BLUFF HARBOR.

Southland Times, Issue 3312, 31 January 1879, Page 2

BLUFF HARBOR.

ARRIVED. Januafy"SO^^mon, 's;§.f'S&f-tohs; Tozer, from Dunedin. Cargillsj Gibbs-A Co., agents. Passengers for Bluff—Bey. Mr "Ward, Messrs Barton, Suffield, aud 1 Jra the; steerage. - Fpr Melbourne—26 Baloon, and 21 steerage. ffl .Tj tIJEPORTS.^ . *'"f. T V. .-u.>'T Per Albion—so boxes candles, W. Todd; 1 parcel, Colonial Insurance Company; 1 do, Signor Raphael; 1 case,-.R. Cleave; 4 .do,' Suffield. . , , . " EXPEOTSn ARRIVALS. From the North—v Tararua. • From Lyttelton—THurunui.

The ship Jessie. 1 Eeadman Ms'sent up'her royal yards, and is getting her sails bent in anticipation of early departure.. . The brigantine Circe finished discharging her coals yesterday, and is now "ready-for her timber, j . , ■ . ,T . -AL i The Albert Victor is getting well forward with her loading. '"* •' * .•>' The Annie Hill is getting- rapidly forward with her loading, and should be ready for ,sea about Saturday. The s.s. Albion, Capt. Tozer, left "Wellington at 2 p.m. on the 26th, cleared the Heads at 3.20 p.m., Teach'ed'Lyttelton at 7 a.m. on the following day, left again at 3.35 pan., and arrived at Port Chalmers at 10.30 a.m. on the 28th. After discharging cargo and coaling left, the wharf at 4.10 p.m. on the 29fch. Cleared the Heads at 5.15 p-n^p and reached the Bluff at 12.50 a.m. on the 30th, having had to' steam from the Nuggets in the teeth of a hard S.W. gale, with thick weather and Tiasty sea. With this exception the weather all along the coast has been fihe,'and the winds light. The Albion will leave to-day for Melbourne; her departure yesterday was prevented by the prevailing-boisterous weather. _ Another of the New -Zealand Shipping Company's vessels, the Hurunui, may be expected here in a few days, and with her another stranger that is likely to attract a great deal of attention. The Hurunui has been advertised as on the Bluff berth for sometime, and is expected to leave Lyttelton, where she discharged her Home cargo, to-morrow, and will likely be towed np here from Lyttelton by the new tug Lyttelton. - The latter js a splendid vessel of her class —well worth inspection. The Hurunui is a sister ship to the Orari and Otaki, both of which have visited the Bluff. We would draw the attention of our readers to an advertisement in another, column having reference tcr "the Stadt Haarlem, a magnificent ocean steamer/ to the lot of which' it has fallen to initiate direct steao communication between Britain'and New Zealand. The Stadt Haarlem was specially constructed for ocean sailing' "by those well-known builders Messrs A', and J. Inglis and Co., of Glasgow, and is comparatively a new vessel, having been launched in 1875; iShe is of: great size, her- dimensions bemg-4-length. 350 feet ;beam_ 38 feet; :and?depth of hold, 27r feetTft inches.; her "gross Ttonnage is 2729...7, She. has full power engines, is built in three decks, is., admirably appointed, and like, the steamers ofthe Orient line'running;to7;:^ictora,..';will-. make the passage direct withoutstopping on the way to coal. The latest advice Teceived by the New Zealand-Shipping Company, her _charte:ers, that she was- to leave Plymouth at the latter end of this month with' a large?-cargo .and-six hundred emigrants, besides passengers, and may be expected to make the run out in 40 0iv,42 days. '-She; will visit three of the colonies' points,' viz., Wellington, Otago/and Lyttelton; but it is not yet known- whether she will first call at Wellington or Port Chalmers. She will, however j take her final on:her 7retnrn: to England frGm,;L_jntt2lton. 7 The .passage home will be made' via the. Straits of/Magellan, a. noveL route,, and. one that • has its recominendar tions'tb passengers who choose between it "and tiie Suez route, inasmuch that the intense heat, of the TRed Seals avoided. The StaHt'Ha'aileni: is to leave Lyttelton in'the early partrof April, and upon the success'of-this -Ther first trip will in a measure depend on the immediate further prosecution of the-'scheme of direct steam communication'with the old coimtry. An enquiry was held atTGardiff by the.Wreck Commissioners in July last," into an explosion: which occurred in the coal-laden vessel Cfaduceus.. The facts of /the-"case were as follows :-—The Caduceus arrived at /Penaffch on the 24th of June, and her'loading commenced on the same day. - The cargo consisted^of' 2225 tons 'of coal . which came entirely from! the' Ferhdale-collieriesj: and was smokeless steam-coal. TJp to the time of the ex-plosionbn;the-28th,:2180 tons.had been; shipped, in addition to the bunker coal. James Heme, a. trimmer,-;said. that-,on -the 28th> the _ captain was dissatisfied with the quantity of coal shipped, and-that he went down to try and get some more into'the lower hold. Immediately afterwards the explosion Other evidence shaw.ed that the explosion was caused by a ligbTteS? candle tflken into? the hold. Mb T. E^Wales,- Heir Majesty's inspebtoi' of coal mines for the district, gave evidence: that the colliery-of Messrs David TTDavies and Sons, from which,thiscoal <Same, produced a semi-anthra-J cite rather more bituminous than the coal of the 4-feet seam. It rwas /a -^fieryf . coal,- but not mOre so than other coal ffbm the s'eiim. Coal of . that character required, grpat. care in shipment and ventilation. There'should be a constant currentjbftair.paesing over it to;carry;off the? gas which exuded from/it. .In answer to theCommissioner, he said'-thatthis coal would continue to^giye.;off.'carb.uretted hydrogen pas for. several, days'after, loading, and that, if there were a vacivnt-;epace the gas would collect there. A ventilator in the fore part of the hold would have^swept7tlie glas'away. ; When .the-ship was: on.her voyage sufficient draught would be going through the vessel to.clear away the, gas., There: would fe; danger- in' tising-'niked 'lights, during the loadihgTTof the .'vessel, even if ventilation was provided,by leaving:the. hatches ; open.'-. Mr Wal&pn," for.theXßoard of Tr^de,' announced, that hs should- make Trip charge against any one in this case. _ The Commissioner was of opinion that the accident 7 was -due" to- an explosion of coal-gas in orehold, caused by a light haying been taken down into the: hold in which about 400 tons of freshly-worked South Wales coal had been lying for about 28 hours, with the hatchways securely?closed,-and without any' means/being afforded; by.. ventilation, or -other-,. •\vise, for the escape of the gas.-^Australian Shipping News. (BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.) _;....;.: 'P7-- Hokitiea, iFan::'3o. l .-;.- The Claud. Hamilton, has ariived fi-om Melbourne, but dwihg to the heavy sea could oiily land half her cargo. 7/S}ie_ went on to Nelson, and had to give Greymouth * the ;go-bye,: taking on Greymouth mails, and? passengers. 7-:~ Timaru, Jan. 30. Arrived— -Truranga,7scfi6biier, from the Bluff" /-':•*??'.■'"■■.■; XX a ;y/: Jan.:;3o.;T? Sailed —Zealand^,7 wi£h -the ;San Frahcisco ' mail. .-'■/'.-. ■-..:-.-■..'7.-'- :■-■•--,■