AUSTRALIA TO-DAY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1639, 4 January 1913, Page 9

AUSTRALIA TO-DAY.

3n ■ 'i--.:-,- ■• .'■-■•'■ , '.' '.•;■ , ; «• SYDNEY & HER FERRIES. Ot- ' ..'■ ■ , . •p'" ' '' ' ~ —""■■■ .;■ :■■,• •"■-,-,.v (By Will Xawson.) ■>-.'■'■ ■■''■'}}' ; It is twenty years since I-left Sydney Heads behind; as tho Hauroto plunged ,-> into tho easterly roll and steered away . ! ! for Auckland, I took with mo a deep and ( n j permanent impression of Sydney and her ,; ' 0 f harljour as being a place of bold hills and Is dec-p wato-s—an altogether desirable .ha" i 1- yen. But, 6inco dwelling among the steep 'J hills and the fathomless fiords of J* New Zealand, though tho impression re-', ' | c _ mained tho 6ame, now tliat tho reality is ie seen again, one, 6cos that tho hills are not n, are rouuded—and'- tho lmr< f ro hour has not tho deep shadows made l;j, 16 the frowning hills which'gird tho'Now '. J? Zealand harbours and fiords. Yet thortlis '• no ,dinappointment',,in the'.-revisiting!'of ; ■ . . j. this :placo that..has been as a' wonderful '.-..' xl dream all through the years. The beauty ■ . rs of Port Jackson (is of ■ brightly-dancing' , /, '* waters, sunny hills, covered by native .'■■'.','-. r _ bush, red. roofs, and stately spires and: ie clomes and of • marvellous cloud-effects; v- and,-'lest this" quiet beauty should pall, '■ •-, is a. never-ceasing oclivity of big ships and X little ones steaming over tho broad, bright. ■ ", ' waters, gives to • the port a .ceaseless-in- V , '.' tercst. In addition to the merchant'shippihg.to all'parts'of tho world,' tho. nu- 'l; m'crous mosqiiito■ fleets which 'navigato ; -tne '':■,■■';■ .'. '. harboiirs'.^on^.the.V-nortli^^VMiid'^sou'th'' coasisdf Now.,South-Wales .and'tho group; ■''' -•, of. warships which' li(;",aii:ays.'off.-Gprden. ~ : 9 Island, Sydney presents a busy appoaranco \ 5, on her waterfront by reason of licr ferries, i- These arc probably tho brat in tlio world; : is. and certainly'the bost; in tho Southern,', - y Hemisphere.'All the boats have .their city , o terminus at Circular Quiiy nnd ,tlicy aro r. arranged at,their berths in such a.man- : : '■• ncrthat'there is-uo.crossi.iig'of •-flno.n.n-\: o other's either in commg-or. going'i Y d Tho. longest .runs.'aro'.'made, by'the'Par- : ■'-.•' Y raniatta and Lano ;Covo river, boats, but ',:.' r these are-not regarded as the .most,; im'-' :■ a portant. of ,tho service,, since the journey: f is slow 'as compared with the railway.; Tho , 0 Manly service, tun by the Manly and Port . ■ ;-, ' Jackson'.Compatty, is the next largest, and ..': ■■':■!• » is n.very important,ono, employing from . ii e five. to Ecvcni steamers,- tho largest -of : 0 which carries 1520 passengers in comfort, ; ' } and tho smallest 723. A, speed of <U knots",' .'.,' » is the rule,'and,the late?t addition to the' i licet, the Balgtiwlah,..develops,l3so .horser. '■'.}■■'-. t power—she looks like a liner, sweeping ■-..',': 3 down the harbour/ Tho, routo to Manly, - '.■ eight miles-froni Circular Quay, lies"icrosij 8 t!ie-.open Heads and some unpleasant 6ea.'i '.' f- are met'when'certain winds-blow. Theii ; ; ' a : the need. ,for, : these-splendid'.engines.i:jl ; "' understood'; and when .ono sees the '■.city ,I . ';: V; 3 of .Manly, tho necessity for such la'rgoYvesf ' ' 1 eels is realised.', ''• ••,>-'- ..-..'. '■■■•■;■]■?: B , Man!/ is larger. th'an.!anY : Now- Zealand. : . '■ j 1 town; save, tho'four big centres; in np'neaT-. : -r' . r ance it' is rather, like 'Napier; but, in"mai "■'•'■:,< ;, if is. riot far shorfc-of: Dunodin.- Iti-han I a- permanent "population of'3o,ooo.'nnd'in ■ " summer more than double^that; let.it lit) ■.' ',' ' added, as conflrmatoryvevidence that: t.h'.j: ',; J ferry boats run every quarter of an hou'rL' ~ \[ excepting- between' 1 10 and; 12: a.m., when > V ' tho service is a half-hourly one, bcginnhiit ' ' • at 6 a.m. niid'stopping at midnight." Anlil ' in addition-the city, tram-cars'.connect; . ,: ■:.•? ' with tho Manly-cars at-the-Spit'in>Mid-i . ! . die Harbour; ■whcrolthcre.is:'a,fcrry .'aoros.'i ' ; : 1 the. narrow waters every 15 minutes for ir ;i... | eighteen-hours iiv tlie-day, and both tram«r' ! . ' I and ferries pay well. -■'■■■" i ''-'.",'-:''• ',||-,.' - The ferries to other-parte'of • Sydney, ' - ■■ ' Harbour are,run by the Sydnev Ferries,: ; Limited, which own a large* fleo"t of.typi-t' , cal ferry-boats,- built on tho same plan- a« ■;', ' \. the latest,-Auckland boats,-with, a .pro'i -.-'.■ ■ poller;at each' end, ono propeller pullinfi''- | and tho other pushing.,' These vessels run|- • to Watson's'Bay.rra.'2s-minuto' run—every, l ', half hour; to'Afosman—a-20-minute,rnn-r ' 20 minutes;, to Neutral' Bay every 15' minutes; .to ■ Cremorne. every,' 13' niiii- . '.'.- utes; to Balmaiii every 10 minutes; to- , ; , ;■ North-Shore every five minutes. -On thin ■":' . ~ , last route, tliere is an' all-night eerviw",-. j'; every hour from midnight to' 6 n.m, ; >' ; : .'••-■'.'•^ 1 ' Tho important thing to remember about - ! - tho Sydney ferries-is.that-tho steamers 'oaj''-\ ; every routo liouncct with'■'train or. - train; ■',' I ,and thel'o is ; no margin ,6f timo- allowed - ; .;'• :;. fdranyi false' moves when approaching ot r "' leaving l a uharf. It is,eight o'clock. |u'■. the evening, and here is aMosman boat.',- :, ' - just skimming in towards her appointed. ■■: !■ city:berth. This is .at a mdo: staging.'..'-.' ■'"''. which is floating, so that there is no varia- {' -o tion of level as between tho boat and, her ' wharf..'Steered'skilfully,, sho glides, in,'"'."■'.-'-. '.and,"to tho churning of reversed propel-:' lei-s, coiues to a stanastiU. Sho is a typical. ■ Sydney ferry; low-bodied,, with tiro pas-, •'; .'.",'. senger, decks; electric-lighted throughout; 7 '; funnel quite, perpendicular.. and right - .-'':•'' amidships, and a pilot-house at each end, , high above nil else, -.' " ] . .. .;. :..-' : From what: was the'forward pilot-houso •-.-. . ,i. tho'captain steps out. Ho walks along the roof of'the iriiiuv dock ,to theother pilots •'■.'. *-s house.' tho, ferries- never turn! \'. ;■ ' round, this.will now be the forward end.- ';,-•■, When ho reaches it h<i turns out the lights in the'house.- As he docs so,'ait'. .'. electric bell,:rings on,jtho'wharf—a timtv keeper .up in-tho'wlmrf-office dors.' this!';"'' I;Then tho. 6teamer's' \bell clangs onco, thrt'f.',- ' ';t clatter, on to tho.,wharf; ittv: : hoarse raucous chorus the two deck-hands , :■ intimate thut all is clear,, and' the-cap' ; '.., tain riugs her full-ahead. ' \ ■ . : ,'■ ."In a, surprisingly quick timo: tho'.vessel .'. • ■ is moving rapidly away. 'But it: .is .an ■'.■..,,; . > occasion for expert steering; there are , boats coming in from every bay, brightly- -~ lighted,, like, iowelled caskets, - they .float > on tho mirror-liko.water.: Tho ferry to the:, right of the Mosmun boat fives' two-. loud ' .' blasts on her;whistle to say sho is going', - to port, wliilo tho Cremorne boat on the ..'. , left blows'onco to:indicate,her course to." starboard. So they flutter past;'' ono an- ■ '.-..'■•'..;,' other, tho Mosman skipper all alert, for,, ,' .ho'can hear tho whistle of tho Manly ferry' :.'•••- booming like a liner's. She is hidden: by the bows of the P. and O. steamer Malwa, \] - : . Presently sha'swings into view, to'slew ■.;'"■;-, away to starboard ■' towards her central ■', berth. So tho Mosman boat swings dowil ■" ,;' •'•■..'. .harbour'with lights twinkling all .about her far and near, the only:dark placo . b?ing the pilot-house, whero a keen-faced , ' alert, clean-looking captain, one of a splen- ; did typo.of men who .run the .Sydney.v.',; ferries; is'steering her ton hair-line and„t. : '.'•'. never losing a minute by bad seamonship; And every, minulo matters,' for the trains ; , /'.'' , 'and trams arc very-punctual, nud, so nru.' - the ferries, -,' Yet in; cjisb of any delays 'it, i has'been laid down nifil rule .that neithtf, train, tram, nor boat shall wait- for one a another for more than .two minutes; aiiy j.--longer.delay would paralyso and tlisorgan- | ..•'.-.■ iso the fleet that give tho'waters pf.Syd- :} ;".,'.'■ ney harbour n perpetual interest, nnd:': ' .. makes; with the natural charm of the ■ ■ .', j place, ono of tho most fascinating pictures. ./. 'imaginable, .■ " . ■'.:,' As showing how these services are patronised, the Sydney, Ferries, Ltd.; car-..'. ries on-its steamers more than"20,000,000 passengers.in. tho year, whilo-the'Manly'- ',' boats carry nearly .half that • number, Tlio faros range from ono penny to North. .. '" ■'.'. Shore up to foiirpenco to Manly. But - regular passengers -may buy. a monthly .. ' ticket for three shillings; armed' villi,." ".»■ this ono may live.on a feny boat if he ... chooses,.since no limit is sot"to tho.number of passages during tho month.'-Of-course it is tho - number: of. tfavelleiti "■} which makes this low rate possible, while •..'■!!' tlio frequency of (ho services enables Iho . ■-<„ , work to bo accomplished, without undue .. t(| crowding at any but the mostainusual of . ioccasions. ■■.'■ - - The Sydney -sidor has 'almost ceased to ■ ask tho lime-honouml question, "What. do you think of our harbour?", Instead, ;." . ho asks,' - "What do you think of our ferries?" And he may well do so, for the services could not !)»■ bettor. '~-". ' ,