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Grey River Argus, Volume III, Issue 202, 30 April 1867, Page 2

The p.s. Persevere on Saturday tendered | the p.s. Claud Hamilton, and on Snndaj r towed in the cutters Elizabeth and Wairoa, both from the northern gold fields' ports. The Panama, New Zealand, and Australian Koycil Mail Company's steamer Claud Hamilton, from Sydney, arrived oft' this port on Saturday, and after transhipping a small quantity of goods for this port and discharging passengers, took her departure for Nelson. The s s. Halcyon left the Grey at 4 p.m. on Friday, iind arrived at Fox's at 7 o'clock same evening. Left a«ain at 2 a.m. on Saturday, and reached Pakihi at 3 a.m. Discharged passengers and csvrgo, and left again at 4 p.m., and anchored at Fox's at 5 o'clock. Started again at 11, and arrived off the Grey at 2.30 on Sunday morning, and entered the river at three o'clock. Captain Wing reports having had most delightful weather during the passage, and that he never entered t.he Pakihi with such a calm sea before. The Halcyon left for another trip last night. We believe .that the s.o. William Miskin arrived at Hokitika 3'csteiday, nineteen days out from Dunedin. The s.s=. Keera, which arrived at Hokitika on Saturday morning, and Greymouth on Sunday evening, left Dunedin on the 23rd inst., and came north about. She experienced line weather throughout the passage, and sails again for Dunedin direct to-day. The s.s. "Wallaby, Captain Daniels, left Wanganm on Friday morning, with 126 sheep, 50 cattle, and 1 horse ; arrived at the Buller on Saturday mi r.iing, ami discharged 2 cattle, 34. sheep, and the horse. Left the Buller immediately afterwards for Fox's, where the remainder of the sheep and cattle were .discharged, and met with a ready sale at good prices. She arrived off the Grey bar during the course of Sunday uirrht, and entered tbe river at 5 a.m. yesterday. On proceeding to Cobdcn to coal, she got aground on ,1 shoal apposite the Coal Wharf, which delayed her coaling until late in the afternoon, so that s*:e was unable to leave again for the north until the evening's tide. She reports fair weather and favorable winds throughout the voyage. The schooner Maid of Erin left Melbourne on Monday the 15th hist., with a strong fresh breeze from tho northward, which continued until the 17th, and then shifted to the westward, and remained in that quarter till the 19th, when it suddenly shifted to the S.E., ajjd on the 22nd to the N.E., with a light breeze. Sighted Mount Cook on the 24th, from which day until reaching the Grey she had light airs and calms. Arrived off the Grey on the 25th, and was towed in by the i>. s. Persevere on the 27th. During a strong westerly gust on the passage, she carried away the truss of her foreyard, but sustained n« further damnge. The p.s. Tasmanian Maid left Hokitika with a full cargo and complement of passengers at 1 ,30 p.m. on thc2sth inst. Arrived at Fox's at 5.30 same day, discharged passengers and at 10.30 left for Westport, arriving there at 2 a. in. on the 26th. Left Westport at 2.30 on the 26th inst, and arrived at Fox's at 6 p.m., having called at tho Pakihi and landed passengers there on the way down. Left Fox's at 1 0.30 p.m. and arrived at Greymouth at 2 a.m. on the 27th. Captain Soutcr reports iine weather throughout. L f , Grcymov.th for Hokitika same day. We find in a recent scientific journal the following relative to a new and ingenious method of photographing a ship's course : — The large number of lives lost annually by shipwreck having attracted the serious attention of tho ltoyal Society in London, an ingenious contrivance, called the Loxodrographe, has been recently invented by a naval engineer, Mr Corradi, for ascertaining a ship's course during a voyage. On the dial of the compass, instead of the star which indicates the nnith, a circular opening is made, furnished with a small lens. The light shining upon the compass penetrates through the lens, and traces a black mark on a sheet of sensitive paper underneath, which is made to move at a certain speed by means of clock work. The sensitive pjiper turns with the action ot the ship ; and as the needle remains perfectly steady, every deviation or alteration o.f the course is photographed on the paper. Fukquknt Loss qf Ikox Stitps. — The cause of the loss of so many iron &hi])S has buen frequently discussed of late amongst shipowners and others. The question was incidentitlly referred to at the annual meeting of the Maritime Insurance Company, the general opinion of those i>resent being that the risks cm iron ships were uniuuly great. Ist. From the use of cement andiron ballast. Vessels at present, it was stated, arc constructed to float on rather than in the water, and consequently they had to be weighed down to a certain depth by iron, For instance, a first-class merchant ship (Al twenty years at Lloyd's) has 200 tons weight of ironon her ties and rivets. It was also urged that the space occupied by iron liallast filled the space which would otherwise be occupied by the leakage water, which was in consequence thus frequently forced to an undue height, to the great injury of the cargo. 2nd. The deviation of the compasses was another serious and frequent cause of risk, and it was recommended that all iron ships should carry a compass oi> the main mast, twenty feet above the deck. It was also remarked that shipmasters very often did not make sufficient allowance for these deviations. 3rd. It was urged that another great cause of risks was attributable to the fact that young and inexperienced captains were allowed to command large vessels, while old and experienced masKers were not sufficiently encouraged. It was also recommended that not only, shoulci more care be taken with tho

compasses, bub the instructions with regard to the use of the lead should be very strict, and that shipowners and underwriters should endeavor to show their warm and liberal ■ appreciation of careful and experienced, havi- 1 gation. — Mechanics' ' Magazin c.