THE CRUISE OF THE LUNA.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXIX, Issue 4052, 13 March 1874, Page 2

THE CRUISE OF THE LUNA.

■<» =- •. [BY 6tjk SPECIAL REPORTER.] ■ • Chapter YL^ . - At 4 p.m. on Wednesday, <35th February we cleared from the Bluff, and took, our ,<Je» parbure for the west, via Dog Island. After laying off the lighthouse until nearly doßk, iUorder to get a quantity of oil drums on board, . .. to enable the; inspection to be completed, and to give Captain JohnstonlandCaptainiThomson harbormaster, at the Bluff, -an opportunity of •-. ascertaining the exact position: of rooks to the west of the island, the Lu'ria's course was laid for Green Island. ' The fine weather at last left us; the wind from the south-west rose ! rapidly, the sea began to get up, and alto* gether it appeared very probable that in the morning, on turning ouc, we would- find the ■ steamer at anchor unier Stewart's Island or Centre Island for, shelter. Before midnight there was a heavy head see, which at places : was increased by a tide-rip, and the sea-going qualities of the Luna were well tested, the answer to the mental question of those w&o were new to her . being. satisfactory. In tha morning, as wa : went more broadside to tlio swell, she rolled quickly, but not badly» as witness the fact that no one rolled out of bed — that is, the couch whioh surrounds the • saloon, although there is no protection in thd Bhape of a board. E*en at breakfast nothing went off the table, which was not proteoted by - ; . fiddles. The coast looked forbidding ; it was generally rocky, although not very liigh or '- ' precipitous ; but the dull sky, lowering cloudy and the heavy breaking surf, made ope well satisfied to be on board a steamer rather than in a sailing vessel so olose to a lee shore. The Solander Islands were plainly seen at intervals twenty : four miles to the southward. Bj th» time we were opposite Green Island the sea bad gone down, and there appeared to be fine wea« ther a-head, but behind us all looked thiok and stormy. There was a break on the beach that would have made landing dangerous j but, after passing the point, the Luna's head Hlßj was : turned,, and an opening thafc appeared to ' promise a good landing close to the headland ! was examined, but breaking water indicated *. reef, and the idea of landing there had to ba '

abandoned. There would have been goo< shelter under the rocks which run out to th< east; but the point of the island could no )&££ bean reached from there without a boat trtroMfc Avould have been useless to go ashore The roots here were scraggy and ateep, wit! many etrangely-worn caverns and openings One had a hole that looked like a church win dow ; ia another, there was a most aymmetri cal arch, fully 30ft high, with the side! quite perpendicular, and the top almost t perfect semicirclo j several had irregulai openings, and up some of the fissures the water ran to a great height, as it broke into s spray. A look out was kept for rocks ahead, and he paßßed the word that three Beals were on the rocks, near shore. On looking we could Bee three black objects ; but it was impossible to distinguish their form. The seaward point here would be a good position foi a light 5 but Cape Windsor, further on, could be better distinguished by vessels approaching from the west, and would command a greater range. There was no possibility of landing there ; but as it is only some seven miles from Otago's Retreat, the eastern entrance to Preservation Inlet, it was resolved to approach it from the land, should the sea not fall. Otago's Retreat takes its name from the fact that the schooner Otago, which accompanied H.M.S. Acheron, on the surveying expedition round here, took refuge in it, and got thence into the main Inlet, after trying for weeks to weather Coal Island. Three times she got to windward of'^his entrance, but could not reach the main one, having been twice driven back nearly to the Bluff; And on the third attempt, -when it was found that she could cot get round the point, it was determined to risk the shallow entrance, in which, on a sand-bar, there is only 6ft of water at low tides. There are a good many rocks at the Heads ; but they look worst at a distance, for there is a wide reaoh of clear ■water. The sand-bank is a mile and a half from the Heads, and in passing over it, the smallest depth was two fathoms. The bar is wide j but inside, the water deepens rapidly, and at less than half a mile, the chart shows fifty-eight fathoms. .Anchor was dropped in a very beautiful spot and close to a nice sandy beach, the only one on the weßt side of the Inlet, but it was not one hundred yards long. The hills on both •ides of Otago's Retreat rise abruptly from the water's edge and are covered so thickly with trees and undergrowth that not a patch of surface is to be seen anywhere, though here and there a bald rock stands out. The shores of the inlet are nearly straight,. and the direction is north- east. Looking to that point there is seen a lofty range of bold mountains. Solitary Peak is 3265 feet high, and Forgotten Peak 3682 feet; I think these were the highest summits we saw from our anchorage, and when the sky was clear they looked a great height althoagh there were smaller ranges between them and us. They were often veiled in mist, and as the sun now and then shone out on part of them we enjoyed a splendid piece of highland mountain scenery. Close to us on the mainland there is a peak 1075 feet high, and on Coal Island one 850, but we were too close in to see them. All was soon bustle and stir, and parties were quickly made for exploring. The marine department, and some who wished to examine the coalmine at the entrance, went off in a whaleboat and were absent most of the day. The surveyors tramped along the coast over beach, rocks, and young crags until they reached Puysegur Point, and here they found & site which would do well for ships making the land from the west, but from what could be seen it was decided that Windsor Point would probably be the best, and it was determined to visit it on the next day, weather permitting. Some of the whaleboat party had capital trumpeter fishing, and they hauled up about eight dozen very quickly. This fi9h offers great resistance for its size, and when two were on the line at once, as often happened, it was good sport, not to say hard work, to haul in. The little beach near the ship was a favorite landing place. Near here there is a cave which enters the hill-side for over 150 ft. The rocks outside were made a standpoint by Mr Burton, who took some views, and Camera. Cave was the name given to the cavern. There was a little Bhooting, but it was almost impossible to find the pigeons that were shot, and the scramble over the steep hills through the wet undergrowth was quite enough to make one or two hours long enough for that sport. The day. Wat passed pleasantly, and all enjoyed the fresh air and liberty. At 6 o'clock a whaleboat started for the crayfieh ground, at Steepto Island, where crayfish are known to abound — that is, they always abounded on previous occasions, but not one could be had. On a former visit of the Luna, they were caught in nets, clinging to an oa>*, and by hand, but only one was seen and it would not come and be caught. The boats returned empty, and all of uh got a most unmerciful quizzing, and at our late tea, which consisted of some capital trumpeter, we had to undergo a running fire of -ohvfffxu which -the word crayfish constantly cropped up. - All hands in the boat enjoyed the row down to Steepto Island, but it was too cold to male waiting for bites pleasant. On the return, we had to take shelter under an overhanging rock and trees from a smart hailstorm, and we were very hungry when tea was served. By 10 o'clock all were in bunk, and the fatigues of the day made some, and the fresh air and exercise caused others, to sleep aonndly — so soundly, indeed, that about half did not hear a most terrific peal of thunder that burst tight over us in the night. I did not hear, .it, but it .was described by one as the worst he ever heard out of the tropics j and all who were awake agree that it shook the ship and made her quiver from stem to stern as though she had struck a rock. The peal burst with one loud sharp report, then rattled like Tolleys fired by countless hosts of infantry, and finally roared and rumbled among the hills and mountains, as it was echoed back again and again. There is coal at the eastern Head of Otago's Retreat, and at one time it was hoped that it would be made available for supplying the Melbourne steamers, as well as towns and vessels in the Colony. A company was formed to woik itj and about £wo years ago, a parcel of 45 tons was sent to Dunedin, but operations on a large scale have not been carried on. The coal resembles that got at Kaitangata, in Otago, and at Waikato, in the North — and is of much better quality than that from the Green Island field, near Dunedin. However, it is not adapted for use on board Bteamers, and consequently is not likely to be largely worked, as other coal of a similar class is more readily available for manufactures and domestic purposes. The coal averages 3ft in thickness, and was worked by a tunnel, which is in about 100 ft, still in good order.. The seam is regular, and has a dip of about 25 degrees. Nearer Puysegur Point, other Beams crop up, and there is no doubt that there exists a very large quantity of coal which soce day will be of value ; but at present it is not likely to come into demand in the face of supplies from places more convenient to Dunedin and other centres of population. At 6 o'clock on Thursday morning fhe Bky was overcast. The wind was cold, and no ■wonder, for the mountains had all their summits and half their sides whitened with snow. They had their winter clothing on, end lovely they looked. Over night, a few had arranged to bathe in the morning, and despite the keen wind and threatening cloudc, they stuck to their reßolve,and left for the shore amidet not a little quizzing. We found all pleasant, the water not too cold, and were dressing snugly in a sheltered corner when in came a roller that caused all of us to pick up ihe clothes we had not got on and run for it. When we returned on board there was plenty of chaff, and it was extraordinary to see how easily some of those who had remained on board and tried to keep warm counterfeited j^BPehivering as a good joke at our expense. The fact is they had been practising, and their teeth chattered quite naturally.

3 A gale was blowing outside, and nothing c could be done in the way of exploring the t coast, so all hands remained on board during ;, the early part of the morning. There were i. frequent showers of rain, accompanied by i hail, and at half-past 10 there was a fall of ' . hail that completely whitened the beach, and - every place that was not covered with trees - and shrubs. This weather would make a man s on shore keep by his am fireside, but we made i the best of it out of doors. About twelve, as p it would be quite impossible to go outside i and inspect Cape Windsor, the Luna's i quarters were shifted to Eisbee Bay, a , sheltered spot at the head of Otago's Retreat, > and we went to dinner just as the anchor was > dropped. While all were hard at work at the . table, we noticed a good deal of loud talking in the way of giving orders, but it bad refer- : ence only to making the shore line fast. . Upon going on deck we found that the ' . steamer had been hauled into the snuggest i little nook imaginable. It was close to a r rounded promontory that became an island at • high water, and at low tide there was about i one foot of water between the smooth sandy i bottom and the Luna's keel. On three sides L we had tand thickly timbered to the water's edge, and on the fourth smooth water, i nlthough it w«b blowing a gale at the Heads. This day must be noted as the beginning of the ship-biscuit and eandfly period : all our i bread had been eaten, and the flies attacked us in thousands. A Canterbury man, who has travelled a great deal in in and out-of-the-way spots, and had been so often attacked by these pests, that he had got proof against them that they would not bite him, found that it was quite a different species in this sound, and they swarmed upon him. Our unfortunate photographer was a victim, and whenever he required both hands for some critical operation the flies settled on every visible portion of uncovered skin and half maddened him. He was only safe with his head under the black velvet pall. Soon after two o'clock five excursionists took the whaleboats and went on a voyage of discovery. All of us had not rowed for some jears, but we got along fairly well, and by stopping occasionally to look at the scenery we managed to keep pretty freeb, and with the help of pome strong squalls and a favoring tide reached the entrance of Revolver Bay in good time. There was a race for the last half Ulile to get under shelter of the rocky head of that bay before a swiftly approaching hail storm caught us, and we just won. Down came the hail with great force, but we were under a protecting rock. While waiting here an attempt was made to find bottom with a fishing line which happened to be in the boat — we had agreed not to fish, but to explore — but at about seven fathoms a large blue cod hooked himself on and was hauled up. We had found blue cod so plentiful that it had become the rule to pitch them back into the water when caught, bo we were not tempted to commence fishing. After pulling acroas the bay, and getting a capital view between its precipitous sides, we started for the steamer by a round-about route which made the return six miles, and a 9 we met two squalls and had to row against a strong tide, the verdict on our return was that we had been far enough. All agreed that a week ago they could not hare done so much work, so it must be concluded that the trip has been a renovation. I just got back in time to join a fishing party, but we only caught a few trumpeter and cod ; no craynVh were to be had. There is on board one determined crayfish hunter, and in the evening be went out alone, but had to return without one. This is decidedly strange, for in many parts of the Inlet crayfish have been caught in hundreds. From near Kisbee Sound we got a glorious view of the Three-lop Range, so called from its three peaks. All the higher portions were covered with snow, and as we could see the mountaiu from the water's edge to the summit, it had a much more imposing appearance than more distant hills of equal height. Returning from Revolver Bay, we had a clear view of a high cone-shaped hill, the sides of which sloped very evenly, and presented a great contrast to the high steep peak, with rocky precipitous aideß, which forms the northern head of Revolver Bay. Every quarter of a mile we rowed there was some great change of Tiow. Description would not convey an idea of the scenery. The many islands and jutting points made one think that it was a mountain lake, not an arm of the sea. for the foliage was on every spot of earth right down to spring-tide level, and the lower branches of the overhanging birch trees were as level as though they had been cut ; down to high-Water level they came, but no higher. There were, indeed, visible at ouce all the attractions of Highland scenery, and that of the enow-clad Alps. The wonder of all is the vegetation. It is a thing to be amazed at. Since leaving Dunedin we have seen enough timber to supply the needs of the Colony for — well, it is of no use hazarding a guess at a period, but when I think of the miles of forest we have steamed by, I Bhould Bay that the woods are inexhaustible. I will not now refer to the different kinds of trees that grow here, as it will be better to make some attempt at classification of what we see in the various Sounds.