THE UNION STEAM SHIP COMPANY'S SERVICE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2363, 8 June 1899, Page 46

THE UNION STEAM SHIP COMPANY'S SERVICE.

The Union Company have found it neces'eary for the winter months to revert to the ten days' service from Melbourne and from Sydney, via Cook Strait. The new arrangements will commence from Melbourne •with the Mokoia, which leaves on the 6'h inst., followed by the Wakalipu on the 17th, Monowai on the 27th, Talune on the Bth of July, and so on. From Sydney the Talune on the 17th prox. will be the first steamer to institute the ten-days' service from that port. The Wakatipu, having been delayed, leaves Sydney to-day, and the Monowai will not get away from there until the 6th prox. Each steamer calls at Hobart going and coming from Melbourne. The service to Sydney will be supplemented by cargo steamers at frequent interval's. Concerning the company's Calcutta trade, 'the first steamer to bring Eastern goods this year will be the British India Company's XJmta, which is expected to leave Calcutta about the 25th of July for New Zealand, via Singapore. A steamer of the British India Company will sail from Calcutta on or aboul the 20th November, and the* Wanaka will also leave the same port at the end of December or the beginning of January. The latter steamer will call at Oamaru and Timaru to deliver shipments if sufficient inducement is offered. The November steamer may also call at Timaru, but that will be decided when ■ it is ascertained what quantities of cargo are offering for that port.

The s.s. Tarawera steamed down to Port Chalmers early on the 30th ult., and Bailed in the afternoon for Sydney, via Auckland.

The New Zealand Shipping Company's steamer Waimate up to noon on Tuesday had taken on board about 6000 carcases frozen mutton, 4000 crates frozen rabbits, and a quantity of bales wool and casks of tallow. The Waikare, from Melbourne, via Hobart and the Bluff, arrived alongside the George street pier at 11 a.m. on the 30th. She left Melbourne at 5.30 p.m. on the 23rd ult.

The e.s. Waikare steamed down from the Tipper harbour on the 31st, and left Port Chalmers in the afternoon, for Sydney, via Cook Strait.

The Pacifio mail steamer Starbuek foundered on the afternoon of February 28, off Amapala, 17 miles from the Island of Tigre«, off the coast of Honduras. No lives were reported as lost. The New Zealand Shipping Company's steamship Waimate left Port Chalmers on the Ist inst. for London. Her cargo from this port consisted of 865 bales of wool, 5 do sheepskins, 116 do rabbitskins, 5 do basils, 120 casks tallow, 43 do pelts, 3527 carcases mutton, 5085 crates_ rabbits, 2 drums glycerine, and 10 cases sundries.

The North German Lloyd are again adding to their fleet. They are at present building five fast mammoth screw steamers, each over 10,000 tons register, and six other steamers aggregating over 30,000 tons, of which three will also be up-to-date twin-screw steamers. In 1893 the number of passengers carried by the company to various parts of the world wan 161,963, against 140,584 in the year preceding, and the carcro totalled the large quantity of 1,983,482 tonß, against 1,910,740 tons in 1897.

Captain Fleming leaves the Flora at Auckland, and his place will bo taken by Mr Farmor, chief officer of the "Moana. Mr Wat-son, chief officer of the Waihora, at present at Port Chalmers, will be appointed acting-master of tho Omapere, taking her over from Captain Smith on arrival in Dunedin from Greymouth.

The s.s. Elingamite, from Sydney, via Auckland, arrived at 11 a.m. on Sunday. She left Sydney at 1.30 p.m. on the 25th ult., arriving at Auckl&nd at 1.30 a.m. on the 30th.

The following vessels have been in harbour during the week ending May 4": — Arrivals: Napier, s.su. 48 tans (twice); Waikare, s.s..

1901; Corinna, s.s., 820; Flora, s.s., 870 Lily, schooner, 84; Elingamite, s.s., 1675'; Invercargill, s.s., 123;— total, 5521 tons. Departures: Mokoia, s.s., 2503 tons; Invercargill, s.s., 123; Tarawera, s.s., 1269; Waikare, s.s., 1901; Corinna, s.s., 620; Waimate, s.s., 3629; Hawea, s.s., 1250; Flora,- s.s., 870; — total, 12,365 tons.

The s.s. Werfa, which has been been chartered by the Union S.S. Company to replace the Ohau on the West Coast and Dunedin line, is an iron screw steamer of 935 tons gross and 570 tons net. She was built in 1883 by the Palmer's Company (Limited) at Newcastle-on-Tyne, is schooner rigged ; 216 ft long, 32ft 2in in beam, and 15ft sin depth of hold. She is fitted with compound surface condensing engines of 98 horse-power nominal, the diameter of the cylinders being respectively 27in and 51in, with a length of stroke of 33in. Two immense steel barges are being confliucted for the Bessemer Steamship Company by the American Steel Bargo Company, of West Superior, Michigan, each barge will have a net capacity of 8008 tons. They are to be 460 ft long, 50ft beam, and 29£ ft deep ; and will be completed in time for the opening of the American lake navigation in 1900. The Brazilian Government has decided to close its naval yards at Bahia and Pernambuco. These yards are to be sold and the money obtained for them is to be placed to the credit of the Department of Marine. Tho two establishments are stated by the Minister for Marine to have involved an outlay during the last nine years of £630,000, while they have only produced three small vessels. The Brazilian Government hopes by closing the yards to effect economies to the"- amount of £70,000 per annum.

During the week ending April 12 the losses of vessels reported at Lloyd's were as follows: — 12 British and 13 foreign sailing vessels, with 5 British and 6 foreign steamers.