ARRIVED.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVI, Issue 3123, 14 February 1871, Page 2

ARRIVED.

Febbuahy. 13, Ruby, schooner, 24 tons, Fraser, from . Kaikoura. 13, Glimpse, ketch, 39 tons, Croucher, from East Coast. 13, Canterbury, schooner, 7o tons, Buxton, from Lyttelton. 14, Alhambra, s.s., Underwood, from Melbourne, via West Coast. SAILED. 13, Wanganui, s 5.,. IGS tons, Linklater, for • Wanganui. PABSBNGER LIST. — INWARDS. Per Ruby : Captain Davidson. IMPOSTS. In the Wanganui, W. & G*. Turnbull k Co, agents— 2 sacks potatoes, D. Wilkineon ; 2 bales -wool, W. k Or. Turnbull k Co ; 08 bules flax, 24 bales wool, 32 bales tow, E. Pearce ; 24 bales wool, W. Lyon. In the Elizabeth, Jacob Joseph k Co agents —78 bales wool, 13 bales flax, Jacob Joseph & Co ; 5 balos flux, Johnston k Co. In the Glimpse, Levin k Co, agonts— 66 bales -wool, 1- bale skins, 5 bullocks, returned cargo ; 1 cask sulphur, 1 box caudles, 1 pkg fitraps, 1 coffee pot. In the Canterbury, Master agent— 23B sacks oats, M'lntyre & Co ; 380 sacks Hour, 70 sacks oate, James O'Shea ; 60 sacks flour, Kreeft j 70 bags flour, Order. In the Ruby, Bethune k Hunter, agents— 41 bales wool, Johnston & Co ; 3 bales wool, Levin & Co ; 3 bales wool, W. & G. Turnbull & Co ; 12 pkga luggage, Taylor k Watt ; 10 pkge, Hunt. EXPECTED ARRIVALS. Airedale, a.s., from Picton, Nelson, Taranaki, and Manukau, 15th Taranaki, s.s., from the South, this day. Phcebe, s.s., from the North, 16th. Lord Ashley, b.s., from Napier, Tauranga, and Auckland, 18th Gothenburg, s.s., from Melbourne, via the South, 21st PROJECTED DEPARTURES. Alhambra, s.s., for Melbourno via the South, thia day. Airedale, a.s., for the South, 16th Esther, schooner, for Pahau, Castlepoint, and Mataikuna, 14th. Taranaki, 8.a., for Picton, Nelson, Taranaki, and Manukau, 15th. Lord Ashley, a.s., for the South, 18th Rangatira, 8.8., for Napier, 18th Gothenburg, a.s., for Melbourne, via the West Coast, 21st

The s.s. Gothenburg is duo at tho Bluff on Thursday from Melbourne. The ship Wild Duck, in charge of Captain Baillie, bo familiar as a trader to this port, has arrived afc Nelson, after a passage from land to land of 92 days. The s.s. Lord Ashley, Captain Andrews, is due here on Saturday fron? Auckland, via Tauranga and Napier. She will leave for fche South shortly after arrival, have telegramß of the English mail via Suez, if the mail steamer arrives before its time, as ifc has done on Beveral occasions. The schooner Ruby, Captain Fraser, from Kaikoras, -arrived in harbor yesterday morning with a cargo of wool for transhipment to the Melita. The s.s. Rangatira, haa hauled alongside Plimmer's wharf, where her rudder and shaft, will be overhauled, and other repairs effected. She will be ready for sea in about ten days. Mr C. Seagor ia carrying on the work. The schooner Canterbury, Captain Ruxfon, arrived in port yesterday morning from Lyttelton, which port she left on Friday, fche 10th insfc. Experienced light east and south-east winds during tho passage. The b.s. Alhambra, Captain Underwood, from Melbourne, via Hokitika, Greymouth, and Nelson, arrived in port thia morning. She brings the remains of E. H. Davis, Esq., assistant geologist to the Geological Survey of New Zealand, who was unfortunately drowned in fche Ten Mile Creek, Nelson, a few days ago while engaged in his duty. The Alhambra will leave afc 6 p.m. to-day for fcho South. The ketch Glimpse, Captain Croucher, arrived in port yeßterday morning from the East Coaßt, with a cargo of wool for transhipment to the Melita. She also brings five thoroughbred bulla from Messrs Nairn, Bros.' station, Pourere, consigned to Messrs Levin & Co. The aire of tho stock was imported into this provinco aome four or five years ago^in the Asterope ; they are very fine animals, aud will no doubt improvo the breed of stock in this district. Captain Easterbrook, of the barque St Magnus, on his return voyage from Port Denison, reports discovering two reefs not laid down on latest Admiralty chart. One about four and a half miles S.E. from Cape Keith, being a narrow ridge of hard sand extending two miles or more N.N.E. and S.S.W., with only five feet water on it at low water, on a good spring tide. One half-cable's length from the ridge sounded seven fathoms. Approximate position by bearings, latitude 11° 40' 30", longitude 141 ° 33' 30" eaafc. Another, of rugged appearance, dried about two feet at low water. Weßt from centre of south Vernon Island, whilo the barque was lying at anchor southWard of Fright Point Reef, waiting turn of tide to pass through south channel, approximate position by bearings tuken from the vessel, latitude 12° 7' 20" S., longitude 13L° 2' 20" E. Captain Easterbrook reportß carrying ten fathoms water and more through south channel until duo south of easfc, and of tbe reef extending eastwards of South Vernon Island, where as little as four fathoms were obtained. The position of these reefß nearly corresponds to shallow soundings of four to cix fathoma on the Admiralty chartß, and have, doubtless, grown since exumined, showing that all shallow soundings in Van Diemen'a Gulf, where the currents aro so rapid, ahould be approached with great caution. A wreck, apparently a schooner, recently abandoned in Great N.E. Channel, Torres Straits, lying in ten fathoma, and east of Saddle Island, mast heads painted black, foretopgallantmaat standing.—" S. M. Herald." A great novelty has made ifcs appearance on Lake Wendouree, Australia. Thia is a Chinese sampan, and she differs in almost every particular. from boats and sailing craft buiifcon any of fche diversified plans of European builders. She has bows long, narrow, and high oufc of the water, with a stern wido and also turned up in the uir. Tho Chinese have evidently adhered pretty well to the model of a sea bird, and the sampan may be likened to a swan wifch the back cut off rather low down, and fche tail cut off short and square. Sho has water-tight compartments, and a shifting deck formed in many pieces, that can be readily removed. Under tho deck there are seats for passengers. She waa proved to be very faßt and handy to manage. Sho had oue ma 9t — a very long afcraight bamboo, without any ropea to stay ifc, but the stick bends in a stiff breeze, but is evidently very strong and tough. The sail ia very high by compariaon with tho width, and haa Beveral very light bamboo sticks placed across it horizontally, like a number of yards similar to those used for lug sails. Everything is very light and handy, and the sail can be lowered or reefed with ease and rapidity. Only one mast waa in the boafc, bufc there ie another which is placed on the bows and Blanfca or rakes very much forward, parfc of the eail boing quite beyond the front of the sampan, and projecting ovor the water. The following seems to us to be worthy of attention. Ifc is from a suggestive article on " Naval Construction " in the New Xork " Army and Navy Journal " : — " Speaking of caulking, it is the custom among many caulkers and ship-builders to prepare the seam for fche reception of the oakum by the operation called hawaing, which consists in one man holding, by means of an iron handle, a wedge called a reaming iron, which is driven into the aeam by a heavy malleb swung wifch all fche •strength of another man who atrikea ifc. This certainly opens the seams, but it also crushes and bruises the* fibres of the wood on each Bide, thereby causing rot, jusfc as an apple will decay soonest where bruised ; and after the

3_de of a Bhip has been subjected first to this operation and then to caulking, I have seen the planks assume the appearance of the clapboards of a houso, the lower edge of each plank protruding beyond tho uppor edge of that beneath it. The cause is the enormous strain produced upon the edges of tho seam by this wedge, increased by that of * each thread of oakum being driven in successively afterwards ; part of which force expends itself in crushing the fibres of the wood above and below ; part in jarring tho whole plank away from the frame, just as a cooper starts the bung of a cask by blows ; part in making the ends of the timbers, where thoy abut together, stretch apart ; and part in directly prying tho plank away from the timber. Hence, after this severe und unnatural strain, the inner sido of each plnnk is separated a little from the frame, sometimes one edge being forced out moro than another, and sometimes the whole surface being loosened from the timbers. The result is that the planks (which constitute the whole strength of the ship) have fo depend upon the trenails and copper bolts alone for their connection to tho frame, and all tho immenso support given by tho friction of the surfaces in closo contact i. lost. Imagine a racking strain now, where one eide of the ship, tho starboard, for example, receives a forward i/npulse from the 6e:is striking successive blowa on one quarter and along the side. The effort of the starboard side is to move forward, and of the port to be left behind— being, in fact, two opposito forces, one against the other ; and this, being true of the opposite side, is true of tho outer and inner planking, which tend thus to work around the timbers as a central or neutral point. No doubt this system of haw.ing is at the root of much rotting of planking and leaking of ships. The seams should be allowed for in putting the planks in placo, a wedge-shaped crevice being produced by tho carpenter's plane, and oare ahould bo taken thafc tho inner edges of planks fit close together throughout their length. Tho oakum should then be carefully driven in by hand, first a smali thread with a thin iron, increasing the size of the oakum in proportion to the size of the seam from within to the surface ; but neither ahould Ihe fibres of the wood be bruised or upset, nor should so large a thread be used in any part of the seam so as to crowd up and down, so as to form a cavity in the planks above and below. The whole hull of the ship will last longer, and, if care be taken in paving the seams with a substance that will stick," and will not expose the oakum to wet, a ship will go on a three years' cruise without a touch of the mallet or onnlking-iron."