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Grey River Argus, Volume X, Issue 756, 22 November 1870, Page 2

The s.s. Alhambra, Thomas Underwood, commander, cleared Port Phillip Heads at 6.30 p.m. en the 7th instant. Experienced light variable winds with fine weather. Arrived at Bluff Harbor at 11.30 a.m. on tho 12th ; sailed at 5 p.m., and arrived at Port Chalmers at 5 a.m. on the 13th ; sailed at 7.30 p.m. ou the 14th, and arrived atTimaru at 4 a.m. on the 15th ; left at 5.30 p.m, and arrived at Lyttelton at 6 a.m. oh the 16th ; sailed at 6 p.m, and arrived at Wellington at 11 a. m. on the 17th ; left at 5 p.m, and arrived at Nelson at 4 a.m. ou the 18th ; sailed at 4.30 p.m. same day, and arrived off the bar at 2 p.m. on Saturday. At 4 p.m. she was teuderad by the p.s. Dispatch, which brought ashore 13 passengers and the San Francisco mail, and put on board of her 15 passengers and 3000 ounces of gold for Melbourne. The Alhambra then left for Hokitika. The schooner Qaeen, from Auckland, consigned to Mr Wickes, with .i cargo of building material is expected every hour. The verdict of che Naval Committee, inquiring into the loss of the ironclad Captain, exonerates everybody connected with her construction and management. A very improbable paragraph, now going the round of the press, states that the Germans in San Francisco contemplate fitting out a filibustering expedition to attack > Tahiti and New Caledonia. The s.s. Wallabi and p.s. Lyltel ton both left for Westport last evening. The s.s. Omeo is now overdue from Melbourne. She may be looked for in the roadstead to-day, when she will ship passenge s for all the New Zealand ports and Melbourne. The schooner Wild Wavo. from Lyttelton, arrived in the roadstead yesterday afternoon. The p.s. Dispatch ran out on the evening's tide to bring her in, but returned without her, as satisfactory terms as to the towage conld not.be arranged with ths master. An vffori to launch the s.s. Wallabi off the North Spit was made on Saturday morning, and was almost successful when tho ways lank under her, and she was partly iv aud partly out of the water. The contractors immediately set to work and before the afternoon's tide she was raised sufficiently to be hauled off by the p.s. Dispatch, and placed safely alongside the wharf, without being in the slightest degree strained or iujured by her pile-up on the spit or during her overland trip to the river. As her launch wa3 most successfully and expeditiously accomplished, we may mention a few facts connected with it :— lmmediately upon seeing that it was impossible to take her out seaward, even with the aid of the Dispatch, her energetic agents, Messrs D. Maclean and Co, sent down to Hokitika for Mr Andrew Stenhouse, whose experience in this branch of what we may now call a West Coast yirofessioa was very great. It was not however until Tuesday week that Mr Stenhouse could commence operations to get the Wallabi out of her perilous situation, and have her seated high and dry upon tho top of the beach before commencing her overland journey for the (Joy. As the distance to be travelled was fully a quarter of a mile, and the V/allabi required to be lifted over a bank that lay in the direct route, Mr Stenhouse employed three hydraulic pumps each capable of lifting 60 tons. He also employed on the average daily a force of thirty-four hands, and with this small number he has completed the quickest and cheapest undertaking of its kind ever attempted on the coast. Had it not been, however, for the skill displayed by him the Wallabi could not possibly, cve:i at three limes the expense incurred, been launched in the same space of time. On first seeing her this gentleman determined to adopt a new method of propulsion, and accordingly set to work to rig up a windlass upon the same principle as that of a Yankee stump extractor. First of all he carried the ship's heaviest anchor about 75 fathoms from the ship, the communication between each being the ship's chain cable. The ant-hor was then deeply embedded so as to prove true against the great strain put upon it. About halfway a lever windlass waß erected, the lever consisting of an immense beam, in the centre of which a number of holes were bored. This centre was further braced by iron plates, so as to do away with the

possibility of breaking the spar, from the centre, therefore, it was made to work upon blocks of wood deeply embedded, while the more immediate or top one upon which it was worked was made, moveablo and ironcased, so that the bolt should not wear away the wood, and render the hole too largo for tho required working. Through these holes in the centre staples of tho strongest iron obtainable were driven, and attached to them was a small piece of chain, having at the end a pair of claws, iv all respects similar to those used in an American stump-extractor. As an er[ual force of men was upon each side of the lever, no time was ever lost when at work in pushing the jib along£ because the one-half of the lever, after making half a turn, would bring the other half back to repeat a similar performance. At each effort thus made, three or four links would be taken up ; and such was the power of this novel machine, that very little exertion beyond ordinary was required to effect the desired re3«lt. As an instance of tho speed made by the vessel on her overland trip, we are assured that she travelled no less than 370 feet last Wednesday, and as she was on the edge of the river bauk on Thursday night last, she has therefore completed the distance and been lifted up from the edge of the surf in nine days, including one do-y and ahalf of wet weather during which no work was done. — Yesterday, an official enquiry was made by Mr Andrews, Collector of Customs, iuto the cause of the stranding of the vessel. The master, Capfc. Daniels, the first and second mate, two of the seamen, the Harbor-master, Capt. Allardyce, the Signal-man, Mr .Stalker, and Mr Hunter, engineer of the Wallabi, all gave evidence, which we are unable to publish at length. Mr Andrews arrived at the following decision:— " That the s.s. Wallabi was stranded on the North Beach by the vessel being steered too far to the ipsiihward, but had there been no heavy sea :Aie would have got in ; that no blame is tr» hi attached to the master, Robt. Daniels, but that he appears to have made hi? utmost endeavors to avert the catastrophe iv a scamau'ike manner, the weather also being hazy rendered the steering difficult. No blame is either attributable to the Harbor authorities, they appear to have done all in their power. The stranding, I should say, is au unaccountable accident."