Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume X, Issue 811, 3 March 1871, Page 2

The Jane Ann, now on her way round here from Kaiapoi brings . the fjllowing cargo :— 57 sacks chicken wheat, 1500 bushels oats, 35 sacks barley, 7 kegs butter, 2 tons bran, 1 ton bacon, 1 ton cheese. : / The s.s Murray, Captain Palmer, sailed last night for Westport and Nelson. - The schooner Waterman sails to-morrow with passengers for Melbourne direct. The ketch Brothers and Sisters, Perkins master, was brought to the wharf last evening by the p.s. Dispatch. She is from Westport in ballast, and will load coal for Hokibika. = ; ■ The Ancr. or line's powerful steamer Chail ss Edward arrived in the river at seven o'clock last night from Hokitika, with over fifty passengers on board, of whom thirty-three are for this port. She left Nelson on Monday last at noon, called at Motueka for fifteen tons of produce, leaving there at 3 p.m. Experienced N.E. -wind in the bay, and after rounding the spit strong S.W. vna<k and heavy sea. Arrived ab Wesbport at 4 p.m on Tuesday, and discharged forty tons of cargo ; left at 4 p..m on Wednesday, and towed in the schooner 10, sailing' finally at 6 p.m for Hokitika. . Arrived off the bar early Thursday morning, and got alongside :at 6 am ; left at 5. 15 p.m same day, crossing this bar at 7.10 p.m. She brings a considerable amount of cargo for this port, and will leave this evening at six o'clock for . northern ports. . . The following is Captain Eckhoffs account of the loss of the schooner Banshee : —On Sunday, at 9.15, we struck on Danger Reef ; . got the boat all ready for launching. • About half "an hour afterwards the vessel forged ahead considerably, and shortly afterwards' began to fill. Gave orders to launch the boat over to leeward ; while in the act of doing so, a sea struck her, filled the boat and Bent us all floundering, the whole of us having got into her ready to push off. 1 saw all hands clinging to the wreck. I got hold of something which proved to be one of the main hatches. A short time afterwards : Nicholas Murphy, one of the crew, came dose down to me. having hold of something ; ~ else. We cooeyed several times to the other men, but got no answer. We observed the! boat coming close to us, bottom up, and struck out for her. Murphy kept in my company for about two hours longer,' when he let go and vanished. The boat was capsized several times during the night, -but I alwa/s managed to right her again, and finally got a3hore about 4 p' m., to the northward of Jones's Head, with considerable difficulty.. I got on the range and. struck out for Waikouaiti. I observed several portions of wreck strewn along the' beach. I arrived near Waikouaiti about 7. p.m., all in tatters, and very much exhausted —in fact, ready to drop down. I was kindly entertained by Mr J. Moir, who showed me the way into the' township, where I communicated with the sergeant of police, who sent two constables to the scene of the idifeaster. None of the others had come on shore by noon this day. I believe myself to be the ■i only survivor." The p.s. Wallace passed hy the scene of the wreck yesterday. Captain Edie reports that the Banshee was still on •the reef, but fast breaking up. A quantityof .her cargo, which consisted of timber, was floating about, but there was no sign of her ' crew, which consisted of the mate, two ablebodied seamen, and cook! There is tbas hardly any room to doubt that they have perished, . • '. ■ The Army and Navy Journal thinks the problem of a torpedo boat capable of firing .rapidly and with certainty has at; length reached a satisfactory solution. It says :— " A boat haa been completed, which is proved by experiment to be faultless in machinery : and arrangement. On the 2nd of December, Secretary Robeaon, Vice-Admiral Porter, and Commodore Case, Chief of tha Bureau of Ordnance, went to the Navy Yard at Washington, to witness the experiment with t'lis new engine of destruction. After examining the workings of the ' machinery, and the manner of firing, one of the destructives vas put in the frame, and the party proceeded to the shore to witness the result. A torpedo of only thirty-six pounds was first run out with rapidity and fired ; but the result showed that this small amount of powder even would have been sufficient to destroy

any ship, by lifting her out of the water and breaking her back, even if her bottom was not knocked out altogether. Mud and water /were thrown ,up together; and the concussion jwks felt far upi the Navy Yard, the ground being shaken by the shock of the powder X'nßt the bed of the river. The concussion on board the torpedo boat was not more than that caused by a wave striking a vessel at sea. Several torpedoes were fired from the vessel, the explosion of which the party witnessed on board, as they desired to ascertain for themselves the effect of the shock. The result seemed satisfactory, as no change whatever is contemplated in the machinery, which is very simple, and 'works to a charm.' The torpedo vessel is the Nina, a very strong iron boat of three hundred and fifty tons burden, capable of crossing the ocean, and having a speed of seventeen knots an hour.. She is not impervious to heavy shot, but can be made so, and is capable of resisting any ordinary projec-. tile that could be brought to bear on her from the decks of a;ship of- war. Her decks will, be made torpedo ; and shot-proof, . and "several arrangements will be applied, now that it is known that the torpedo system is a success. Such a vessel as the Nina attacking an enemy's squadron on our coast some dark night, or entering an enemy's port, could destroy half the vessels in the harbor, and easily escape, as few vessels could overtake her. Such a vessel could, for instance, enter the harbor of Havana, and destroy every vessel of war in the port, under coyer of darkness. A squadron supplied with such boats to be used to attack, after the fight began, and the ships were enveloped in smoke, would have a decided advantage against an enemy not thus armed for torpedo warfare. It is. reported that our torperlo navy will consist of tweuty vessels, none of which will have a less speed than twelve knots, and the fastest of them will go seventeen knots."