IMPORTS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1909, 18 September 1874, Page 2

IMPORTS.

A special charge is made on consignees' announcements inserted in this column.) Per Sarah and Mary, from Lyttelton : 140 bags wheat, 20 cases hams and bacon, 2 hhds eggs, 320 bags oats. Ber Ino, from Hokitika : 215 bars iron, 12 kegs nails, 2 cases, 1 pulley, 170 sheets iron, 3 doors, 1 bundle leather, Yesterday the schooner Sarah and Mary, from Lyttelton, arrived off the bar, and, although there was a very nasty sea running, the p.s. Dispatch brought her into port about 2 p.m. She brings a cargo of produce, consigned to Messrs (J. Woolcock and Co. The s.s. Ino arrived yesterday morning early from Hokitika. The departures yesterday were the steamers Charles Edward and Waipara, for Hokitika It is expected that the Charles Edward will return here to-day. Our Wellington telegrams recently stated that the owners of the steamer Stormbird claim LIO,OOO salvage for saving the ship Strathnaver. In reference thereto the " New Zealand Times " of the 4th instant publishes a written statement made by Captain Doile, master of the Stormbird :— " The s.s. Stormbird left Wellington for Wanganui at 7.30 p.m. on the 31st of August, with a light oreeze from the Bouth-east. At 820 p.m , when abreast the Pinnacle Rock, I observed a vessel's light in the offing ; at the same time saw a rocket thrown up. On Hearing the Heads saw a ship standing in for the old pilot station, on the west side of Chaffer's Passage, under topsails and maintopgallantsail, the wind being light from the south-east at the time. When abreast the outer rock of Barrett's Reef, I burned a blue light to indicate the position of the channel, seeing by the course the ship was steering that she was a stranger and running into danger. As she did not alter her course, I steamed with all possible haste towards her. On nearing her I found her very close to the reef, so close that I did not consider it safe to cross her bow. lat once steamed under the ship's stern, and called out ' Port your helm, and steer for the light ; you are running on to the reef.' . The helm was at once put to port, and the yards braced forward. The wind at this time was very light and more to the eastward. Seeing that the ship would not clear Barrett's Beef, I called out • Let go the anchor ;' she was now very close to the rocks. I was then asked by someone on board to come and tow her clear of the reef. lat once steamed under the ship's bow and received the tow-line from the pilot's boat. The ship was then 200 ft or 300 ft south of the outer rock of Barrett's Reef; too close to let go an anchor, no wind to work her, and setting fast on the rocks with the southeast swell. The " Otago Guardian " received the following from a passenger by the Cyphrenes on her last trip from Wellington to Kandavau :— "The mail steamer Cyphrenes had rather a curious passage on her last run up to Eandavau. She left Auckland on Tuesday, the 4th of August, and got clear of the land by night. On Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, the sea was quite calm, and the weather fair and warm, except that rain in soft warm showers fell continuously day and night, and a haze prevailed over the sky, thus preventing Captain Wox^d obtaining anything like an observation. N The ship had consequently to be steered by dead reckoning entirely, making about ten knots an hour, until the morning of Sunday, the 9th August. On that day a tropical sky, without a cloud, gave a splendid opportunity for an observation, which the captain, after being prevented for four days, was very glad to get. But the result as taken at mid-day was rather surprising. It was then discovered that, owing either to currents or deviation in the compasses, and the captain not having been able to get observations, the Cyphrenes had entirely passed the Island, of Kandavau, and had got up within sight of some land far to the northwestward, which was seen by the chart to be the Island of Oatulele, about six miles long. The course which the ship was steering had been supposed to be north by eight degrees east : but this must have been influenced in some way by currents to have carried her so far out. As soon as the mistake was discovered, the steamer, which had been heading for the land on the port side, under the impression that it was Kandavau, was turned round, and steered back on her own course. The observation at noon showed the latitude we were in 18deg 34min south; the longitide by the chronometer, 177deg 2min east— being thus about 66 miles from Kandavau, in the wrong direction, or north-west of it. The coarse steered on turning the ship was 56deg east. Had the island not been thus passed, the Cypbrenes would have been at Kandavau at midday on Sunday. As it was, she did not arrive off the island until Sunday night." .