SHIPPING.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1637, 20 May 1879, Page 2

SHIPPING.

POET OF LYTTELTON Weather Retort — May 20. 9 a.m.—Weather, clear, blue sky; wind, calm, Barometer, 29.89; thermometer, 52. High Water—To-morrow. Homing, 3.33; evening, 3.58. Cleared— May 20. Star of tho South, s.s., 175 tons, Bayldou, for Dunedin via Timarn. J. M. Heywood and Co., Sovereign, barque, 353 tons. Berry, for Newcastle, C. W. Turner, agent. Sailer— May 19. Wanaka, s.s., 279 tons, McGillivray, for Auckland, via Bast Coast. R. Puflett, agent. PasBongora Saloon: For Wellington, Miss Foster, Messrs Fraser, Briggs, Atkinson, Long; for Napier, Messrs Horsfall, Pilcher, Morliug; tor Auckland, Mrs Butt, Messrs Dalgleish, Britten, Eaymond, Bruce. Eight steerage. Sailed— May 20. Emily, brig. 286 tons, Sutherland, for Newcastle. P. Cunningham and Co., agents. The barque Thames has about 210 tons of American goods to discharge here, after which she will proceed to Auckland to loud for New Yoik. Messrs Edwards, Bennett and Co. are her agents. On March 10th Messrs John Elder and Co. launched a screw steamer from their ship-building yard at Govau. Tho Arizona is tho largest vessel ever bnilt on the Clyde, and in point of capacity will, next to tho Great Eastern, bo the largest merchant steamer afloat. She is bnilt for the Onion Line, to ply between Liverpool and New York. Her length of keel is 465 ft.; breadth, 46ft.; depth, 37ft. ; and tonnage, 5500, with an indicated horse-power of 6000. The barquontiuo Hobo has discharged her cargo of coal, leaving sufficient in tor ballast. Sho will Bail for Oaumrn to load grain for an Australian port in behalf of Messrs Royso, Stead and Co. INCREASE OF BRITISH SHIPPING. The increase of iron-bnilt ships in the merchant navy during the last seventeen years has been very remarkable. In 1860, 181 vessels were built—a number which rose to 503 in 1861, when a check ■was experienced. For nine years tho number fluctuated between 300 and 180, but in the last two or three years it has passed the previous maximum, .and last year 545 iron vessels were built. The increase in the size is, however, most remarkable; for, while the number of the vessels built has been multiplied threefold, the tonnage is six times as great. In 1860 the tonnage of iron vessels bnilt was £64,699 ; in 1864 it was 283,169; in 1870 the 457 vessels built were 272.230 tonnage ; and, last year, the tonnage of 645 vessels was 390,593. To put it shortly, in the first half of tho period under review, 3103 vessels were built, and in the second 4264. But, while the numerical increase in the second half over the first was about 37 per cent., tho increase in tonnage was 93 per cent. With the increase of tho number of iron vessels afloat there is a large increase in the number of those annually lost. In 1860 there were only seven iron vessels recorded as lost, and the tonnage of 1288 assigned to them shows that they wore comparatively insignificant in size. Until 1865, tho number of iron vessels lost yearly was under 100, but in that year 104 were lost, and tho tonnage of 53 133 shows that tho average size was greatly increased. In 1874 tho highest number was recorded as lost—ls 9, tho tonnage being 101,339, If the figures that have been gathered for the present year from some of the chief shipping and ship-building centres proves applicable to tho whole country, tho iron vessels built and lost in 1878 will bo found, both in numbers and tonnage, in excess of those for its predecessor. There are now indications that iho use of iron in ship-building may be in some degree superseded by steel. At several ship-build-ing centres vessels have been bnilt of steel, which are now running.—“ Baltimore Gazette."