NEW STEAM TRAWLER.
The steam trawler Nora Niven,, which is under a three months' charter to the Government to conduct experimental trawling between the Chatham islands and Stewart Island, and generally along the east coast., arrived in Lyttelton at 3.15 p.m. yesterday after a passage of twenty-one hours from Wellington. The vessel *-has a speed of about eight and a half knots, and the trip was therefore fairly good. Captain M'Allister, who is in command, and who brought the vessel out from Home, is well-known in Lytbelvon, having been for some time in command of tho 5.6. Toroa. The Nora Niven is not strikingly handsome, but she was not built for" elegance or psesenger accommodation, and makes up for any apparent deficiencies in that respect by her extreme strength of construction throughout, while her quarters are good and comfortable. She is only a small vessel, being 96ft long Avith a breadth of 21ft, and a net register of 56 tons. She represents the latest capabilities of her typeof craft, and in several respects she is much aliead of the average steam trawler, of which a large -fleet sets out from Grimsby and Hull every day. She has a great advantage over tho North Sea trawlers in that she is fitted with a complete icemaking plant of her own, capable of turning out three- tons every twentyfour hows, which will enable- her to keop her "takes" indefinitely. When operating where fish are abundant the trawl of the Nora Niven coiild, it is estimated, land suficiont fish to fill 100 large baskets at every haul, eighty tons being her full cargo. She trawls at a depth of 120 fathoms, and is capable of being worked 'at 460 fathoms. Sho is named after a daughter of Mr Niven, of Napier, ©no of the owners, for whom she was built by Messrs Oochira.no and Sons of Selby. The vessel called at Lyttelton yes- , terday to allow Mr E. R. Waite i (curator cf the Canterbury Museum) to join her. She left in the evening frr Stewart Island, and from there she will commence her operations. Mr F. L. Ayson, Chief Inspector of fisheries, is directing the experiments, a-nd he and Mr Waite will take a note of the results. It is not known definitely how long the Nora Niven will be away. I
NEW STEAM TRAWLER.
Star (Christchurch), Issue 8949, 7 June 1907, Page 1
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