SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 19 August 1901, Page 4

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.

A Floating Exhibition.

The old American liner Alaska, which for some time past has been serving as a marine dwelling at Barrow-in-Furness for a large number of workmen who were unable to obtain sufficient house accommodation in the town, is shortly to enter upon a new career. She has been sold, and is in the future to be used as a Heating exhibition of British manufactures away in the outposts of the Empire. Lascar Firemen. Mr Gerald Balfour, in reply to a question in the House of Commons, said that the Orient Company declared that they had been dri"en 10 try the experiment of Lascar stokers in their vessels owing to the drunkenness, mutinous behaviour ,and wholesale desertions of British stokers manning the company’s steamers. Otherwise their crews were unchanged. Battleship Prince George. The battleship Pr nee George, of the Channel Squadron, recently accomplished a remarkable feat while coaling at Portsmout i. The ship had to get 1200 tons into her bunkers. This she did at the average intake of 228 tons an hour. By this remarkable smart performances the coaling record for the British Navy passes to the Prince George. It was previously held by the Mars, with an average of 203 tons an hour. A Mystery of the Sea The American barque Herbert Fuller, which arrived at Wellington from New York a few days ago, is a vesssel with a tragic record. Some years ago the barque was the scene of a tragedy which has baffled the most acute detectives in the American service. On the ocean deep the captain, his wife, the second mate, and the man at the wheel were murdered m cold blood during the night, each being stricken down without being able to rvve an alarm. On the arrival of tl'- marque at New York the mate y - arrested and put on his trial for " • .pitchy in the murders, but nothing could be proved against him, and me murders on the Herbert Fulb - -omain to this day among the ffljst-ries of the deep. American Battleship Maine. The American battleship Maine is to I take the place of the vessel destroyed in ’ the Havana Harbour. The Maine lately 1 launched is a turret battleship of 12,300 : tons, and will develops 16,000 horse--1 power. It is expected that her speed will be 18 knots. Her armour belt varies from 7£ to 11 inches in thickness, her gun ■ protection armour from 9 to 12 inches, i both of Krupp steel, and her deck plating . from 2f to 4 inches. Her armament coni sists of four 12 inch, 16 six inch quickfiring, six 3 inch, and 17 lighter guns, 1 and two submerged torpedo tubes The 1 estimated cost of the Maine is £592,828. 1 The Maine which was sunk in Havana 1 Harbour, was an armoured cruiser of 6,682 tons displacement with an indicated , horse-power of 9,293, and a speed of 17.4 knots. Her armour belt was 12 inches in . thickness, her gun protection armour from 1 10 to 12 inches, and her deck plating from 4to 2 inches. Her armament comprised four 10 inch, six 6 inch, and 20 1 lighter guns, with seven torpedo tubes. Sue was built in 1890, and cost £517,600.