THE DON JUAN.

Evening Star, Issue 3933, 2 October 1875, Page 2

THE DON JUAN.

"The following is the report of Messrs James Cook. Henry Meoch, and George Henry Twins (all of Wellington), who were appuntod to examine and report on the ship Dot Juan, under an order made by Judge Wili ams in the Dunedin frmpieme Court on August 25. The Don Juan was hauled into the Graving Dock at Port v halnvrs, and the survey was commenced on September 4, and continued daily till September II In the lower hold, port side, eleven timbers wete very badly rotted, and several olheis very defective. < Bodging knees all more or leas rotten, coiling very bad fore and aft, manv places b ing filled with a kind of cement and tarred over. Iron hanging knees appear all to have been working more or less, and started from the ship’s side, and have been wedged up. Many of the holt-hoads in bad condition, having boon working, pieces along the bilge in a slate of decay, and bad in many places on the lower part. Beam ends generally in bad condition, many in a state of decay, and show sigiw of having breu working. On _thi starboard side a similar state of things existed. Amidships is an iron book, apparently newly put in on the dead wood forward, with two holes bored through the timbers on outside planking, but no holts driven in. Two of the beams in a. rotten st.te, and three otheis very defective. Thu step of the foremast in a state of decay, one stanchion nnd r the beams rotten at both ends, and two others defective. Baitvxr knee of the mainmast on the port side badly split, and the cant timbers on the port side of the stesnpost in bad condition. The beams in very bad condition, particularly between t lie main and foicmasts, where several ,ve quite rotten, an 1 one wry badly sprung and has been tished. Two iron s’raps from beams to stanchions broken, and the bolts loose and working out; wing transoms in very bad condition, bein' rotten in many [daces, pm- ionlarly about the bolts, and the tilling pieces under the transoms defective.

_ hi the ’tween decks, port side, several of the timbers forward in very bad condition witli rot, and the bolts through them in n bad and loose state. The beam ends, particularly amidships, in a very rotten condition, and the lodging knees in the tame state. Inside lining bad in many places, and the iron hanging knees started from the ship's sides, and show evident signs of having been working iViany of the bolts and fastenings in very bad condition. The starboaul sido is very much the same as the port side. . On the upper deck the greater part of the timbers and .stanchions inside of the double bulwarks very rotten, and the m on rail rotten in the scarf in the fore-rigging on the port safe. l, ecks veiy ha !—particularly at the butt ends —and the waterways rotten in many places; planks under the gratings abaft, and around the st ering pear quite rotten.

On the ton sides, port tide, the planking in a very rotten c mdition, particularly in the wake of chain plates ; butt ends ve y bad, aid the wood round the heads of the holts quite rotten, allow ng them to work a good deal. Ship very badly hogged from main to fore-rigging, and with every sign of very great weakness and of having b< on working badly. On the starboard •side much the same, but the vessel appears to have strained more on one side than on the other.

On the bottom outside, port side, the butts in very bad condition, several of them with a good deal of water running out. Thirty-six of them covered with load, anil about seventy not covered but tilled with cement, which is partly dropping out. All the butts under the bilges very bad. On the starboard side found about fifty butts covered with lead, and about the same number filled with cement, the same as on the port side. Ship has an unusn d quantity of butts, and they aro very close together. The keel lias a very great deflection, being risen up amidships fully thirteen inches. The Rurveyois took samples of the timbers, knees, beams, ccidug.-, and other par's of the vessel which can be produced, dulymaiked, ns 'o the part of the vessel they were taken from, and they conclude by stating that they are united in their opinion that the Don Juan is quite unfit fo proceed to sea, and therefore condemn the vessel a; totally nnscawort ty.