SHIPPING.

Globe, Volume VII, Issue 798, 12 January 1877, Page 2

SHIPPING.

FORT OF LYTTELTON, Weather Report ; January 12—Wind, N.E., fresh breeze ; weather, clear. Barometer, 29.84 ; thermometer, 60. High Water : To-morrow —Morning, 2.46; afternoon, 3.12. ARRIVED. January 12—Kenilworth, schooner. 113 tons, McDonald, from Whangapoa. January 12—Melrose, barque, 287 tons, Kenny, from Newcastle. January 12—Hinemoa, s.s, 281 tons, Fairchild, from Wellington. Passengers—Judge and Mrs Pendergast, Mrs Knight, Mrs C. Gr. Knight, Mr T. W. Lewis. SAILED. Mi January 12—Beautiful Star, s s., 146 tons, Bemiche, for Amuri Bluff. January 12—Bencleuch, schooner, 66 tons, Francis, for Picton. The s.s. Hinemoa, Captain Fairchild, arrived this morning, at 8.30 o’clock, from Wellington. The Melrose, barque, from Newcastle, and the Kenilworth, schooner, from Whangapoa, arrived this morning. The yacht Secret was sighted North of Cape Campbell by the Hinemoa on Thursday evening. . The fs.s. Beautiful Star sailed for Amuri Bluff this afternoon. THE ROTORUA. The Union Company’s new steamer Rotorua arrived yesterday at 8 a.m. from Port Chalmers. She Is a splendid boat, and fully worthy of the encomiums that have been passed on her. Captain HoFarlane, so well known as commanding other steamers of the company’s fleet, and who brought her out from home, is in command.EWhilst Mr R. B. Pringle, another old Lyttelton favorite, is the purser, and we need hardly say answered all our enquiries with the greatest kindness. On going aboard the first thing one notices Is that she has a flush deck fore and aft, a great improvement on the Hawea and Taupo. The smoking room is better arranged than we have seen In any other vessel, and there is a ladies’ retiring room on deck opening from the saloon stairs, where the gentlemen's smoking room is placed in the Hawea. This latter is sumptuously furnished, and contains large mirrors, which we have no doubt will be well patronised. The fore cabin, though not equal to that on the Wakatipu. is better than most steamers, and is situated right forward. The saloon is aft, and is fitted precisely the same as in the Hawea and Taupo, the only difference being that it Is nine feet longer. We append the following full description from a Southern contemporaryOf the several fine vessels provided by the Union Steamship Company for the service of the public the steam r Rotorua, the latest addition to the fleet, ranks high. We expected that she would prove something very much out of the common, and we are not disappointed in her, for a better built vessel, more completely equipped, and a more luxuriously comfortable passenger carrier, could not be desired in a vessel of her class. She is not by any means small in size, and yet the term “multum in parvo” may be aptly applied to her, so judiciously has her space been economised, so complete and elaborate are her Interior arrangements. Outwardly she wears the appearance of a thorough good sea goer, and, like the boats which preceded her—the Hawea and Taupo—she is plumb-stemmed; but, unlike them, she has fender stringers along her amidships section. Again, unlike them, she has bilge keels, a much favored feature in modern marine architecture, on account of the steadiness it imparts in a seaway. Another feature in favor of the Rotorua is the absence of those unsightly breaks at the fore and main hatchways. She is flush decked, and thus, while more taking to the eye, has a great deal of useful available space in the tween decks. Her equipments are remarkable, and include a natty and powerful direct acting steam windlass, one of Paul’s patents, on ’he forecastle, two parti cularly handy steam winches at the fore ard main hatchways, the one at the latter bring friction geared Steam steering apparatus, also Paul’s patent, amidships, and patent boat davits amidships. The steering apparatus consists of a pair of pretty little 6-horse power engines, with the requisite gearing, and works with the greatest ease and reliability, but in case of a break down there is ordinary steering gear aft, available at a moment’s notice to fall back upon. The boat davits demand special notice. They are fixed with the curves outwards, close against the side of the deck house, their bottoms resting in sockets to allow them to fall outwards. They are confined to a vertical position between angle iron guides which also constitute the gallows for the boats' chucks to rest upon, but from where the gallows turns downwards to the deck, the iron is solid. Powerful luff-tackle purchases are attached to the davits, a few feet below the curves, and to the top i't the house. All that Is necessary to be done to lower the boats is to slip the chocks, give the boa s a slight bear over, and slack away the luff-tackles. The davits then fall outwards until they re«t against the solid part of the gallows, and the boats swing clear of the vessel’s side, are then lowered by ordinary davit tsckle, and so reach tin water. The Rotorua’s boats are. however, fitted With Douglas’s patent disengaging apparatus, and SO are rendered correspondingly handy for lowering or recovering lu a sea way. As the travelling public are by this time tolerably familiar with the superb accommodation of the steamers Hawea «uj Taupo, we shall, as lack of space prohibits, not give a detailed description, and briefly describe the Rotorua’s saloon as being the fac simile, on a little larger scale, of the saloons of those vessels. The ladies’ cabin on the starboard side forward is, however, remarkable for its size, comfort, and admirable lighting and ventilating properties. On the port side there is an alley-way leading from the aaloon right forward to the tore-hatch, and opens outwards into bath-rooms, offices, pantry, steward’s rooms, &o, whilst on its inward side are the galley and one or two rooms in the space not occupied by the engine and boiler department. On the starboard Bide there is another alley way leading from the fore hatch space in the ’tween decks to the forward • bulkhead of the saloon. Here are officers’ quarters and offices. We must say a few words about the Rotorua’s machinery. Denny and Co have excelled themselves as engine builders in the production of the magnificent compound engine they have supplied the Rotorua with. It is 180 horse power, diameter of cylinders, 60in 1 p, 35in h p. The condenser is on an improved plan, tor either surface condensing or ordinary condensing. The starting gear Is worked by steam, and the excellence of the engine may be summed up In the sentence—simplicity, compactness, and utility, one boiler only, a cylindrical marine multitnhular 13ft in diameter, and 17ft long. It weighs 60 tons, and is fired from six furnaces. The propeller of the steamer is a four-bladed Griffith’s patent, 12ft diameter, 17ft pitch, and Is attached to a shaft llln diameter. The stroke of the engine is 3ft 6ln, and when going at full speed the revolutions are 82 per minute. During the passage out the steamer averaged about 72 revolutions. In connection with the steamer’s accommodation, we may remark that there are a ladles’ lounging room and gentlemen’s smoking room forming part of the quarterdeck house, whilst forwards there is very superior second class accommodation for ladies and gentlemen, the former having room tor 15 persons, and the latter (10. In the saloon 14 ladies and 60 gentlemen can be comfortably entertained.” The Rotorua left Port Chalmers at 3.50 p.m on Wednesday, and had fine weather to arrival as above. She took the outward ’Frisco mail to the Manakau, sailing for Sydney V. via Wellington and Northern Ports at 4.30 p.m \ yesterday. \ THE CARDIGAN CASTLE. "hhis ship was admitted to pratique yesterday, andVlaptain Davies has kindly furnished us with the following report of the passage Embarked passengers on afternoon of September 2Sth, andf left Gravesend on evening of 30th, being off the None on October Ist, and near the Start on the ”nd • from thence to within 70 miles west of Ushant had strong southerly breeze, averaging all through the Channel from 10 to 11 knots. The wind then veered to SAP, and blew almost a gale, varying from S S W. to W.S.W. until October 12th. thus preventing the ship making much progress, her nosition being on that day in lat 43.29 N, and long 10 21 W. The winds from this date were more favorable, but not good, to the latitude of Madeira, which was passed on October 17th, a long way to the eastward. The Canaries were passed on the 18th and the Cape de Verde’s on the 27th ot October • S S E. and S.S.W. winds prevailing from "1 to 15 N. The S.E. trades were fallen in with in 6 N. and the line crossed on November 10th. forty days’ out. Sighted Gough a Hand on November

2ith, and passed the Cape on December Ist, speaking the barque Lallah Rookh from Liverpool to Sydney on ttie following day in lat 44 S. long 24.44 E. On Thursday, December 7th, when in latitude 44.31 S, long 45.35 E, got, into a cyclone, commencing from the eastward with very heavy rain, then going round northerly to N.W, then sudden shift to S W. blowing very heavily with high cross sea. During the night blew away lower main and mizen topsails, whilst running under the three topsails only. The barometer was down to 28.50 before the cyclone commenced, thus giving timely warning. The ship was oil - Tasmania on Christmas day, being eighty-four days from the Start, having thus pulled up well since crossingthe Equator. Light, variable winds and frequent calms were experienced thence until Stewart’s Island was passed on December 3lst and after two days’ calm passed Otago Heads, and were signalled on January 3rd. Thence to Lyttelton bad strong N.E. winds, anchoring oil Quarantine Station at 11,30 p.m on the 6th. Captain Davies reports having had a very pleasant passage on the whole, though a succession of adverse winds made it a long one. The passengers behaved well, and seemed well contented, and the food and water was abundant, and of the best quality. The ship will be berthed without delay to discharge her inward cargo. The report from the Quarantine Station yesterday was favorable.