York), was accomplished at an average speed of 22.51 knots, and the poorest run, last September, against unusually heavy weather, with head winds and gales, showed a spend averaging 18.98 knots across the Atlantic ; and which was in reality looked upon as one of her best trips, taking the bad weather into consideration, and showed her true power. To maintain the above speed, her furnaces consume about 500 tons of coal per diem, which generates 28,000 horse-power, to push the 14,000 tons register through the sea under the above conditions. The number of men on the ship's' roll and regularly employed is over 400 souls. With continual improvements being effected, great interest is being _, maintained as to whether the Oceanic will be able to break the above, record of the North German liner.

■ri.UK.I » ALJS. Vessel Tonnage -From April. jlokoia, s.s 2153 ... Melbourne" ... 5 3ormna, s.s. ... 850 ... Westpori ... 5 VVaikare, s.s. ... 1901 ... Sydney 8 3hau, ss 4G2 .. West Coaft ... 8 Rimu, s.s 143 ... Paterson Inlet 9 Elingamite, ss. ... 1665 ... Sydney » Napier, ss. ... 48 ... Waikawa ... 10 Departures. Vessel Tonnage For April. Waihoia, s.s. ... 1269 ... Sydney... — 4 Monnwat, s.s. ... 2137 ... Me bourne . . 4 Herald, s.s 356 .. Greymouth ... 5 Margarita, barqu'n 494 ... Auckland ... 5 Rinru, s.s 144 ... Invercargill ... 6 Mokoia, s.s. ... 2153 ... Sydney ... 6 Napier, s.s 48 ... Woikawa ... 6 Flora, s.s 1270 ... Auckland ... 6 Wakatipu, s.s. ... 12<8 ... Bluff 7 Flora s.s 1278 ... Auckland ... 7 Corinna, s.s. ... 853 ... Westport ... 7 Ohau, S.B 408 ... Napier » Napier, s.s. ... 48 ... Riverton • ... 1U Waikare, 8.8. ... 3091 ... Melbourne ... 10