Shipping.

Evening Star, Issue 4115, 5 May 1876, Page 3

Shipping.

AT THE HEADS. Harnett Armitagc, barque, from Newcastle, POET CHALMERS. AJUUVDD. May s.—Comerang, p.s., 156 tons, Best, from tie Bluff. sailed. May 4.—Express, s.s., 136 tons, Fraser, for the Bluff. Beautiful Star, s.s., 146 tons, Peterson, for Lyttelton. via Timaru. Shag, s.s., 31 tons, Wing, for Shag Point and Moeraki. May s.—Satnfon, p.s., 124 tons, Edie. for Oamam. Matao, s.s., 101 tons, Urquhart, for Oamaru. Ethel, brigantine, 180 tons, M'Leod, for Auckland. The s.s. Shag sailed last night for Moeraki and Shag Point. Theb>rque Harriett Armitago, from Newcastle, arrived at the Heads this forenoon. The Union Company’s steamer Beautiful Star, for Lyttelton, via Timaru, sailed lost evening. The Union Company’s chartered steamer Wanganui wiil leave this evening for Lyttelton via Timaru. An exciting race took place between the steamers Maori and Express yesterday. Both vessels left Port Cha'mers in company at 2.30 p.m., the Express reaching the Bluff at 10 o’clock this morning, and the Maori twenty-five minutes Inter. The Maori was generally expected to prove the quicker boat, from the fact that she bad left the Matau behind in a recent trial.

The Albion Company’s fine new ship Oamaru, having completed her loading, was removed from the new pier yesterday afternoon and anchoi ed in the stream to complete preparations, and will take her departure to-morrow evening for London, with a large number of passengers and a full cargo, consisting of 1,934 bales of wool, 9,319 socks of wheat, 137 casss of tallow, 22 casks sperm oil, 132 cases of meat, and 1 case of sardines; of the total value of 1(51,148. ALLEGED SUICIDE AT SEA, It began to be feared that the schooner J. G. Coleson, which had left Westport on Saturday week for Hokitika, to load timber for Lyttelton, had met with some serious accident during the gale of the succeeding day and night. It was stated that she had sailed somewhat lightly ballasted, with some of those on board scarcely fit for duty, and it was reported by the captain of the Mary Campbell, which afterwards arrived in Greymouth, that while off the same coast on Sunday, he had experienced a terrific gale from the north, the wind chopping suddenly round to the south-west in about three minutes, accompanied by a tremendous sea. He also reported having sighted, on Tuesday last, the wreck of a schooners topmast, with topgallant mast and all gear attached, twenty miles N.W. of the Grey, and it was feared that this might prove to be some wreckage from the J. G. Coleson. The propriety of having some steamer sent out in search for any survivors was being discussed when the vessel appeared in the roadstead, and on Sunday she was towed in. She brought the news of the drowning of her commander and part owner, Captain Chapman, by his own act, while in a state of temporary insanity. Whan she arrived she was in command of the chief officer, Mr Allan, and he reports that after leaving the Buller the vessel encountered a north-east gale, with very thick weather, which made it impossible for her to make the land. This was followed by a heavy south-vest gale, before which she ran back for Cape Ponlwind. At four o’clock on tho afternoon of Thursday, the 11th inst., Captain Chapman, in a supposed fit of insanity, and without warning, jumped overboard. Every effort, it is said, was made to save him, but without avail. The schooner had for some time been trading on the ooast, and the death of her captain is ninch regretted. He is understood to bave been a married man with a family.—* West Coast Times,* April 17.

H.M.S. NYMPHE. As this wav ship o.ay shortly he expected in southern water a description of rer will not be ont of place now The Nymphe is a steam sloop of 309 horse-power, and 1,084 tons register. She is one of the latest improved vessels built under the direction of the Chief Constructor of the Navy, she being somewhat similar to tho Blanche, having a low projecting foregripe, and a stern rounded off abruptly. The spars and gear aloft are the same as those of half a century ago, but the hull is a novelty. She has fine high bulwarks and a spacious deck, on which is a powerful armament, of nine C - pounders, all muzzle-loading truck gims. 1 hey ai e ponderous pieces of ordnance, but easily handled, and ore in excellent order. Each one weighs three tons four hundred weight. Amidships, abaft the iminmast, is stowed a very smart looking steamlaunch, which, for harbour service, is found useful. On the davits, on each quarter, the vessel _ has the usual complement of cutters and pinnaces, with the captain’s gig triced up athwart the stern. The appointments below are ranch the same as in ether ships of her class, tho officers having handsome quarters, good state rooms fitted with convenient devices, besides a few kuicknacks, whieh show that people of taste selected the pictures aud ornaments. On the ’tween decks are numerous arm-racks, well filled with cutlasses nud other weapons, and before the officers’ cabin is the spacs for the men, of whom there are 150. The Nymphe was built of wood in 1866, and w is engined by Mandsley and Son. She is fitted with modern service condensing boilers and fuel economising arrangements. Phe screw has four blades, and is known ns the It is 15ft in diameter, and of 15ft 2in pitch. She has three cylinders of 65lin diameter and 2ft 6in stroke. The total weight of all gear in the engine department is 312 tons, apportioned as follows 99 tons to the engines; 112, boilers; 15, propeller, shafting, plnmmer block and fittings ; 55, water in the boilers, and the balance spare gear. The bunkers are capacious enough to contain 248 days’ supply of coal at full speed. The poliowing are the names of her officers: —Captain, T. G. Suttle j lieutenants, C. F. 3VL Gordon, T, E. Cochrane; navigating lieutenant, A. E. Stanley; staff surgeon, F. Cooper • paymaster, ~VV . H. Whichelo; chief engineer, W, Ironmonger; snb-lieutenants, F. E. Grouse, A. B. Leslie ; surgeon, A. M’Kiulay ; assistant-paymaster, A, H. L. Giles.—* Auckland Herald,’ April 20.