SALE OF THE S.S. lONIC.

Otago Witness, Issue 2416, 28 June 1900, Page 54

SALE OF THE S.S. lONIC.

' WELLINGTON, June 25.— Captain Babot has received intelligence that the- lonic has been sold, and that she will come no more to New Zealand., Captain Kempson will receive command of one of the two new steamers now 'building. - " ,

After being _ thoroughly cleaned and repainted with j;he Union Steam Ship Company's bronze green colour, the s.s. Waihora •was floated out of the graving dock on Thursday morning. She takes up her running in the East Coast and Sydney trade this week. The IJ.S.S. Company's Monowai steamed down to Port Chalmers on Friday, and will lav up for an overhaul. The Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company s splendid steamer Waiwera, which has recently been employed as a Royal transport, arrived at Port Chalmers on Friday forenoon, and was berthed at the ocean steamers' wharf, George Street, to take in cargo. She reached Wellington on June 5. Discharged cargo, and after talcing in a quantity of tallow and wool, proceeded at 2 p.m. of the 12th inst. for Lyttelton, at which port she arrived at 7 a.m. of the next day ; took in 32,000 carcases of mutton, with a quantity of tallow and wool, and after landing 1500 tons of general cargo left that port on the 19th inst. Proceeded to Timaru, embarked 6000 carcases of mutton, with a quantity of wool, and other cargo, and left again fJb 10 a.m. of' the 21st inst. Ead fine weather ilong the coast, and arrived as above. The Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company's 8.8. Waiwera has taken in a quantity of frozen sheep and rabbits, with wool, tallow, and Dther cargo, at the George street pier, Port Chalmers.

The s.s. Flora, after being cleaned and repainted, was floated but of the graving dock Dn Saturday morning, and proceeded to DunBdin. She left again on Sunday for Auckland, via the East Coast ports. The following vessels haye been in harbour during the past week: — Arrivals: Taupo, s.s., 408 tons; Invercargill, s.s., 123 (twice) ; Kini, s.s., 700; Flora, s.s., 838; Rjmu, s.s., 143; "Waiwera, 5.5.,- 6200; Haurotd, s.s; 1276; Talune, s.s., 1370; Janet Nicoll, s.s., 496; — total, 11,547 tons. Departures : Mapourika, s.s., 718 tons; Manurewa, barquentine, 327; Inveroargill, s.s., 123; Taupo, s.s., 403; Kini, s.s., 700 ; Lady Mabel, barquentine, 195 ; Flora, s.s., 838; Talune, s.s., 1370;— total, 4679 tons. -

The U.S.S. Company's fine steamer Talune, Captain C. Spinks, with 35 passengers and 350 tons of general cargo for this port, arrived at the Bowen pier. Port Chalmers, at 7.'35 a.m. of Saturday, and proceeded to Dunedin on the first of the flood tide. She left Melbourne at 1 p.m. of the 14-th inst.

The s.s. Waihora, having received a complete overhaul at Port Chalmers, came up to Dunedin on Monday, and was berthed at the tongue wharf. Fire and boat drill was gone through in the afternoon. The boats were got out and into the Avater in the good average time of lmin 45sec for each boat, everything being done in a thoroughly satisfactory manner.

Another large steamer is to be built for the New Zealand Shipping Company by Messrs William Denny Bros., Dumbarton. The new vessel is to have twin screws, to steam about 13 knots, and have a gross tonnage of about '7000 tons; to be fitted up for carrying about 100,000 carcases of- frozen mutton, and to be 'delivered in July next year. The engines lire to be supplied by Messrs Denny and Co. The vessel, which is to be a sister boat to the Rimutaka, at present building at Messrs Denny's yards for the New Zealand Shipping Company, is to take the highest class in the British Corporation, and will trade from London to New Zealand, via the Cape and Hobart. The refrigerating installations for what are Btated to be the three largest meat-carrying steamers afloa^-the Suffolk, Norfolk, and Sussex,— their meat-carrying capacity being 130,000 carcases of mutton, dairy produce, etc. , have just been completed, the vessels being specially designed for the Australian tr^de. The refrigerating machines, which are

jon Hall's dry air carbonic system, placed entirely in the main engine room, where the harmless nature of the refrige:ant used can, under no circumstances, become a source of trouble. The machines also come under the attention of tho engineer on watch, and do not occurjy useful space in any other part of the ship. The Houlder line of steamers are making a splendid record for shipments of horses from Buenos Ayres to Capetown. A loss of nine animals on over 5000 shipped is surprising, speaking well not only for the arrangements on board, but for the care displayed in selection by Colonel A&pimvall, head of the remount commission at Buenos Ayres. The following table tells its own tale: — s

51P2 9 This shows to what remarkable perfection the sj r 3tem of horse-carrying, and, it may be added, of cattle-carrying, has been brought by the lines regularly engaged in the trade.

ytcameis. billed. Airvu. No. 1 Be? con Grange Nov. 14 -Nov. 29 ... 685 lncluns, Nov. 30— Dee. IS ... 714 Prah T>ee. 20-J.in. 9 ... 557 Pendower ... Dec. 24-Jun. 11 ... 317 Jtoyston Grange Dec. 2"!— . Tan. 0 ... 678 Knssaia Jan. 24— Feb. 10 ... 750 luduna Feb. 11— JSTar. 3 ... 850 Prab Fob. 20— Mar. 10 ... ssl Diei 1 2 2 1 0 2 0 1