Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume III, Issue 157, 15 January 1867, Page 2

Mr Nan.c.arrpw. the Government Inspector of Steamer's, Has made an examination o,f the steamer. Despatch, and we arc glad to state ihat his r'epp'v.fc'is so tayqr,iblc that there will not be tW'^igW #W§T V^™" I*}1 *} her certificate. He reports that the vessel has received no material damage from her accident at Hokitikn' that her engines arc pj •first-rate make and material, and that her repairs are feing so efficiently carried out that "he will have no hesitation, as. sqcm as they are completed, which will be m about tcudays,> grant a certificate for her full romnlement of car K° * U(l P»ss cD g CTS - ne SSehls been W *W Cdjectpr of Customs, and w^ll he afc-opce available when ■the stearber ?s ready for wp-k, agajn ~ We learn that another steamer ! shprtty be placed' on,"^ coast trade p,f tins port. 'Saptain Sute^l ™Up. *s well kiiown m> G,-ey-i m& has pur^e^e Government guiv : |wt Sandny; wMcU Uft.UftS re-chn.stei,ec thp ■Lmaninn Maid, and has raised^ her paddles ■frem-ines fifteen indgJ so a«.t^htter .lier: ■Lr for the bar harbors pi ftp Wes£ Coast.

The steamer has excellent passenger accom r modation, steamy '|ast;'aq'd' ; draws jinder six ■feet Vhen loaded.,' Hej ''engines are sixty horse powwv $he may be daily expected to amyeiniiU,9ri.yjfr.V '• ''■'■' I . AllßiyAL .,,pji; .THE §TEA}I§HI? pREAT i BKrpAiN.^This" -yenowned steamship has once more completed a prosperous and sui ? cessfu| voyage, of iifty.-ejght days to Melb'flgpie. Spice hgr last trip home the Great Britain has undergone V thorough and most extensive overhaul,' and has been materially strengthened 'by "heavy iron plate stringers fore and aft,' and by substantial jron beams. She has also had new decks laid down, has- ■ had new watertight bulklieads added; and has, moreover, "been furnished with four large, new" cljj}jjey f built boatg, supplied under the innnedjiatc s'npervigiori" of the emigration iiisijeqiois a£ home. Gr.eat alterations have algp Veen effected jn lier passenger accommodation. -MV Beteppn is still chief office^, Mr "Maiden retains his post as chief engideer, Dr Alexander still' sails with -her, and the appointments 'generally are the'sanie as upon "previous voyages.'— A ryjfs, f)ecember27. ' ' ' "' ' „ A race lias tak^n place betyee;i two wellknown Austvaijan clipper ships, which must have.' foe.(?n almq'st as exciting in its way as thaj; of ihe jbga clipper ships, pn the run from Foq-chow-foo' ft' London.' -The Aberdeen clipped "Omar Pasha, a?>d flic Blackwa'} clipper Trne Briton, left" Hobspn's Bay in company on the 27th August last for London, both haying fjffl caj?gpe.s. The tugs took them through the headg side by side, and the race at onpe commenced. Qn the 6th November, says the Melbourne Argus, both ships went up the Thames, apparantly in almost as close company as when they left the bay for a race of some l'* ? 000 miles. The Ceylon papers state that almost as sooii as tlje Atlantic cable was laid, a captain of a ship who aisri^ed. at Point de Galle telcgiaphcd to his owners at np»- York. He telegraphed to the agents in London, and they telegraphed to America, Ami tha answer was sent" direct from New' York to (Jallc. The distance w.Jiieh the tejegi'-am and the reply travelled' f%s 2p.,pp t Cj mjles, and the cost was LyO. WIiF.CK ' oi: Tffj? GpVERNI;f| ; :KIf STEAMKR Pioxk^r,' A| Ma^iikau. — The Southern Crox.% "pf the 2GtJi Vilt., gives the following account o,f the. wreck cjf the.' Colonial Government steamer pioneer :— " The Tioneer, it appearp, ivas' iripored at Port Waikato, on the 3rd f ( f Noyeiii])er,' by Captain Fernandez, for the PAISPQse of having Jie): gtepi >yheel displaced., "and being fitted -with the sidewheels and engines of the' Sturf;. On the night of fihe 23rd insVher moorjng were examined by j\lr Lodder,' engineer and manager of the Waikato Steam Transport Service, at two am. and four a.m., and both anchors were fftuiid safe. Shortly afterwards, one of the workmen informed him that the Pioneer had drifted away, anid was on the bar. Mr Lodder, finding this to be the case, at onue called ijpon Captain Bpeton to assist him, as he had' not a }Voat which 'was capable of taking the bar. The request w^s immediately complied with ; but owing to filie l)ar being too hea^y., the "paffy in the, lipat pould not lea.ye until atiout seven o'clock a.'m., and by that hour, the Jfionce'f had drifted seven miles out to seiv. T^:o boats were maimed ; Capt. Breton taking charge of one, and Mr LotUbr of the other. The Pioneep was overtaken at about ten a.in.,'when sue was' found to have made a good cjeal of water. 4" attempt was then macje tp work' her, and steam was got up with $he yiew of returning to Port Waikato, but ft "began to blow from the south' -west and a heavy sea. was met with. As the anchors' cpijld no£ tfe cleared, it was found necessary to slip bflth, anil, left thus to thg inercv of the waves, she gradually drifted towards the Manukau Heads. The heavy seas, ivhjch .appeared to increase in power, carried away the stern wheel and almost filled her with water, when the order was given to desert fier, and it was with the greatest difficulty the crew and officers saved their' lipes. A landing was happily effected nearA^hitu, and ah attempt was to be made to reach Port Waikaj;o'yia Waiuku. The desertion of'thfi V$SpJ fe c l *R be effecte fl so suddenly that -(.he party only landed in their trousers and ' shirts, after the party reached thp shove., pd M f hilst resting from their laborious exerticms, the Pioneer appeared 'suddenly tp split in the middle, and sank out of sight. Her stempost could afterwards be seen at low water as she lay on th,e middle bank, opposite the pilot station, Paratutai. WItECK OF THE BARQUE CAMBODIA, ON THE Manukua Ba.:.— We are enabled to state the circumstances attending the loss of the British barque Cambodia on the Manukau, briefly alluded to in our last issue. The vessel's name was then unknown, and she was believed to be cattle laden from New South Wales. We fjnd, however, that she was fyqiiflj Bombay, bjuuid tq the islands for guano, and was a" large Sunde.i'lajid-built barque of 811 totis register, hailing from Topsham, Devonshire. Her. last trip was from Cardiff to Bombay, ladqn wijjh patent fuel ; after discharging whicp she left for the Guaiio Islands to load for Cork or Falmouth, intending tq call at Plymouth for orders. She had spine 400 tons of bfy]|as t t on board, and left Bombay . \\\ O^qbe'r i«ast. Falling s.hort of provisions, owing to the protractecl passage, caused by ljght winds and calms, Captain Craft proposed putting into Auckland' for provisions. Hayjng prdy. a general chart on a small scale, he Qxpcpenced some difficulty' in making out the' route, and on sighting land, at 5 p. 'in. on Ti|e.sday, was some forty' or fifty miles off tlie Manukau Heads, bearing N.E. The vessel was then sending Tiefore the Avihd, winch was from the southw.apcl and eastwaytl, and hajd all sail set, with' jy mo'dcrate breoie. The captain gave orders for £he vessel to be steered east-half-north, an<l shortened saj|. Wlien about ten' miles off- tKe Vand tv sigiiKj was observed from the pilbtjstation, but -y^as' perfectly unintelligjblg to the captain"bf ' the vessel ; and after "evopy effort tp ascertain its' meaning Captain Croft continued its course until the vesseTreaQhed ten fjijilipms of- water. This was abo«t eight a.m. on Tiiesdsiy. The vessel was then put about with a view qf waiting for a pilot to come off to her, Captain Croft very naturally feeling afraid tti Tnj>u into a port with which he was unacquainted, and respecting which his chart afforded only very meagre information. It was his intention to stand ofF and on until .assistance came, but when an attempt was made to stay the. vessel she missed stays .and would not come round. The captain then oidcredher to be wore round ami braced sharp up. The vessel theu lay to the westward, and breakers on her lee, and finding she would not weather th.ciii the order was given to tack. The vessel failed to answer, and would not come to the wind, when iij was discovered that there, was nos room to wear her again. A . few minute's afterwards she struck on the sand-bank:, and the anchor was at once let go. When firpught round by the anchor, the stern struck' on the bank, and the vessel bumped heayjly. Had the captain been aide to read the signals, he would have taken the south channel easier, and so havß avoided the disastrous cpngequences which ensued. During this time the' signals intimated that the. vessel was. gtepring top much a-starboard. Shortly after striking, the order was given .to cut away the mainqjist, with a yiew of lightening the ship, and to prevent her bumping aud straining so. heavily with the rough sea" on the bar. The mizeiirtop and topggllan^ yards went' over the side with the mainmast. Everything was started, and ;the decks were lifted as thp vessel bumped on the bar She then rlrag^ed lier anchor oyor the shoal and drifted jii ; the.se,;i making %

clean breach over her. The water in her hold was. rising above the ballast, iyhen the order was given to launch^ |be pinnace jtyj.d longboat, and the ship!s papers anil a, few other valuables having been ' securp^,' tlje crew, numbering twenty-one, deserted the vessel in company with the captain and officers about mid-day oil Tuesday . After proceeding some distance the boats were, met by the little s. s. ' Halcyoij, w}uph had put off with Captain 'Wing, the pilot, to the assistance of the vessel. Captain Croft ' was taken on board, and the crew came up to Onejiunga. In the evening the Halcyon went downjto the vessel, and succeeded \n Rowing hep out of her pej-jlous npsjtion |p a place of safety inside the Huia. : Sh,e was tpwed agiwnd, fiill of water, and 'when left the tide was flowing pyer her.' Captain Wing, and % Brewer, of H.M. Customs, went down to yisit the wreck 'ye§j!erd.ay, bnt had no£ peturned up tp a late )ipur ' last evening. It is not expected she will float again. The Cambodia is a 13-year ship qff the letter, and rg-classed for nine years. !^fer pwnprg are J^ohn Holnian and Sqns, of Tppshani. She is insured in the Western pjuibs fop 7000. — Southern Cvpjsit, Dec. 2.71' '