H.M.S. CALLIOPE.

Colonist, Volume XXXI, Issue 5170, 24 March 1888, Page 3

H.M.S. CALLIOPE.

About noon yesterday H.M.S. Calliope arrived at the outer anohorage, and shortly after the members of the City Council proceeded on board, his Worship the Mayor being away on a visit to Wellington. The s.s Waitapu ran excursions all the afternoon, and took a great many visitors to the ship. The Calliope is a screw corvette, built of Steel and iron, and in eased with wood. Her length is 235 feet, beam 44 feet 6 inches, and her displacement is 2770 tons. She has a smart, clipper., built appearance* and it is said can steam1 fully 15 knots an hour, She' is built on what is known as the coffer dam principle, and is divided into watertight compartment?. Everything on board is kept in most perfect order, and her machinery, which is of the latest oonstruotion, with all the most recent improvements, is alone worth the trip to the outer anchorage to inspect She has six steel boilers, and her engines are on the horizontal compound , tandem principle. Her armament is very powerful and comprises f our six-inch steel Armstrong breechloading guns, and 12 five-inch gun> of the same description, mounted on Varasseur platforms, and'stationed on the main deck. The six-inoh guns curry a hundred pound ■hell a distance of 5000 yards, and the sinch a 501b shell a similar distance. All the guns are rifled. She has also ten machine guns— namely, six Nordenfeldts and four Gardners, two of the former being four barrelled weapons, and two two barrelled, both firing a 1-inch steel projectile, the latter being useful m keeping off torpedo boats. There ate also two guns fot use in attacks on land, one being a 9 pounder, and the other a, 7 pounder. The Calliope carries a full supply of Whitehead torpedoes, and there are two discharging tubes, one on each side of the ship just abaft the foremast. Her magaziues and machinery are below the water line, and are well protected by a steel deck. The vessel is fitted with the electric search light, and it is to be hoped before the vessel takes her departure this evening that Captain Eane will favor the publio with an exhibition of the same. The Calliope will be open for inspection from ten o'olock this morning until five o'olock this evening, and shortly after she will proceed on her way to Sydney. As the Waitapu, Kennedy, and Lady fiarkly will make excursions to her throughout the day, ample opportunity will be afforded of visiting her. Her guns and their mechanism, her machinery, the armoured tower from whioh she is commanded when in action, and her general fittings are all worthy of inspection, and should be seen by those who wi~h to know what Old England's modern wer vessels are like. We were informed !'•■•>*■• her full compliment of men is 270. The blowing is a list of her officers :— Captain, Henry G. Kane; Ist Lieutenant, B. K. MeAlpine; Navigating Lieutenant, H. Pearson; Lieutenants, A. B. Carter, H. Moncton, M. Cartewright; Paymaster, B. Rogers ; Engineer!, H. Burton, W. Milton; Assistant Engineer, J. Roffey; Fleet Surgeon, Y. B. Duke; Surgeon, H. B. Crople; Chaplain, Rev, A. C. Evans; Midshipmen, Hon. H. A. Hood, J. Kelly, P. Brant; W. Nioholson, and H. Prondergast.