TELEGRAPHIC SHIPPING.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 63, 11 February 1884, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC SHIPPING.

[Peb Press Association.] Auckland, Feb. 8. Arrived—Amazon, from New York via Wellington. Bailed—Eastward Ho, for Suva; Om&. ptre, for Westport; Doric, for the South, this evening, at six o’clock. She had no passengers shipped at Auckland, but took in, however, £lO,OOO worth of cargo here for London, consisting of wool, gum, and island produce. The steamer Waitaki narrowly escaped filling at Whangarei yesterday, under these circumstances About 150 tons of coal had been put in her fore hold at low-water, and the men went aft to fill the bunkers, As the tide rose, it was observed by the men forward that the steamer’s stern began to cock up, and on going forward it was found that a port had been left open in the fore cabin, which is below the main-deck. The water had rushed in here, and filled it. Every attempt was at onoe made to get the water down, but it had gained too much headway for the vessel to rise. Her nose was embedded in the mud, and, with the great deadweight of coal in the fore hold and the water in the fore cabin, the vessel’s bow was held under, and the water gradually gained on her. Men were sent down from the coal-mines, and about forty of these, with buckets, set to work keeping the water that leaked through the forehead bulkhead from filling the engine-room. At high water, the whole of the Waitaki’s forecastle was submerged, while her propeller was half way out of water. It was touch-and-go in the engine-room whether the fires would be put out or not. The water was now up to the fire-bars, and it got so hot that the men could hardly stand to their work. However, they stuck to it like Trojans, and just mastered the element. Another two inches of water, and the fires would have gone out, and then the whole vessel would have been submerged. This critical matter over, a tonkin pump was brought from the mine, ready for work as soon as the tide went down. The pumps were useless till 10-30 last night, when the tide left the fore deck. Then the ship’s pumps were started, and the tonkin, connected to a locomotive on the wharf, set to work. In two hours’ time the vessel began to rise, the pumps throwing out ten to twelve thousand gallons of water an hour. At 8 a.m. the vessel was herself again, thanks to the ready appliances, in the shape of men and pump, that were at hand; but for these the loss to the Company would not have been less than £2,000, as the cabin furniture, Ac., would have been destroyed. Mr. Chappel, the engineer, had a very anxious time of it, and he and his men worked like demons to fight the water back. Captain Crawford had also a bad twelve hours of it; he was working amongst the men in a cotton shirt through all th? water and rain, and this morning he is rather indisposed. The whole thing happened so suddenly that nothing could be done. Captain Haultain divec down to shut the port, but could not do so.

(reuter’s telegrams.) Adelaide; Feb. 9. The Orient s.s. Lusitania, with inward mails (via Brindisi and Suez) dated London, Jan. 4th, arrived yesterday morning.