ARRIVAL OF THE S.S. RUAHINE.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXI, Issue 2388, 14 July 1866, Page 1

ARRIVAL OF THE S.S. RUAHINE.

The Panama, New Zealand, and Australian Royal Mail Company's srew steainpship Ruahine, winch was telegraphed off Cape Otvray on Monday afternoon, about four o'clock, arrived at the Heads the same evening at eleven, where she anchored for tho night, and came up the Bay yesterday morning. The Ruahine is the second of the line of ocean steamers intended to perform the Transpacific mail service between Wellington, N.Z., and Panama ; and her arrival in auticipation of the April Mails from Europe has been engcrly expected. This magnificent steamer, like her forerunner, the Kaikoura, is brig-rigged, and is a handsome specimen of vessels of Tier class. She has a sharp entrance, and a fine clean run fore and aft, and her passenger accommodation is something extensive, her main-deck berths being fitted up for seventy first-class passengers, forty second-class, and seventy third-class. Her saloon, seventy-seven feet in length, is luxuriously furnished, and is fitted up with a piano, library, and plunge and shower baths, and" contains almost every comfort und convenience for passengers by the Panama route. The Ruahine is registered at IGIO tons, and her load displacement is said to be 2410 tons, her coal bunkers carrying 1200 tons of coal, an amount in excess of her requirements, even with full steam during the entire voyage. The steamer is propelled by twin screws, which can be driven together or separately, according as the vessel may have the wind, and tho motive power is supplied by two pairs of engines, of the combined nominal horsepower of 400. The engines have pairs of annular cylinders, with a two-feet stroke, and drive two three-bladed screws, having a diameter of ten feet and a-half, and a pitch of 18 feet 6 inches. By working the screws separately, the vessel can be turned round as if on a pivot. The boilers arc heated by ten furnaces, and are fitted with Davison's patent surface condensers. The engines are made by the builders of tho steamer, Messrs. J. and W. Dudgeon, of Millwall. The Ruahine left London on April 6th, and called at Plymouth, leaving that port on the Bth, and arriving at. St. Vincents on the morning of the 18lli. From Plymouth to St. Vincents strong contrary winds and fine weather were met with. The steamer left St. Vincents on the evening of the 21st, and had light north-east trades to tho equator, which was crossed on April 27, in longitude 4 deg. 25 mm. W. Strong south-east trades were experienced from tho line to latitude 24 deg. 27 mm. S., and afterwards strong southerly winds, with a heavy sen, to tho Cape of Good Hope, whoro she arrived on May 11. The passage of the Ruahino from the Cape, where she kit on May 16, was fearfully tempestuous, a succession of rotatory gales, veering round from N.W. to S.W., having been encountered. 3'uring a heavy gale, accompanied by thunder and lightning, on May 21, the main yard was carried away, two of the life-boats stove in, and considerable damage dono to the bulwarks. The heavy weather continued until the steamer was within two days of tins const. The easting was run down between tho fortieth and forty-cecond parellcls of latitude. During tho whole of the untoward weather from tho Cape to the Australian coast, tho Ruahine gaye convincing testimony of her admirable qualities -as a sea-going boat, and tho passengers speak higlily of her capabilities in all weathers. Her commander, T. S. Beal.Esq., is of some eminence inhis profession, having commanded tho Q.uoen of the South, the Harbinger, the Hellespoint, and other largo steam vessels. At the termination of the voynge highly laudatory addresses wero presented to Captain Beal and his officers by the passengers. — " Argus."