ADVENTURES OF S.S. PAPANUI

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1096, 7 April 1911, Page 6

ADVENTURES OF S.S. PAPANUI

WHY SHE WENT TO JAPAN. Looking as spick and span as a brand new mailboiit the steamship Papanui berthed at Parbury's Wharf, Miller's Point, Sydney, last week, after her voyage from Japan. It will bo remembered that she is the first-cb.ss passenger steamer which got ashore on the Tasmanian coast some lt:»o ago whilst inward bound from London to Launeeston and New Zealand. She was so badly damaged that she was disposed of at a nominal figure, notwithstanding that she originally' cost something like .£200,000 to build and fit out in 1898. Kepaifs were to cost too much at Melbourne, and her owners dispatched her for Japan after a "brush" with the Victorian nautical authorities. Captain Buchanan, master of the Pnpamii, slates that, although the bottom was practically out of (he vessel, she averaged 7.2 knots nil the way from Melbourne to Japan. "UV were exactly two months and one day m dock in Japan," said he. "The Japanese dockmen worked night and day to make the. ship jpaworthy again,,-, and they did splendid work. Never for one minute were operations suspended,' and you can see now thnt the ship is as good as new. The whole bottom had to be taken out. of her from bow to stern." about Ihe cost! , " "I cannot say anything about that." "It is said that the Papanui made tho voyage to Japan, was repaired there, and voyaged back, at a cost less than that asked for at Melbourne?" ''That may be." "What are the relative merits of the Australian and Japanese, dockmen?" "I am not going to say. But there are splendid docks in Japan, and the dockmen work very smoothly under the officials. They have every appliance for the rapid handling of big jobs such as the repairs to this vessel were." "Could the work have been done in the same time in Australia?" "I doubt it. Of course they had a great number of men on the job there." "You won't make a comparison?" "I'd rather not."