IN THE SHIP LANES

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18451, 30 April 1928, Page 15

IN THE SHIP LANES

PORT OF LYTTELTON. PHASES OF THE MOON. APRIL.. d. h. m. Full moon .. 5 3 8 p.m. Last quarter . 1.1 7 39 p.m. New moon ..20 4 55 p.m. First quarter 27 7 39 p.m. TO-DAY’S ALMAHAC. Sun rose, 6.50 a.m.: sets, 5.3 p.m. Moon rises 3.29 p.m.; sets 1.41 a.m. High, water, 0.34 a.m.; 1.10 p.m. TO-DAY'S BEETHIN& LIST. Somerset—Gladstone Pier. Kennedy—No. 2 east. 9 Maori—No. 2 west. Tees—No. 4 east. Breeze— No. 4 west. . Waipiata—No. 6 east. lonic—No. 7 west. ARRIVALS. , . Sunday, April 29. vV aipiata (6.30 a.m.), 2826 tons, fcl- •? r - s ’ ' * rom Wellington. Union. Steam blnp Company, agents. Maori (0.55 a.m.), 4436 tons. Irwin, from Wellington. Union Steam Ship Company, agents. Tees (3.15 p.m.), 543 tons, Powell, ClllnSrt ° U ’ Kinsey an<i Co., Bril-, Breeze (4 p.m.), 542 tons, M’Kenzic, from Wellington. A. 11. Turnbull and Co., agents. lonic (10.30 a.m), 12,355 tons, Jackson, from Wellington. Shaw, Savill and Albion Company, agents. Monday, April 30. Kennedy (5.30 a.m.), 226 tons, Stuart, from Foxton. Kinsey and Company, agents. DEPARTURE S. Saturday, April 2S. Cygnet (6.15 p.m.), 124 tons, Larsen, for Kaikoura. Cygnet Agency, agents; W. W. Toy and Co., port agents. Wahine (S.lO p.m.), 4 436 tons, Cameron, for Wellington. Union Steam Ship Company, agents. EXPECTED ARRIVALS. Calm, Timaru, May 1. John, New Plymouth, May 1. Kahika, Timaru, May 1. Kanna, Napier, May 1. Holmdale, Timaru, May l. Kaponga, Timaru, May 1. Corinna, Timaru, May 1. Maimoa, Timaru, May 2. Waikouaiti, Dunedin, May 3. Echo, Blenheim. May 3. Storm, Wellington, May 3. Port Auckland, Wellington, May 4. Zealandic, Newcastle-on-Tyne, May 4. Knrow, Wellington, May 6. Kartigi, Wellington, May 6. Turakina, Wellington, May 8. Port Dunedin, Port Chalmers, May 16. Canadian Transporter, Wellington, May 17. Wirrall, Wellington, May 20. Matakana, Wellington, May 23. Queen Eleanor, Wellington, May 23. Willaston, Wellington, June 19. Taranaki, London, June 19. PROJECTED DEPARTURES. Maori, Wellington, this day. Kennedy, Foxton, this day. Tees, Chathams, this day. Somerset, Timaru, this day. Waipiata, Wellington, this day. Calm, Wellington, May 1. Kahika, Wellington, May 1. Holmdale, Wellington, May 1. Corinna, Wellington, May 1. Kaponga, Napier, Mai - 1. Kanna. Dunedin, May 3. John, New Plymouth, May 1. Echo, Blenheim, May 2. Storm, Dunedin, May 3. Maimoa. Wanganui, May 3. lonic, Wellington, May 4. John, Wellington, May 5. Kurow, Dunedin, May 6. port Auckland, Timaru, May S. Zealandic, Bluff, May 9. Turakina, Dunedin, May 11. Zealandic, Wellington, May 14. Canadian Transporter, Timaru, May 18. Port Dunedin, New Plymouth, May 19. Wirrall, Dunedin, May 22. YVlllaston, Dunedin, June 21. SHIPPING NOTES. Waipiata arrived here from southern ports yesterday to load to-day for Auckland. Corinnna will load here to-morrow for Nelson and New Plymouth. Calm Is expected here to-morrow from Bluff, via southern ports, to load for Wellington and Wanganui. Kaponga will load here for Napier toStorm is expected here on Thursday from Wellington to load for Dunedin and Timaru. Breeze will arrive here to-dav from Wellington to load for Dunedin and TiTee's, from the West Coast via Wellington, arrived here yesterday. The vessel will complete her loading to-day and is expected to leave for Waitangi, Kaingaroa, Pitt Island and Owenga. Echo is expected at Lyttelton on Wednesday from Blenheim with a load of apples. She will load on discharging- for Blenheim and is expected to sail this evening. John is due Jiere on Tuesday from New Plymouth. ‘ The vessel loads for Wellington, New Plymouth and WaiHolmdale from Dunedin, via Oamaru and Timaru, is expected here on Wednesday. The vessel after loading will proceed to Wellington and Wanganui. Kennedy arrived here to-day from Foxton to load for that port. Canadian Britisher was due at Wellington on Saturday from Dunedin to load for New York, Boston and Montreal. The vessel will sail from Wellington to-day for Auckland, and is to leave the latter port next Friday for the North American ports. The Shaw, Savill and Albion Company report that their new* motor-ship Taranaki will leave London on May 16 with general cargo to discharge at Lyttelton, Port Chalmers, Bluff, Napier and New Plymouth. The vessel is due at Lyttelton on June 19. Marama on her next trip from Wellington to Sydney will leave Wellington on May 11. Kurow is to bavo Auckland on Wednesday for Wellington and southern Port Curtis left New York on April 23 with general cargo to discharge at A tick land, Napier, Wellington, Lyttelton, Dunedin and Bluffy The ship is due at Auckland on May 25. Mr J. B. Bray, late second officer of the Loogana, has been appointed master of the Cape Leeuwin, one of the Australian Federal lighthouse vessels, and Mr N. Buxton, late chief officer of the Kairanga, has also received an appointment in the same service. Port, Adelaide was due at Wellington vesterday arfd is to sail from there on Mhv 2 for Port Chalmers. The Port Adelaide will leave Port Chalmers on May 6 for London, via Panama. Port Dunedin 1s to commence loading at New Plymouth on May 26 for London. She will subsequently, load also at Wanganui, Timaru, Lyttelton and Wellington. The vessel is due at Wellington on June 8 and will sail finally from that port on June 10 for Loudon, via Panama. _ _ _ Somerset will leave Lyttelton to-day for Timaru, Port Chalmers and Wellington. The vessel is due at. Wellington on Mav 7, and will sail finally from there on May 11 for London and West Coast ports of Great Britain. Kia Ora was due at Timaru on Saturday from Oamaru to continue her load-

FORT AUCKLAND FROM SOME. The C. and D. Line steamer Port Auckland arrived at Wellington on Thursday morning from London direct. The Port Auckland left London on March 15, and encountered heavy weather for the first week, after which remarkably fine conditions prevailed till her arrival at Wellington. The vessel called at Colon on April 1, and sailed from Panama on April 2. Captain R. S. Durham is in charge of the Port Auckland and his officers are as follow: —Chief, Mr T. Hazelwood; second, Mr C. Post; third, Mr A. Rawlands; fourth, Mr E. Braine; chief engineer, Mr E. Bridger; second. Mr A. Cutler; third, Mr J. Dreaver; radio operators, Messrs Rramley and Bowls; purser, Mr S. Clark. Dr Isaacs was ship's surgeon for the voyage. The Port Auckland will leave V ellington next Wednesday for Lyttelton. Timaru and New Plymouth, to complete discharge.

JTTBIX.EE OF THE ORIENT COMPANY The jubilee of the Orient Steam Navigation Company, which was attained this month, is an event of outstanding importance in British shipping. This company’s history provides a. notable instance of the successful operation *of steam services by men who have already achieved much in the clipper ship trade. So far as the general public is concerned, however, the special significance of this jubilee is that the Orient Line, in 1577, gave Australia its first direct steam connection with London. Seven years elapsed after the inauguration of this service before any other steam line ran direct between London and Sydney. Since the Orient steamers actually started running in 18 77, it may be thought strange that the jubilee is being celebrated this year, but it must be understood that it was the old-establish-ed Orient Line, which for twenty-five years had been running clipper ships to Australia, that sent the first Orient steamers here, and after twelve months’ thorough test, proved that the trade would pay. The Orient Steam Navigation Company was then formed, and registered in February, 1878, “to take over the Orient Line of steamships running between England and Australia, and to develop communications between the two countries.’’ The first steamer under the new flag, the Garonne, sailed from London on March 6.

The joint agents and principal owners were Messrs Anderson, Anderson and Co., and F. Green and Co., whose names carry the history of the line far hack in shipping records, even beyond seventy-five years ago, when the clipper Orient entered in the Australian trade. . .

One of these firm originated when James Thompson and Co. was founded in 3 797. In 1863 Mr James Anderson joined it, and the name was changed to Anderson, Thompson and Co., and again in 1870 to Anderson, Anderson and Co. On the other side, TP. Green and Co. date back a very long time. They won fame with the Black-wall clippers, in which comfort as well as speed made them unique at a time when record trips at the risk of all else were the main At first the Orient Company combined the policy of its predecessor in using chartered steamers from the fleet of the Pacific Steam Navigation Company of Liverpool, which since 1840 had maintained steam services round Cape Horn to Valparaiso, calling at many South .American ports. One of these,, the Lusitania, of 3825 registered tons, and 300 nominal horse-power, had started the Orient Line’s Australian service on June 28, 1877, making the passage from Plymouth to Melbourne in forty days. This smart run had aroused interest in Australia and London. One writer said "This is the quickest passage yet made, and is ten days less than the advertised time of the Peninsular and Oriental steamers from Southampton to Glenelg (South Australia) via the Suez Canal.” But the P. and O. Service was not run by through steamers, and thus the new line, though using the longer Cape route, made manifest the advantage of a direct service to Australia.

The ships of the Orient Company have been notable ones; their names were well remembered. The Lusitania was followed by the Cuzco and Chimborazo, also of the P.S.N. Co.’s fleet. This company also placed at the disposal of the Orient Line the Iberia, Liguria, John Elder, Potosi, Sorata, Cotapaxi, and Aconcagua, and this fleet ran the service for some years. In 1879 the Orient Company built its first steamer, the Orient, of 6386 tons, and named after the clipper Orient. Except the Great Eastern of 13,000 tons net, there was no larger ship than the Orient afloat at that time. This fact gave much distinction to the young company. The Orient's first voyage, made by way of the Cape, ‘ from Plymouth to Adelaide, was accomplished in thirty-seven days, including time spent in ports. After the Orient came the Austral, 5588 tons, another vessel whose name is still remembered, and later Ormuz, 6465 tons, and the Opliir, 6910 tons and 10,000 horse-power. This handsome ship had the honour of carrying the Duke and Duchess of York, now the King and Queen, on their visit to Australia to open the first Commonwealth Parliament, and afterwards took’ them on their cruise to New Zealand, South Africa and Canada,

Then came the Omrah, 8291 tons, and Orontes 9023 tons. In 1905 the working arrangement, which had existed for twenty-nine years with the P.S.N. Co. for the use of its steamer was transferred to the Royal Mail Steam Packet Co. until 1909, when the Orient Company provided five new steamers of 12,000 tons register for the mail services between Sydney and London, by way of the Suez Canal. These were the Or vie to, Osterley, Otranto, Otway and Orsova, followed by the first Orama in 3 911. The Orama, Otway, and Omrah were lost by enemy action in the world war, and Otranto whilst transporting troops. The Orient Company had now grown to be numbered among the great steamship lines of the world, and larger ships were required. Since 3 924 four new ships of 20,000 tons and 20,000 horse-power each, have been added to the fleet, and an order for a fifth placed with British builders. To-day the service is maintained by the Orsova, Osterley, and Orvleto of 3 2,000 tons, and the Ormonde of 15,000 tons, and the Orama, Oronsay, Otranto and Orford, of 20,000 tons, while the new Orontes is building.

From the first Orient clippers to the steamers of 1877 was a big step along the road of sea progress, and just as marked is the contrast between those tail-sparred, elipper-bowered steamers and the graceful leviathans of to-day. In a hundred ways, comparisons of outstanding interest may bo made, and in no department is this more remarkable than in the commissariat department. The menu of the Lusitania, which had no refrigerator, when placed alongside that of the Otranto, equipped with every modern appliance, makes one realise what luxuries are available today at sea: and at the same time, one realises what wonders were achieved on the pioneers without those aids. WIRELESS NOTICE. The following vessels are expected to be within range of the undermentioned wireless stations to-ight:— Auckland.—Piako, Hinemoa, Marama. City of Yokohama, Yoseric, Hororatn, Canadian Transporter, Hurunui, Wairuna. Wellington.—-Maori, Wahine, Arahura, Ngalo, Tamahine, Maunganui, Remuera, Iron Crown. Westmoreland, Turakina, Canadian Britisher, Otokia, Zealandic, Maimoa, Port Victor. Awarua. —Tahiti, Makura, Karetu, Waikouaiti, Kaponga, West Conob, Somerset, Kia Ora, Denby Hall. Chathams. —Tamaroa, Mata ka.ua.