AN AUXILIARY SCREW.

Timaru Herald, Volume LX, Issue 2263, 8 December 1896, Page 4

AN AUXILIARY SCREW.

. . *» On Saturday morning a schoonei anchored in t lie roadstead, and later or no little amnzeincut was folt by people about the harbour at the sight of hei drifting towards the harbour works, wit!: all sails stowed, and in a.jlead calm The controversy about tile currents appeared likely to be revived by souk new and striking evidence, but a general question, of that sort was forgotten" in the questions : Why ia she drifting ? Why doesn't the crew do something ? The amazement took a turn as the .■little vessel did, making for Use entrance as il under good steenug control, and then she came in as confidently" and as truly, and make her way to her berth as certainly, asnuy red-funnel steamer. A splashing of water about her rudder let out tht secret ; the schooner— the Waiapu of IOC tons— carries an auxiliary son'w ! Cap tnin Martin showed us the innova. lion yesterdny, and oxplnined it fully with ti;o zeal of nn enthusiast. Al a cost of i.bout £300 he has fitted ir the stern of his vessel a 12 h p. oil gas engine, diiviug a small four-bladcd pro peller. The engine was made in Call fornia, and occupies, with pleuty ofroorr for the " engineer," only four tons o: space. It is a most compact piece o machinery, differing greatly in gonera appearance from the gas engines we have in Timaru, and differing very much also in construction, hav ing two cylinders on one crank oper ating alternately. The oil used at present is benzine or gasolene, but an attachment can be had for burning kerosene. Ignition is obtained by electric spark, produced by a tiny dynamo. Tht details appear to be Wei! worked oul and compressed into small space, while the controlling mechanism is all "handy." CaptainMartintellsusthatthc engine will drive the Waiapu, loaded, five knots in a calm, an<i it runs without any attention when once started, so that he can sleep on his watch beside it The one fault with the arrangement is that the propeller ia too small, the engine whizzing it round ia the water when put to its full power, and he has sent to San Francisco for a larger one. Whpn sailiilg the engine is simply disconnected, and the screw revolves loosely in the water, offering no measurable resistance. Captain Martin was the first to introduce these engines into a trading coaster, and his enterprise is now being copied by other Auckland owners. Thf re appears to be a very large and useful field for the application of these compact gas engines to the propulsion of small traders.

An excited and extremely uproarious meeting of directors and shareholders of the British South African Company wa3 held in London, on November 6th. Thf»Dukeof Aberdeen, who was in the chair, stated that the outbreak of the natives in Rhodesia has cost the Company over £500,000. The rinderpest had worked great havoc in the Company's territory. The shareholders rejected the scheme formulated by .the directors for underwriting new shares to the amount of £1,000,000, but finally decided that the shares be issued without underwriting. There was renewed uproar on this, and several shareholders shouted "Are the new shares intended to pay Kruger's indemnity?"