INTER-PROVINCIAL SHIPPING.

West Coast Times, Issue 1981, 5 February 1872, Page 2

INTER-PROVINCIAL SHIPPING.

[per electric tbleqkapm.l ARRIVED. Greymouth. — 3rd, 6 p,m., Waipara, from Hokitika. SAILED. February 4. — Nil. The s.s. Waipara sailed on Saturday last for Greymouth, Brighton, and Westport. Her return may be expected to-morrow evening or Wednesday, should favorable weather be experienced. The p.s. Charles Edward, from Nelson and Westporfc, did not arrive yesterday as •xpected, but it is probable she will put in an appearance on this morning's tide, should the weather at Westport, on Saturday last, have proved fine enough for the discharge of cargo at that port. She is announced to leavo this day (circumstances permitting) for Greymoutk, Westport, and Nelson, taking passengers and cargo for all New Zealand ports. Passage ticketi can be obtained from the purser on board. Messrs M'Meckau, Blaekwood, & Co.'s steamer Albion, new coming round the Coast ports, will be the next vessel to leave this port for Melbourne direct, on or about the 12th inst. Messrs M'Meekan, Biackwood, & Co.'s steamer Coorong is the next vessel due at this port from Melbourne direct. Her arrival is expected to take place on or about the 11th inst. The p.s. Luna had not been telegraphed as having arrived at Westport up to the time of the office closing yesterday. The brigantine Isabella, timber-laden, from tbis port, arrived at Lyttelton on the Ist iu«tant. Captain Thompson, harbor master afc the Bluff, hns patented nn improved anchor, a trial of which was made last week in the presence of Sir William Stawell, Chief Justice of Victoria; Captain Greig, of the James Paxlon ; and other gentlemen. Caplain Greig furnishes the Southland Times with his •bserrations on the experiment:— l have just witnessed a series of experiments made with variously-shaptd anchors as to their holding power on land and soft soils; their power »f taking hold and clearing themselves when fouled by the cable, and I have no hesitation in giving it ai my opinion that the new anchor just patented combines properties superior to any anchor hitherto known to me. Its superiority I take to be— lst, the impossibility of the cable fouling the stock when it is being let go; 2nd, the impossibility of the cable fouling the itock when at the bottom under any circumstances; 3rd, the very small chance there is of the cable fouling the flukes, for in the experiments I have just witnessed the chain when wound round tho flukes clenred itself when the strain came on it; 4th, the certainty of the flukes gripping the ground on hard or soft bottoms, and thereby exerting a resting power equal to, and I believe greater than, that of any anchor I know of; sth, the simple aud effective means by which ths flukes may be set to any angle, so as to suit the nature of the bottom, the experiments having shown, that soft soil requires the flukes to be set at % different an/le from tbat required for hard giound; 6th, the almost impossibility of the stock getting bent or broken, when dropped among rocks or when dredging in a tide-way. These I consider to lie its main advantages, and, on the other hand, I can see no corresponding disadvantage; for it could not inflict any more damage to a vessel's bottom settling down on it in shallow water than Trottman's anchor would do. The shape is rather startling at first sight, but after setting aside ideas which long habit gives one, and exercising the judgment alone, I see that the shape can in no way be inconvenient, but that the newly-invented anchor may be catted, fished, and taken on board as easily as an ordiuary-shaped anchor.