ARRIVAL OF H.M.S. "CHALLENGER."

Waka Maori, Volume 10, Issue 14, 14 July 1874, Page 171

ARRIVAL OF H.M.S. "CHALLENGER."

[Abridged from the New Zealand Times of the 29th of June.] Her Majesty's ship "Challenger," Captain Nares, now on a scientific cruise round the world, arrived in harbour yesterday evening, having come direct from Sydney to "Wellington. The voyage of the " Challenger " has, of course, a world-wide interest, not only to all classes of scientific men, "but also to us more particularly, owing to the work she has "been engaged in between the Australian mainland and the New Zealand coast. The substance of all her previous voyages has been placed before our readers at different times, and they will only be particularly interested in what has transpired with regard to the soundings and experiments made during the run across from Sydney to "Wellington. The fact that the " Challenger " had for a special object in this part of her trip the preparation of data for the supply of much needed information as to the prospects and expense of a cable between the Australian continent and our own Colony, makes her report unusually interesting. Before finally leaving Sydney, the "Challenger" made an excursion trip out of Port Jackson, dredging and sounding a short distance from the shore, and securing many interesting specimens. The second day after she started for New Zealand, she was obliged to put back from stress of weather, a heavy gale of wind blowing outside, and rendering it impossible to take any soundings or make any hauls with the net.

On eventually leaving Sydney, on Friday, the 12th instant, the ship ran out fifteen miles from the land, and on the line being passed down, a depth of eightyfive fathoms was the first entry. She then ran out for an hour, and recorded 120 fathoms. Another hour brought them into 290 fathoms of water, with a bottom of hard sand between the two soundings. At 2.30 p.m., 260 fathoms were sounded, with a bottom of green sand and mud. An instrument for finding the degrees of temperature of the sea at various depths, was here brought into use by the scientific staff on board. The greater the depth the cooler the water is always found to be. After another run of two and a half hours, till 5 p.m., 950 fathoms were sounded, with a bottom of ooze and slimy mud. On Saturday the ship lay-to for some time, and the next sounding was taken in 1,200 fathoms, the bottom showing sand and mud. landing this depth too great for easy observation, her head was turned in-shore, the next throw of the lead giving 410 fathoms. At this point the dredge was brought into use, but nothing of any importance was brought up, only a few common specimens of marine life being added to the collection. A heavy gale of wind sprang up after this was over, and the ship got out into much deeper water, the next sounding giving 2,100 fathoms, with a bottom of mud; followed on Tuesday by still deeper water, giving 2,550 fathoms, and on "Wednesday the bottom was only reached at 2,600 fathoms. The soundings on the 19th gave the same depth and temperature, the bottom being chiefly a yellow mud. On the 21st, 1,975 fathoms gave a bottom of white mud, and on the 22nd, the bottom was reached at a depth of 1,100 fathoms, the temperature rising to 35*7°. These indications of shallower water were not without cause, for on the 23rd the vessel ran right into 400, 350, and at last into only 275 fathoms. This was at about 200 miles distance from the land. The question of the nature of the bottom at this part where the land was being neared, was of course especially interesting and important, and some careful tests were made with the apparatus on board. These indicated that the bottom was of a hard, stony kind, probably rocks, these becoming more marked nearer m shore. The temperature was here 38'50°, giving additional evidence of a decrease in the depth of water. [From the fact that the bottom consists of rocks within a few hundred miles of the shore of New Zealand, it will be necessary that a strong cable be used for some three or four hundred miles from the coast, unless a more favourable approach to the coast be discovered hereafter, possibly on the "West Coast of the North Island. For the greater part of the way across, a light cable will be sufficient, the bottom being composed of mud and sand.] On the 24th, last "Wednesday, the first sounding was made at four o'clock in the morning, and gave 400 fathoms; the vessel's head was accordingly again turned in-shore until half-past seven, when only 150 fathoms of water were reported. The soundings

then became shallower and shallower, until at halfpast eleven the bottom was reached at 75 fathoms. On the 24th, at 8 a.m., the line gave 42 fathoms only, and half-an-hour afterwards land was sighted at Cape Farewell. The wind had then freshened considerably, and was blowing very hard from the S.E. with considerable sea, and it was decided to take shelter in Port Hardy, an inlet in the north of D'Urville's Island, which was reached at 5 p.m., in time to escape the full fury of the gale, which lasted all the next day, and kept them shut up in the harbour until Saturday morning, when an attempt was made to run across; but it was still blowing so hard that the " Challenger " ran under shelter of Long Island, in Queen Charlotte's Sound, and anchored under lee of it for the night. At 7.30 a.m. the anchor was weighed, and she ran across; and a strong favouring tide setting in, she was enabled to beat up under steam and sail, and came to an anchor about 4 o'clock. The sea in the Strait was very high, and the swell caused the vessel to pitch and roll considerably. When about ten miles off the port, one of the crew, named Edward Wilton, who was standing in the chains disentangling the line from the port anchor, was washed overboard by a heavy sea. He was not missed until some minutes afterwards, when the ship was immediately rounded to, but no traces of him could be seen; he must have gone down at once in the sea that was running. The " Challenger " left Wellington for Auckland on the 6th of July. Prom Auckland, after a week's stay, the course will be shaped to Tongataboo and the Fiji Islands, and a complete series of exploration and soundings will be made in those tropical parts. She will afterwards go to Hongkong, which she will make a main station for coaling, refitting, and provisioning. The general course steered during the run across between Sydney and the New Zealand coast was East and by South, and the soundings were taken as nearly as possible on this line.