FIFTY YEARS AGO

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 103, 28 October 1933, Page 26

FIFTY YEARS AGO

The ship Pleione arrived from London early on the morning of October 27, 1883. She sustained a battering by heavy'seas, and everything before the mainmast,was washed overboard. All the doors on. the left side'of the deckhouse were smashed, and several boats were • stove in. Shares for the Direct Steam Service had . been fully subscribed, and the first of the company^ ships was prepared to sail for New Zealand from London. Two more were almost completod^ and besides these the company had ordered two more "floating palaces" of over 5000 tons gross register. A correspondent, referring to the proposed extension of, the Wellington wharf accommodation, questioned whether the Harbour Board had.realised "the great revolution that is taking place in the character of our Home shipping trade. Instead of the trade being performed by a number of small sailing vessels of 700 to 1000 tons, remaining weeks, or even months ... it is likely to -be carried on almost wholly by a few huge steamers of 4000 or 500*0 tons, or even larger, which will only remain a few days at a time." Concerning ' the ' missing ketch reported by the master of the Herald, other vessels reported sighting nothing. No rvessel was overdue. On October 25, ISS3,. tho Wavcrley reported receiving advice from the Hinemoa- that sho had passed' off Island Bay what appeared to be a' schooner, about 60ft long, floating bottom upwards. Traffic on the Eailway Wharf was increasing so much that .the Harbour Board decided to appoint a man to attend to- vessels arriving . during the night. A suggestion was made that there should be a bylaw prohibiting the j blowing'of ships' sirens in the harbour between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. The summary of Australian news j brought by the Waihora' on October 22,! 1883,'rcports that a new, war vessel was under construction for the Australian Government. Tho owner and crew of the Waroonga were awarded £3500 for tho salvage of the Teviotdalo.